17.01.2016
In the team sprint, Robert raced to position 1, pulling the team with Erik Balzer and Tobias Wächter to 5th place initially in 17.679 seconds. In the 200m sprint qualification, Robert was only able to finish 14th in spite of a time of 10.128 seconds in the crowded field of qualifiers. Erik Balzer skated to 11th place in 10.089 seconds, while Eric Engler just made it into the tournament in 10.225 seconds (24th). There E. Engler and Robert were already eliminated in the preliminary round, E. Balzer made it one round further.
Roberts’ feedback this morning from Hong Kong: “This result is mediocre and does not meet my expectations. On both days of the race I didn’t really get going, my legs were heavy and I felt bad. At the moment, I’m basically not in the shape I need to be in to compete at the top of the world again. The causes of this must now be analyzed and clarified in detail. Certainly also due to my herniated disc from December 2014 and the illness after the altitude camp in Colorado last September, the foundations for long-term form building in the winter season are missing. I had tried to compensate for this deficit by intensifying my training between the World Cups and over the turn of the year. However, this did not work, as can now be seen from the results
can see. I can’t rely on my body as usual at the moment, the shape fluctuates daily. It’s now a matter of coming to rest after the next two competitions in Manchester and Berlin, taking myself out completely and then starting from scratch.
I’m glad that my sponsors and supporters are behind me during this time as well.”
We wish Robert a good journey home and much strength for the next tasks!
