MTB cycling: After the unfortunate tire defect at the Mountain Bike Cross-Country World Championships in Nove Mesto and the disappointing 17th place at the World Cup in Lenzerheide last weekend, Sabine Spitz is looking towards Rio. In the week of the World Cup, the 43-year-old was officially nominated by the DOSB for the Olympic Games.
For Sabine Spitz, Rio is the big goal of the season for 2016 - and at the same time her last Olympic participation as an active athlete. For the fifth and last time, the German record champion will fight for a medal at the Olympic Games. The chances of a podium finish in Rio are actually pretty good. At the World Championships recently held in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, Sabine Spitz was definitely on course for bronze, until a stone pierced her rear wheel tire on the penultimate descent. The medal ranks were therefore out of reach. "It's just frustrating to lose the medal like that, and that again and again at World Championships... It was almost a déjà vu from the World Championships in Saalfelden 2012. Gunn-Rita Dahle also crashed into my rear wheel there on a safe medal spot," she commented German medal hope their unlucky race in Nove Mesto.
The professional cyclist from Bad Säckingen placed great hopes in the World Cup in Lenzerheide / Switzerland last weekend. "The track there should suit me quite well" says Sabine Spitz optimistically ahead of the World Cup. However, breathing problems caused by choking and subsequent stitches in the side gave Sabine Spitz no chance of a good placement in Lenzerheide. In the end, the 43-year-old was 6:22 minutes behind the winner and U23 world champion Jenny Rissveds from Sweden. More than 17th place was therefore not possible at the World Cup in Switzerland. After the official nomination, the focus is now on Rio: "Even if that wasn't a surprise anymore, it's a little different when you get confirmation that you're going to be there."
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