Olympic qualification Between hope and fear: Dauser injury shocks gymnasts
Dauser wanted to compete in a maximum of three six-fight competitions in his sporting career – but that will probably not happen. Photo
© Uwe Anspach/dpa
Lukas Dauser abandons his Olympic qualification. The star gymnast is injured and has to go to hospital. Does he have to give up his hopes of competing in Paris?
Lukas Dauser left the large sports hall in Rüsselsheim through a side exit. His right upper arm was tightly bandaged and testified to the gymnastics star’s misfortune. During the final qualification for the Olympic Games in Paris, the 31-year-old injured himself during his rings exercise. After only two of six apparatuses, he had to abandon the competition, leaving not only national coach Valeri Belenki with the anxious question: Does Germany’s Sportsman of the Year have to bury his Olympic hopes?
“It’s hit him harder than it is me. But I have to say, it really shook me up,” said Andreas Toba about the moment when Dauser let go of the rings in the middle of the exercise and got out. While the 33-year-old, who had suffered numerous injuries himself, was suffering with his long-time team colleague, parallel bars world champion Dauser was on his way to the hospital in Mainz for detailed examinations. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan was to determine the severity of the injury. No diagnosis had been made by late Saturday evening.
National coach has a suspicion
Because he himself experienced it in 2001, national coach Belenki suspected what kind of injury his star gymnast might have sustained. “I suspect it was the long biceps tendon,” said the 54-year-old. He had torn the tendon at the time and wanted to compete again the next day, but that was not possible. Dauser was devastated after Belinki’s statement. “I spoke to him and he also doesn’t understand how it could have happened,” reported the coach.
The 1992 Olympic champion faced a problem at the nomination meeting on Sunday. What to do without his Olympic gold candidate? “Of course I also have a plan B, and then we have to discuss who will replace him if Lukas can’t make it,” said Belenki.
Qualifying winner Eder also not unimpressed
Two weeks earlier, at the German Championships in Frankfurt/Main, Dauser had won the all-around title and thus his first Olympic qualification. He then announced that he would only compete in a maximum of three more all-around competitions in his sporting career: in Rüsselsheim and at the Olympic Games. That will probably not happen. The Unterhachinger will not do any rings exercises even if the injury turns out to be less serious.
Dauser’s injury overshadowed Timo Eder’s success. The 19-year-old from Ludwigsburg won the qualification and can legitimately hope for the Olympics. But he was not unimpressed by what happened to the Olympic runner-up. “I was very shocked. My head was a little bit elsewhere because he is an important part of the team,” said the newcomer.
dpa
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