On Saturday evening at 7.59 pm, Patrizia van der Weken will compete in the 100 metres semi-final at the Paris Olympics. RTL spoke with coach Arnaud Starck about her chances of advancing to the final.
Interview clips in French below.
Watch the 100 metres semi-final this evening live on RTL 2 and RTL.lu
Even a tiny mistake can be make or break
Before the race, coach Arnaud Starck emphasised that even the smallest mistake can be costly, but Starck is confident that van der Weken has accumulated enough experience to run “as smoothly and as flawlessly as possible” during the second semi-final.
However, Starck acknowledges the difficulty of qualifying for the final, given the particularly high level of competition in the second semi-final as the three main favourites for the medals are also in this semi-final.
According to Starck, van der Weken would have had a better chance of advancing if she were in either the first or third semi-final. “But now, this is basically as difficult as the final for her,” Starck concluded.
“Nothing is impossible, but we need to stay realistic”
To secure a spot in the final, Patrizia van der Weken must finish among the top two in her semi-final. A third or fourth-place finish could keep her in the running, as long as her competitors in the other semi-finals have slower times than her.
“Nothing is impossible, but we need to stay realistic,” her coach stated. He believes she has the potential to be among the top five in her semi-final, which would match how she currently performs.
Factors such as wind conditions will also impact the race, but the coach encouraged van der Weken to focus on her own performance and trust in her abilities.
LINK: Klickt Iech duerch d’Fotogalerië vun den Olympesche Spiller
RTL-Artikel (3.8.24): Van der Weken no Quali fir d'100m-Halleffinallen: “Ech versichen, esou no wéi méiglech un d’Finall erunzekommen”
