Auböck climbed his career ladder this year: in May in Budapest he became vice European champion over 400 m crawl, in August in Tokyo he made three Olympic finals. As fourth in the 400 m crawl, the crawl specialist was just 0.13 seconds short of the bronze medal.
In the title fights in Abu Dhabi, the Lower Austrian wants to improve. For the 24-year-old who is still 24 until Sunday, his parade course 400 m crawl is already on the program on Thursday, and he will also start on the 200 m crawl on Friday. Auböck is leaving again on Saturday.
Grabowski ready for World Cup
The short course World Cup begins in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. Austria is represented by a team of twelve. Lena Grabowski is one of the greatest red-white-red hopes for a top result.
WM for Auböck location determination
For the crawl specialist, who was in the high altitude training camp in Spain for the first three weeks of November, the World Cup is also a way of determining where we are: “For me, this world championship is also important to see how this high altitude training camp performed and whether we are on the right one Are gone. It is the last big test before it goes on the long course. “
Qualification for the finals is compulsory for him on his parade course 400 m crawl: “If I don’t swim to the finals, I would be disappointed. I want to experience these situations. At 200 m it becomes a lot more difficult. ”But a medal is also achievable:“ In the final, anything is possible if you know how close everyone is. ”
Long season for Reithammer and Rothbauer
Of the remaining four men in the team, the World Championships for Christopher Rothbauer and Reitshammer mark the end of an intense autumn, both of whom were in continuous action in the International Swimming League (ISL). In addition, there was the European Short Course Championships in Kazan at the beginning of November, where Reithammer bronze conquered over 100 m medley. Breast position specialist Rothbauer, on the other hand, made it to the ISL final with La Current, where the team came fourth.
“It was a great experience, I learned a lot,” said Rothbauer. “But now I realize that I’ve had to keep my shape since August. Unfortunately, I am missing the training. Mentally it is very difficult to motivate myself again. Since August I have had 56 races, and they have always been close to or even the best time. “
Bucher wants to “take away” good form
Like the Lower Austrian, Reithammer also competes over 50 and 100 m breaststroke, Rothbauer otherwise over 200 m and Reithammer over 100 m medley. The Tyrolean feels fresher: “Even if it has been an extremely long season with many competitions up to now, once it is still without problems. The goal is semifinals – if possible, finals. “
Heiko Gigler competes over 100 m crawl and 100 m medley, the Carinthian recently set national records over both distances at the state championships. Simon Bucher succeeded in doing this over 50 and 100 m dolphin and over 50 m back. “I hope that I can take the shape with me and step up,” said the Tyrolean.
Pilhatsch is aiming for participation in the finals
Caroline Pilhatsch starts as vice world champion over 50 m back. The 22-year-old still has her 2018 coup in the back of her mind. “The final is the goal again and then everything that is still possible, knock in”, noted the Styrian. During training sessions in Frankfurt and the title fights in Graz, the Graz woman recently showed an increase in form. In addition to the back sprint, she was preferred over Lena Grabowski over 100 m back. The Burgenland woman can concentrate fully on the 200 m back, because it worked with bronze at the Kazan EM.
The Olympic twelfth does not want their performance in Tokyo compared with Abu Dhabi, but it should go into the final. In terms of health, everything was okay, that was different before the EM. The 19-year-old has her competition on Saturday, from Wednesday next week Grabowski has a six-day break from training. Lena Kreundl, on the other hand, is the frequent swimmer in the team. She recently showed with six national championship titles that she should have finally shaken off the after-effects of a coronavirus disease.
Other OSV participants are Claudia Hufnagl, Cornelia Pammer, named on four individual routes, and Lena Opatril and Nina Gangl. It will be the first world championships for the two crawl specialists. Opatril: “It will be a cool highlight at the end of the year.”
OSV missions in Abu Dhabi
Thursday: 400 m K men / M (Auböck), 200 m K women / F (Kreundl), 50 m chest F (Pammer), 400 m layers F (Hufnagl), 100 m chest M (Rothbauer, Reitshammer), 100 m back F (Pilhatsch), 4 x 100 m Kraul F (Austria)
Friday: 200 m Kraul M (Auböck), 100 m Kraul F (Pammer), 100 m Delfin M (Bucher), 200 m Delfin F (Hufnagl), 800 m Kraul F (Opatril)
Saturday: 100 m layers M (Reitshammer, Gigler), 50 m back M (Bucher), 100 m layers F (Kreundl, Pammer), 200 m back F (Grabowski), 200 m chest M (Rothbauer)
Sunday: 50 m back F (Pilhatsch), 50 m Delfin M (Bucher), 400 m Kraul F (Opatril), 100 m chest F (Kreundl, Pammer)
Monday: 200 m Lagen F (Kreundl), 100 m Kraul M (Gigler), 50 m Kraul F (Gangl), 50 m Brust M (Reitshammer, Rothbauer)
Tuesday: 200 m chest F (Kreundl), 4 x 100 m layers F (Austria), 4 x 100 m layers M (Austria)
