Fast, faster, Alica Schmidt - In the interview, the athlete talks about discipline, motivation and her new challenge

She is Germany's best knownAthleteIn the disciplines 400 and 800 meters run. At the German indoor championship 2024, she fetches gold in the 4x200 meter run and silver in the 400-meter run. In addition, she has as aAnd influencer set up a second mainstay. In the interview revealsAlice Schmidthow important discipline is and how much setbacks can motivate.

Girlfriend: speed determines your life. You run an inner track in the stadium, 400 meters, in 52.07 seconds. Is there anything that you deliberately make very slow?

Alica Schmidt:If I don't have to leave the house at seven in the morning, I like to have a relaxed, quiet morning. I really enjoy starting the day with tea and good breakfast, without any stress.

What else does a typical everyday training work look like?

I train at least two units of two hours each day. For example, sprints, strength training, jumping exercises, speed runs and basic endurance are on the program, depending on the training phase.

This year you changed the discipline. From 400 meters to 800 meters. Why?

I was looking for a new challenge and wanted to set fresh impulses in training. I believe that my potential over 800 meters is even greater than over 400 meters, and I always want to get the best out of myself. In training, my focus is now on endurance. That gives me a lot of fun, even if I know that there is still a long way to get in front of me. I'm really looking forward to this trip. I prefer the hard training sessions. I notice how I improve constantly and that I even need these hard units to achieve my goals. We also support and push each other in my training group.

What if you don't like sports?

I never think about whether I go to training or not. No sport is not an option for me. I have my goals for the respective season and do everything to achieve them.

What is your next big goal?

This year the World Athletics Championships will take place in Tokyo. I was there at the Olympic Games in 2021, but then because of Corona without spectators. This year I really want to run there in a full stadium.

In the competition, milliseconds often decide. How do you deal with this pressure?

As a competitive athlete, the greatest pressure is often homemade, so it comes from myself. If I did everything in preparation to be the best on the day of the competition, I have nothing to reproach. Of course I also had phases in which I was not doing so well mentally. But the head plays a major role in our sport.

What helps you not mentally fall by the wayside?

I'm talking a lot with my closer environment and reading the right books. This is currently “relentless” by Tim S. Grover, for example. The author is a coach of US top athletes, like Michael Jordan. His book is about the power of mental strength and how to use it to get better.

Do you have certain rituals before a competition?

Not really, except that I listen to music when warming up. I try to solve myself from rituals as much as possible so that I don't get panic, I shouldn't be able to do it.

At Olympia 2024 you were part of the 400-meter relay. What is nerve -wracking: individual run or season?

Basically, I am a bit more tense in the season because I run not only for myself, but for the entire team. At the same time, it is also nice to be able to rely on the others and to stand together as a team on the track, to support each other and to use them.

Unfortunately you left in the preliminary round. How do you deal with setbacks?

Defeats are part of sports and ultimately only spoil me more. Everyone will experience setbacks at some point in sports or in life - unfortunately. It is important how to react to it. I try to take you as an opportunity to learn. Instead of being overwhelmed by negative feelings, I wonder what I can take from the situation for myself. I try to stay calm and look at the situation objectively without having emotions guided. After that, I set new, small and above all realistic goals to celebrate progress bit by bit.

You have been doing competitive sports since childhood. What did athletics taught you?

My sport gave me discipline, perseverance and team spirit. Athletics is not just a competition, but a journey that helped me to get to know myself better and grow again and again beyond my limits. Due to athletics, I not only put my physical skills to the test, but also made irreplaceable friendships. Sport showed me how important it is to fight for something and never give up.