Stralsund back in the weightlifting: youngsters fight for championship titles!

Stralsund back in the weightlifting: youngsters fight for championship titles!

Stralsund. Two decades ago, the Stralsund Jahn Sports facility was the scene of exciting Bundesliga fights of the TSV 1860, where the local Weightlifting elite won the championship title four times. Today young talents train and work hard on their sporting future.

Originally, the cheering for the weightlifters was heard in this hall, and the atmosphere itself, including the heavy curtain material that separated the training area from the audience area, has hardly changed. Now new training places have been created in a confined space. Weightlifting requires special conditions because the athletes train on a reinforced floor to safely intercept the heavy loads.

Former weightlers take care of the offspring

Matthias Hertwig, a former weightlifter and now a coach, leads the young athletes through their training. He mentions that the hall is still very busy, which underlines the quality of its work. "We are on stage and can hardly train more than eight athletes at the same time," explains Hertwig, adding that there is even a waiting list. This passion for sport drives him to revive the tradition of weightlifting in Stralsund.

The youngsters are not only looked after by Hertwig, but also by his colleague Thomas Bunge, who takes care of the younger athletes. This connection of experience and new commitment is crucial to promote the coming generations in weightlifting. About ten years ago there was hardly any weightlifting in Stralsund, and the wrestlers helped to maintain the training so as not to have to repay funding.

successful athlete from Stralsund

The fruits of the hard work are visible: in the first year of competition 2023, the TSV athletes were able to achieve many successes. They won all the preliminary round struggles in the Landesliga and secured the bronze medal at the final. In addition, they took several awards at the state and north German championships.

The Supercup is also exciting, where they reached fifth place, although the fourth fighter was missing from the team. The younger athletes in Bunge’s training group also show outstanding achievements. "We also play basketball with three -kilo balls," jokes Matthias Hertwig about the varied training methods that weld his group together.

The training also includes athletics exercises that help the athletes improve their speed and jumping power, and shows the standard obligation to increase performance. In particular, 14-year-old Rieke Koglin wants to set up a new personal best at the German Championship after drawing up a state record.

Hertwig emphasizes the meaning of discipline: "I do it either as a competitive sport or not at all", and this attitude is reflected in the mentality of its athletes. Not only are they ambitious, but also bring positive dynamics into training.

The weightlifting is again becoming increasingly popular in Stralsund, and the committed athletes of the TSV are about to be successful again on large stages. In the near future, the association will also take part in title fights in other cities, which is the proof of the rebirth of weightlifting in the region. according to information from www.ostsee-zeitung.de , it can be seen that the youth work at the TSV is now bearing fruit, with both the athletes and the coaches proud of their success.