No form and, at least not yet, no standard: national coach Isabelle Baumann is worried about the 27-year-old runner Konstanze Klosterhalfen. “It’s dramatic when you have a defending champion in the country and then have to see her fighting like that,” said Baumann on Sport1 about the 5000-meter European champion, who has not gotten going this season so far.
“I have no explanation for it, except that it is difficult because she is running behind her performance,” said Baumann about Klosterhalfen: “Of course she is putting herself under pressure because she is dissatisfied.” While Klosterhalfen is the defending champion for the European Championships in Rome (June 7th to 12th) has a wild card, she still has to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris (July 26th to August 11th).
So far, Klosterhalfen has made three attempts for the standard over 10,000 meters (30:40.00 minutes), her best time being 31:07 minutes in a road race in Spain.
But Baumann, wife of Olympic champion Dieter Baumann, believes the former World Cup third place Klosterhalfen can turn things around. “There are no miracles in sport, but I think that Koko has the chance to find her way back because of her talent,” she said: “It is clear that this will not be easy in such a short time.”