CroSstriathlon on the move: Krenn wants to succeed Wasles!

CroSstriathlon on the move: Krenn wants to succeed Wasles!

Wingate University, North Carolina, USA - Carina Wasle, a pioneer in crossstriathlon, can look back on her impressive career. Since 2008 she has won seven state championship titles in this discipline. But the sporting challenges are becoming increasingly complex. Due to the lack of sponsorship money, Wasle sees itself forced to work again in the catering sector, which limits her training opportunities. As a result, she recently refrained from participating in the World Cup series and plans to focus more on the sport of trail running, even though she does not want to end her crossstriathlon career. Wasle, who took second place at Xterra South Africa this year, has already made extensive changes to their winter training to improve their services. 

An example of her competition is the young Katja Krenn, who has been observed in recent years. Krenn, who has already collected numerous medals at the world and European world championships at the age of 21, began her way in the triathlon through a district run cup at her elementary school. In 2022 she moved to the United States to study at Delaware State University, but later moved to Wingate University in North Carolina, where she followed a study in Criminal Justice, Legal Studies and Political Science. The importance of sport in the USA is significantly higher, which leads to advantages in promotion, one aspect that Krenn wants to use in her career.

The ambitions of Katja Krenn

Krenn plans to possibly stay in the United States after graduating in May 2026 or return to Austria. Her long -term goal is to start a professional in the World Cup as a professional in the World Cup, especially with a focus on Xterra. In Carina Wasle she sees an important source of inspiration and hopes to kick in her footsteps one day. Krenn is already seen as a possible successor of Wasle, and many believe that she has enormous potential to continue to be successful in this sport.

wasle itself has adapted her training methods in the past four to five years, especially to tackle their weakness in mountain biking. A training camp in South Africa was part of this strategy, in which she had the opportunity to deal intensively with mountain biking and concentrate on her training without other distractions. Her fastest bike time at Xterra South Africa is already showing a positive trend in her performance, even if she is currently fighting with the challenges of her professional obligations.

The sport in an international context

The difference in promoting athletes between the USA and Europe is becoming increasingly clear. The German Athletics Association is skeptical about an increasing trend, despite the positive experiences that German athletes like Leo Neugebauer and Anna Elendt have had in the USA. While Neugebauer is preparing for the 2024 Olympic Games, the German Swimming Association has opened up to scholarships to promote international performance. In the United States, the focus is strongly on the combination of studies and sport, which is considered advantageous for the personal development of young athletes.

The success of Krenn and Wable reflects the various challenges and opportunities that athletes experience in different countries. Krenn has the potential to lead the next generation of crossstriathlon champions, while Wasle could continue to inspire, even if her own career is experiencing changes.