Search for goldfish

Graz swimming meet as a mini Olympics

Felix Auböck jumps into the pool in Graz.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

This weekend, the ATUS Trophy, Austria's largest swimming meet, will take place in Graz at the Auster in Eggenberg. The field of participants is high-caliber, with a number of Olympic starters such as Felix Auböck competing under the clock tower. The "Steirerkrone" took a look at the chances of a Styrian goldfish swimming back into the limelight.

What a splash for the ATUS Trophy! The Eggenberger Auster will become a mini Olympics at the weekend: in addition to Felix Auböck, Simon Bucher, Heiko Gigler, Valentin Bayer and Bernhard Reitshammer, the entire 4x100 medley Olympic relay team of the OSV will be in action in Graz. Almost the entire OSV team, which has qualified for the upcoming European Swimming Championships from June 10 to 23 in Belgrade and for the Junior European Championships in Vilnius from July 2 to 7, will also be on the starting blocks at the Auster. Of the Olympic starters, only US student Martin Espernberger is missing.

Top swimmer Heiko Gigler partly lives and trains in Graz.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

What has been missing since the retirement of runner-up Caroline Pilhatsch, however, is the next potential "goldfish" from Styria. What's the reason? Limited training opportunities? Too few people? Jakub Maly, Styria's national coach, on the status quo.

"Caroline Pilhatsch was certainly a bit of an exceptional talent. We currently have three athletes who are doing very well internationally: open water swimmer Jan Hercog, World Championship starter Iris Berger and Olympic starter Heiko Gigler, who trains at the LLZ in Graz. Behind them there is a good training group in which Julia Haar, for example, is not far away from a European Championship limit. Or Jakob Feuchter, who is moving up in the open water section. There's also potential from the 2007 age group onwards."

Current swimming quota places for the 2024 Olympics in Paris

Swimming
Felix Auböck (200, 400, 800 freestyle, 10 km open water)
Simon Bucher (100 butterfly, 4x100 medley)
Martin Espernberger (200 butterfly)
Bernhard Reitshammer (4x100 medley)
Valentin Bayer (4x100 medley)
Heiko Gigler (4x100 medley)
Open Water
Jan Hercog (10 km)
Synchronized swimming
Anna Maria and Eirini Alexandri (synchronized duet)
Water Diving
Anton Knoll (tower) - confirmation still pending

Big but: "It's just difficult, strong athletes come in waves, not every age group has the desired level," explains Maly. On the one hand, this has to do with bad luck ("We've felt the effects of corona in recent years"), on the other hand with the available opportunities. It's no wonder that people like Pilhatsch in the past or Berger or Hercog now go abroad to train.

Jakub Maly

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

"We have the oyster in the greater Graz area. Union Graz is lucky to have its own hall, but there are also 20 kids on one track. In Kapfenberg there is an outdoor pool that is suitable in terms of length, but you can only use it for two months of the year, then it's too cold. In Mürzzuschlag, they do a great job with young talent, but the children there are only in the water for four or five hours a week."

In any case, the training in Graz is highly professional: the top group at the Auster is in the water eight times a week, a total of almost 20 hours, plus strength training. The LLZ is funded by the state and city. But renting the track at the Auster in Graz alone costs a lot of money.