But a decision also matured in this hall, which is probably the most difficult in a career for any athlete and which the 28-year-old announced about two weeks ago on her Instagram account. The swimmer has announced her resignation – and earlier than planned.
Because in January, the native of Leipzig, who had competed for SG Neukölln since 2012, was infected with the corona virus. She can still feel the consequences of her infection months later. “I had a lot of pain in my limbs, during training, but also at night. It was so that my legs became firm very quickly and I no longer achieved my performance as a result,” she describes the complaints of Long Covid.
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Competitive sport? Impossible under the circumstances. That became clear at the latest with the Olympic qualification in Berlin. In order to book the ticket for her second game, Graf went back to the capital to train with her long-time coach Lasse Frank. But then in the pool it became clear what the body had been signaling to her for weeks: It is no longer possible. “I swam the qualification and was six seconds ahead of my personal best. Then I decided to quit competitive sport.”
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Next career step: become a teacher
Friends and family have encouraged her in her decision. “If it hadn’t been now, it would have been after the Olympic Games. Therefore: everything is fine,” says Graf and can look back with satisfaction on her career, most of which she spent in Hohenschönhausen.
For the future, she wants one thing above all: “That I no longer have any complaints in normal everyday life and that I can sleep through the night.” Because the 28-year-old needs energy for her plans. Since 2018 she has been studying special education and sport for teaching in Leipzig. “I would like to become a teacher later, preferably at a special school,” she explains. And when she tells her students about her swimming career, the unforgettable moments in the Berlin swimming pool will surely make her smile again.
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Broadcast: rbb UM6, May 25th, 2021, 6 p.m.
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