German rhythmic gymnast Sandy Liebehenschel has stunned the German gymnastics community by officially announcing her retirement from the sport in favor of a career in ballet. The 14-year-old from the TSV Schmiden club will join the prestigious John Cranko ballet school in Stuttgart after the summer holidays. Officials from her regional Suabian Gymnastics Federation (STB) were reportedly shocked and disappointed by the decision.

Liebehenschel’s mother Gundi told a reporter from the daily newspaper Stuttgarter Nachrichten that her daughter had become increasingly unhappy in RSG. “Sandy forgot how to laugh in the past weeks,” she said. According to Gundi Liebehenschel the going got tough after Sandy had turned down an offer to train with German head coach Livia Medilanski at the Wattenscheid club. “Ever since then, Sandy was treated unfairly,” she went on.

Liebehenschel, who was coached by former Belarussian national team coach Galina Krylenko, made her senior debut this year, placing third AA at the German National Championships in May. She then went on to compete at the European Championships in Geneva, Switzerland, in June placing 14th with hoop, 15th with rope, 16th with ball and 17th with clubs. She was considered to be one of the most promising talents in German RSG and a shoe in for a berth on the team for the World Championships in Madrid.

The other main contenders for the world team are Edita Schaufler, Lena Asmus and Olga Lukjanow, all of whom were born in the former Soviet Union. Schaufler has been the most successful German rhythmic gymnast in the past years but has suffered a string of injuries this year, which kept her out of the European Championships as well as German Nationals. She recently had another foot operation but is expected to resume full training in time for the World Championships in October.

Ötzi