2023-09-12 13:08:46
Even as a child, Antje Vogel was hard to stop. Talent, endurance and ambition led the Erzgebirge native to triathlon – an extremely demanding sport in which she can now even prove herself at the Ironman World Championship.
What for others is a place of relaxation, Antje Vogel uses for intensive training. She must have swum through the Geyrish Pond ten times, but she mightn’t go home sooner. This is the only way the Gornauer woman can get close to the distance that she will soon have to cover before Hawaii. 3.8 kilometers have to be completed in the Bay of Kailua-Konazu – as part of the Women’s Ironman World Championship, which also includes 180 kilometers on the bike and 42.2 kilometers on foot. The starting shot will also be given for Antje Vogel on October 14th, as the triathlete has qualified for this international highlight of the season in the Central Pacific.
Posted for the European Championships
At the beginning of July, her dream of Hawaii was almost in danger of bursting because health problems began to bother her just before the Ironman European Championships in Frankfurt/Main. “I missed the training in advance. Otherwise I would have been 30 minutes faster,” reports the Gornauer, who reached the finish following 11:45:58 hours. As 16th in the 35-39 age group, she missed direct qualification. But because other competitors forewent a starting place in Hawaii, the 38-year-old moved up.
Grown up in the pool
Now Antje Vogel can climb the next level in a development that began in childhood. “I’ve always done a lot of sport since I was six years old,” says the Erzgebirge native, who was destined for a career in the pool. Because her parents were both active swimmers and her father was also an aerobatic diver, training was practically part of everyday life. “I grew up in the water,” says the native of Zschopau, whose sporting talent was also noticed by the scouts of the LV 90 Thum. She competed in athletics for this club. “After school we always went to training and almost every weekend there was some kind of competition on the agenda.”
Husband gives important impetus
The Gornau native is now a mother of four and sacrifices a lot of time for her family. Competitions on the weekends are an absolute rarity, but that doesn’t mean that their sports program has declined rapidly. Instead, Antje Vogel runs a marathon for herself every month, takes trips to the Geyrisch Teich for individual exercise sessions and cycles to Keilberg every two weeks. “After that, a short run and then it’s off to late shift,” reports the Gornauer woman with a smile.
Cycling wasn’t one of her hobbies for a long time, but her husband gave the decisive impetus. This also gave rise to the idea of trying out triathlon. And right at the premiere at the Schneeberger Filzteich in 2015, they made it onto the podium. “I tasted blood,” says the third person at the time, who rediscovered her ambition: “I realized that I’m far from reaching my goal yet.”
Active for SG Adelsberg
The inner drive to explore one’s own limits led to an increase in the length of the route. From the Olympic distance, where, for example, only 40 kilometers have to be completed by bike, it went through the middle distance including a half marathon to the long distance. There were also tips from training colleagues from the triathlon department of SG Adelsberg, to which the Erzgebirge woman now belongs. She especially gets along well with Steffen Uhlig, whom Antje Vogel met at Knappenman in the Lausitzer Seenland. We went to many a competition together – like in Frankfurt/Main, where the Kemtau native also bought his World Cup ticket.
Training colleague shows how it’s done
Uhlig has just finished his World Cup in Nice, where the men were challenged last weekend. “The swimming went quite well despite the ban on neoprene, but the cycling was very strenuous,” reports the M-60 starter, who left a lot of strength in the saddle and felt it while running: the cramps started at just 10 kilometers. “Then I struggled for 32 kilometers. It really hurt, but I really wanted the finisher’s medal,” says Uhlig, who actually made it and crossed the finish line three minutes before the official cut.
Being there is everything
Antje Vogel’s goal in Hawaii is also to get through. She hasn’t set a specific time or placement because “every competition is very different when it comes to the route and weather.” Instead, it’s regarding enjoying participation and the sport. “I need this as a balm for the soul and a balance. This is how I come to terms with myself,” says the Gornauer, looking forward to the big challenge.
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