Shot putter Christian Zimmermann has been on vacation for the past few days, a bit of wellness in Austria. Just get out of Munich, which last week and a half got drunk at the multisport European championships. When Zimmermann returned, he imposed a ban on contact with the Olympic Park, where the Kirchheimer SC athlete usually trains almost every day. But that didn’t completely hide his pain. A video snippet that was washed onto his cell phone from the European Athletics Championships was enough.
Christian Zimmermann, 28, has not received any warm applause in the past few days, which German athletes have been so enthusiastic about recently. His story leaves you speechless. He had firmly expected that he would be there at the European Championships, in his stadium. But his name didn’t make it onto the start list, apparently because of a reporting error. He is sitting in front of the ruins of years of preparation, says Zimmermann in a calm, firm voice, he’s just “done with the world”.
His previous season had gone badly, he doesn’t dress that up in beauty: “My build-up in winter was almost non-existent, for many health reasons”. The responsible doctors and national coaches in the German Athletics Association (DLV) were in the picture. Nevertheless, he became “somehow German indoor champion” last winter. He had Corona, and his back hurt in the training camps. The form wasn’t bad, but almost never flowed into the competitions. At the German championships in June, he jumped 18.42 meters. “A total failure,” he says.
Zimmermann should prepare for the EM, it was initially said
Did he deserve to be nominated for the European Championship with this season alone? “Probably not.” Many other DLV athletes didn’t necessarily have that either. Did he meet the access guidelines of the DLV? “Yes. I was good last year,” says Zimmermann, among other things with a best performance of 20.45 meters: “And I collected the points for the ranking.”
Track and field athletes, you have to know that, have had a world ranking for a while. They can bring in a certain number of services. A certain number of starters who have not achieved a singular access distance, height or time can also qualify for major championships via this ranking. Zimmermann recently collected a few more points in Ireland, with 19.71 meters, solid and enough to advance to 26th place, the last place to start at the European Championships, in the so-called “Road to Munich”. This is an overview of all athletes who either have the EM norm or enough world ranking points. By July 26 – the last day on which the state associations could withdraw athletes from this “Road to Munich” – Zimmermann had slipped back to 27th place. Wilko Schaa, the DLV national trainer for men’s shot put, describes it to Zimmermann, but told him that an athlete should definitely fall off the list – and Zimmermann would slip back into the field.
“They said he couldn’t promise anything, but I shouldn’t worry and just prepare for the European Championship,” says Zimmermann.
Shortly afterwards he also knew who this athlete was: David Storl, the two-time shot put world champion from Germany, who had also been injured for a while. In any case, Schaa, says Zimmermann, confirmed to him that Storl’s deregistration had been forwarded to the relevant departments in good time. Storl recently assured Zimmermann again that on July 25 – one day before the EM start list was closed – he had written to the DLV that he would not start in Munich. Zimmermann prepared at the DLV base in Kienbaum, “at his own expense”. Mood and form were really good again, he says.
A request from the DLV is hardly less speechless
Only: When the European Athletics Association (EAA) published the final starting fields at the beginning of August, Zimmermann’s name was still missing. He asked Annett Stein, the head national coach, and Sven Lang, the head national coach for the shot put department. Lang then told him that he wanted to deregister Storl, but the EAA replied that he was too late. He’s sorry. He doesn’t really know what went wrong either.
“I just thought to myself: What’s the matter with you?” Zimmermann calls out, now quite loudly.
A request from the DLV is hardly less speechless. According to the association, Zimmermann was not among the top 26 in the “Road to Munich” at “any point in the season”. A completely false statement: on June 7, 2022, national coach Schaa wrote in an email that Zimmermann was currently in 19th place in the said ranking, but should still contest a few good competitions “to consolidate his place on the Road to Munich “.
In the end, the decisive factor is that if the DLV had deregistered the ailing Storl from the EAA in good time, Zimmermann would have slipped back into the top 26. Where was the omission? Leaves the DLV unanswered. But he disagrees Not the representation that Zimmermann was initially told that Storl’s deregistration had been initiated in good time. The DLV only writes that Storl was only “temporarily” removed from the start list. What does that mean specifically? Before the deadline? Thereafter? No information. In any case, it was so late that the EAA no longer wanted to fill up the shot put field at this point, the DLV concedes.
Zimmermann could still sue the association
Sven Lang, the leading national trainer for the throw and shot department, claims the DLV that Zimmermann explained the situation in a “detailed telephone conversation”. The athlete expressed “understanding”. “That,” says Zimmermann, “kills the bird.” He it was the one who got Lang on the phone after many attempts on August 11th. The DLV did not explain the situation to him correctly until the end. When Lang described the hopelessness of the situation to him, he only replied “quite pertly”: “Then I can go on vacation now.” He’s not someone who screams.
What annoys Zimmermann the most: That the DLV didn’t even apologize to him until the end. “That’s actually the minimum,” he says. He could still take civil action against the association, “I’m losing bonuses from my sponsors and my club because I didn’t start at the European Championship,” he says. Only: He still doesn’t even know who exactly he should hold liable. And: “If I continue, I have to continue with the association.” Zimmermann has almost finished his master’s degree in technology and management-oriented business administration, he could easily find a job on the job. Does he still feel like doing professional shot put?
He said he didn’t know that yet.