Two champions and one climber
:
Who will be February’s GA Athlete of the Month?
These are the candidates for the GA athlete election in February 2023: Badminton player Brid Stepper (top left, further clockwise), 3000-meter champion Konstanze Klosterhalfen, judo talent Josef Ivtchenko, 800-meter runner-up Majtie Kolberg and hockey player Felix Dürr .
Photo: Graphics
Bonn Five athletes from Bonn and the region had many reasons to celebrate in February about their outstanding performance. Which of them will be voted February’s GA Athlete of the Month?
It is well known that the athletes from Bonn and the region repeatedly draw attention to themselves with extraordinary achievements. It was no different in February of this year. Two German champions, two runners-up and one promoted to the 2nd league – this record is really something to be proud of.
“Permanent guest” Konstanze Klosterhalfen and Majtie Kolberg as representatives of athletics as well as badminton ace Brid Stepper, hockey player Felix Dürr and young judo talent Josef Ivtchenko are the athletes nominated for the GA athlete of the month, who are now on the vote of the GA Readers hope. Voting runs until Tuesday, March 14, 12 noon on the Internet at www.ga.de/sportlerwahl.
Emphatically drew attention to itself again Konstanze Klosterhalfen. The model athlete, who comes from Königswinter-Bockeroth and competes for TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, attracted attention just in time for her 26th birthday on February 18th at the German indoor championships in Dortmund with the European annual best of 8:34.89 minutes over 3000 meters and thus secured – of course – the title. She only missed her German record by around two seconds.
At the same event also advanced Majtie Kolberg from the LG Kreis Ahrweiler in the spotlight. The 23-year-old from Bad Neuenahr delivered a gala performance over the 800-meter distance, secured the silver medal in 2:04.39 minutes and only had to admit defeat to her Freiburg opponent Jolanda Kallabis. Kolberg had already met the German standard for participation in the European Championships at the “World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold”.
Also the silver medal allowed Brid Stepper to receive. The 26-year-old badminton Bundesliga player from 1. BC Beuel, together with her partner Annika Horbach (Krombach), reached the doubles final at the German Championships in Bielefeld and narrowly lost in three sets to the Gelsenkirchen duo Leona Michalski/Franziska Volkmann. She was also characterized by particularly fair behavior on the playing field and was honored with the “Markus-Keck-Gedächtnispokal” named after the former badminton national player who died young.
There was also no braking Felix Durr, who made the much acclaimed promotion to the second indoor hockey league with the THV in Bonn. In the decisive game against THC Münster, the 26-year-old striker shook up the opposing line of defense in the BTHV’s clear 13:6 win and was responsible for no fewer than six goals. It goes without saying that he was also named the best player of the match.
The youngest in the line of nominees is Josef Ivtchenko. The 16-year-old junior judoka from the SSF Bonn showed his best side at the German U18 championships in Leipzig, came up trumps and, despite breaking his arm almost two months earlier, won the title in the weight class up to 73 kilograms by beating in the final Henry Roeder (Jena). In the semi-finals, Ivtchenko had already knocked out the reigning West German champion Jan Libuda (Witten).
