A year ago she was at the top: Ajla Del Ponte (26) stormed into the 100m final at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. There she went one better: 5th place, best European, sheer madness.
On Wednesday, Del Ponte will not run in the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, but in the Hard Athletics Stadium in Langenthal. After all, more people will probably watch on site than at the pandemic games in Japan, where the seats in the huge arena had to remain empty.
Trainer trouble because of the selection process
But apart from that, everything is different: First she was injured, then she ran behind at the World Championships in Eugene (USA) and was eliminated in the heat in 11.41. And now Del Ponte even has to tremble for the EM participation instead of targeting the medals! In Langenthal she fights against Géraldine Frey (25) for the last ticket for Munich. A deep fall.
But it doesn’t work without background noise. Both Del Ponte and Frey are not happy with the decision to run again. “I have the feeling that the focus has been on other criteria in the last ten years,” says Del Ponte’s coach Laurent Meuwly about the selection, for which official specifications should take into account performance, consistency, form curve and direct comparisons.
Cop time gives to talk
Background: In addition to the undisputed Mujinga Kambundji (30), the constant Frey (best time of the season: 11.23) and Del Ponte (11.26; 2021: 10.90), who has been struggling with an injury for a long time, will also feature the ultra-talented sprint jewel Nathacha Kouni ( 21) preferred. The Zurich native hit the track in July in Bulle with a time of 11.12 seconds: Top 12 in Europe and thus eligible to start in the semi-finals of the European Championships – but (in addition to her Bulle final time of 11.14) also an outlier in the Compare to the rest of your resume.
You have to know that the conditions in Bulle are known in the scene to be above average, Kouni had an acceptable but strong tailwind. In a head-to-head comparison, she has not beaten either Del Ponte or Frey this season, both of whom did not start in Bulle because of the preparation for the World Cup.
“It is not fair that this criterion is now decisive and that it is argued that Ajla and Géraldine are not or no longer in top form,” criticizes Frey’s trainer Rita Schönenberger in the “Aargauer Zeitung”.
In the relay they run together again
Despite the complaints of the coaches, there is now a showdown in Oberaargau. “At the desk” you didn’t want to give the last starting place, says association head of competitive sports Philipp Bandi. “We couldn’t have done that in good conscience.” Meuwly estimates the chances at “50:50”. “It’s not just about beating Géraldine for Ajla. She needs a strong result in black and white now. Otherwise it will be difficult in Munich anyway.”
The man from Friborg doesn’t think his athlete is far away from her top condition. “Physically, she’s practically back to the level she was in Tokyo. The question is how is she mentally. If she can’t handle the pressure, we’ll have to go through the books.”
One thing is certain even before the showdown: Frey and Del Ponte will compete together in the relay – and go hunting for medals at the European Championships together.