Tough task, a shorter distance than the World Championships. Five times about nine seconds and a few tenths with jet engines racing over a strip of asphalt, and gold awaits. In other words, within fifty seconds you have eternal fame. Gilmar Himpenius thinks it is possible. He has to do it, because if you don’t have confidence in a successful outcome, you don’t have to start.
And the tree from Friesland is brimming with self-confidence, even after Thursday’s somewhat unsuccessful general. Well, one lap wasn’t a spearhead and certainly not a target for Monticchio, but a nice blast from the starting line would have given him the idea that the timing was right. Hempenius’s mechanism faltered, however, after departing he promptly lost contact with the three “hares” who rode in his heat and then completed a distance of 320 metres. Gilmar did not take it seriously.
“I discussed a number of points of interest before the race with Valentina (Perga Belloni, National Coach, Editor). The performance left a lot to be desired and was not up to my standards. Although not done consciously, it was in line with expectations. That this wouldn’t be my best performance… To be allowed to continue I had to be among the fastest times of 16. It wasn’t realistic. My preparations were excellent. I feel physically strong, fresh and mentally ready for this tournament.
The path to the coveted medal, although in this case only five hundred meters will still have to be covered, takes half a day: qualification in the morning, then the eighth final, and in the afternoon the quarter-finals, the semi-final battle and the final. “With a break in between, it’s okay,” said the man who took home the European Championship bronze a year ago, to everyone’s surprise.
Given Colombia’s impressive string of medals – 42 medals, 26 of them gold – it may be more than just a tall order for Hempignos. The top three would be fantastic in a field of blazingly fast South Americans and Italians who dazzle in front of their home crowd. It may help him somewhat in his frantic attempt to play the sport in a 100 percent professional way. That is, without an income-generating side job. There is no prospect of A status via NOC*NSF, so Hempenius is already happy with the phone homework he does for the government. There is no physically demanding work, so that he can perform his daily training properly. Plus: It brings a snap in the drawer.
“It ensures that I can continue to pay for my sport. If you reach a certain level at a certain point, you also end up in an environment that costs a lot of money. Once you get to a training camp, participating in the European Championships you need a good number of Of new wheels and shoes: you don’t know how much it all costs. I’m so grateful for the sponsors’ input. It’s just that, it’s not enough. That’s why I’m doing something besides it. It’s very different from what I had in mind about my choice of study. But hey, that’s the way it is. with which things are going.
Let’s see if he can do some advertising for himself first. What’s for sure: Gold is perhaps more valuable at this point in the story of a sympathetic ski jumper who bands together to keep his dream alive.
All information about the World Inline Skating Championships can be found here.
