Two weeks before the Nationals to be held from June 20-23 in Heilbronn, German team members Stefan Zapf, Thomas Andergassen, and their coach Klaus Nigel talked with gymworld about the perspective of the German team for the Anaheim Worlds. Both Zapf and Andergassen, just recovered from injuries, are now facing the first of two qualification trials for the 2003 Worlds. “Because I tore crucial ligaments and my meniscus last year,” Andergassen said, “I am in a quite comfortable position. People are not expecting as much from me as they do from my team mates.”Though the 23 year old soldier had to stop preparations for a few moths, he still hopes to get a ticket. “Of course I know it will be not easy,” the 2001 German national champion said, “and a lot of problems are still mental, because often things do not happen as fast as I expect them to. But I will try to give my best to get a ticket to the USA."

His teammate and comrade Stefan Zapf still has problems with an injury he got end of last year. “I still have problems with my biceps tendon,” he said, “but I hope and I believe it will be compatible with an Olympic berth.” And two more Germans are currently injured: Dimitri Nonin (shoulder problems) and Sven Kwiatkowski, who broke his foot at the Paris World Cup in spring 2003.

But both Andergassen and Zapf are sold on the 15 year old German talent Fabian Hambüchen, who was third AA at a 5-way International and World Championships Trial between Belarus, France, Switzerland, Germany, and Great Britain end of May. “For his age he is absolutely extraordinary,” Andergassen said, “he performs really well on four apparatus, only on rings and vault he occasionally lacks power. But this is due to his height and age.” He expects the young gymnast to qualify: “I am sure that he will make it. And I am sure that he can help us in Anaheim."

While all German gymnasts are focused on the qualifications, the Nationals, and the worlds, German coach Klaus Nigel has different problems. “I think that we will be able to send a powerful team to the USA which will be able to return home with at least a 12th place in the end”, he said. Nevertheless, the German coach can feel pressure from a different angle: to get the finacial support from the state which is essential for German gymnastics the team must attain 8th place or better. Otherwise the gymnasts would have to rely on the state’s goodwill to keep the financial support of Germany’s ministry of internal affairs. “It’s there and I can feel it,” he said, “but it is not that heavy that we can’t stand it. I think that every gymnast who will go to Anaheim knows what the task is and what it means.”

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