EIt was certainly a coincidence. But when Nolan Seegert first stepped onto the competition ice at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing after his corona quarantine, the isolation caused by the pandemic still did not let him go completely. The Bee Gees hit “Alone” roared through the arena while the German pair skating champion began his training session with partner Minerva Hase this Sunday.
Seegert, who tested positive for corona upon entry, had to spend ten days isolated in the hotel under less than ideal conditions. “It was bad the whole time.” He has not yet overcome the corona quarantine mentally. “I wouldn’t say that I could handle it,” said the 29-year-old Berliner: “I’ll think about this experience for a long time. Definitive.”
He then dampened excessive sporting expectations before pair skating. “There’s a reason that we usually go on the ice together every day.” The Berliners don’t have much time to get in the mood. The Olympic decision begins on Friday (6.30 p.m. CET in the FAZ live ticker about the Olympics, on ARD and on Eurosport) with the short program. “You always get through it somehow. We’ll see in the freestyle,” said 22-year-old Minerva Hase. The medal decision is scheduled for Saturday (19.00 CET in the FAZ live ticker for the Olympics, on ZDF and on Eurosport).
The lonely days in the quarantine quarters with sports soldier Seegert may have left a few traces. “Sometimes I lost the motivation to stick to the regular daily routines. And I haven’t always managed to get a good night’s sleep either,” he said. The daily video contact with his ice partner was often the highlight of the day. Also for Hase, who even shed a few tears of joy when Seegert was allowed to leave his emergency quarters again.
The only way he kept in touch with the outside world was via video call
:
Image: dpa
“It could have happened that I would have had to stay inside much longer,” said Seegert in retrospect. “That’s why we’re glad it went that way and we weren’t forced to leave.” Now the pressure is off. “We’re happy to be able to run at all and we’re going to make the best of it,” he said before his Olympic debut.
Finishing fifth in 2020 and eighth in 2022 at the European Championships, the couple belongs to the European top class. Because of Seegert’s quarantine, the German runners had to compete in the team competition without the German champions and only finished ninth.
The duo, who train mainly in Sochi, had actually aimed for a top ten place in pair skating. It is questionable whether this is still realistic. “We didn’t set ourselves any goals,” said Hase. “If things go well we’ll be happy, if not we won’t be angry to death.”
