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| Germany's Varg Königsmark celebrates after winning the 400m hurdles gold medal at the European Athletics Junior Championships in Tallinn last week. |
Germany’s Varg Königsmark raced to a 400m hurdles championships record of 49.70, at this year’s European Athletics Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, last week.
In addition to that accolade, which improved on a mark which had stood for 28 years, he to become the sixth fastest European junior ever and now has in his sights the German junior record of 49.61, which has belonged to the hurdling great Harald Schmid since 1976.
In an interview with the German athletics federation website www.leichtathletik.de, Königsmark talks about his improvement this year and his tactics in Tallinn.
Q: You got not only the gold medal but also set a championships record. Did you expect such a performance?
A: I absolutely wanted to run under 50 seconds. At the Bauhaus Junior Gala in Mannheim on 3 July, it did not happen. I was thinking that it must happen in Tallinn, and it was really a good race.
Q: What was going through your mind at the final hurdle?
A: In the semi-finals, there were six runners under 51 seconds and that was faster than the winner did two years ago, so I knew that it was going to be hard. I was always a bit ahead and when I arrived at the last hurdle, I could see that the Italian Jose Bencosme Reynaldo de Leon was on my inside and pressuring me and that made me dig deep. I wanted to win under any circumstances, but winning in a new championship record was simply amazing.
Q: You now have the B standard for the World Championships in Deagu. Are these championship a target for you?
A: It’s good to run the standard and if I’m nominated to go, then I would think it over. However, it is still a long way until the World Championships, and it would be a very long season for me.
Q: Last year, you were fourth at the World Junior Championships in Moncton (Canada). Did that increase your desire for a medal at the European Junior Championships?
A: At that time of the World Junior Championships, I was in ninth or tenth in the rankings and I just wanted to reach the final, which I did. In the final there, I had no pressure because I was not among the favourites. I finished fourth and was very happy. This year the situation was different. I was ranked as the best and that provided some pressure. I did not set a medal target, because I knew that everyone in Tallinn would run fast, but now it’s gold that’s great.
Q: How did you manage not to let the pressure get to you?
A: I coped very well because I'm generally more of a quiet guy. I'm not so crazy. Before the final I was nervous inside, of course, but I was also excited because I know I can pull off something. I was as fit as I have ever been and I felt that I can run under 50 seconds.
Q: In the heats and semi-finals, you eased off well before the line to save power. Did that actually help in the final?
A: Yes, because compared to the previous year, I had a better base. Last year, at the World Junior Championships, I had already run a personal best in the semi-finals to be able to reach the final. This year, I was able to approach the final in a more relaxed way as the semi-final did not have to be run flat out, I was good at saving power.
Q: Just three hours after your 400m hurdles win, you were again back on the track for the 4x400m relay. How did you manage to cope with two gruelling races in such a short time?
A: During the relay race it seemed everything was fine but afterwards, it’s true my legs were dead and nothing worked more. I'm just happy that the German team was also able to win a bronze.