Austria's beach volleyball star Clemens Doppler is currently fighting for his 4th (!!!) Olympic participation. Together with his long-term partner and defensive genius Alex Horst, the native Upper Austrian wants to leave nothing to chance.
Corona has changed a lot in the last year. From your point of view, was it good or bad for you that the Olympics were postponed?
Clemens Doppler: The postponement was not good for us. First of all, we are no longer the youngest players, so the ravages of time naturally gnaw a little. We used the time very well, especially to work on our athletic and mental skills, but a year earlier would have been better for us. Secondly, Corona eliminated many tournaments that we urgently needed in order to qualify directly for the Olympics via the world rankings. These tournaments are now gone and won't come back, which of course doesn't increase our chances. The only really good thing about the postponement was that I was at home a lot again for years and thus had a lot more time for my family. That is already worth a lot.
How will Doppler/Horst still make it to Tokyo despite the difficult circumstances?
Clemens Doppler: There is still a minimal chance via the world rankings. However, we would have to at least make it into the top 5 in most of the tournaments that still count towards qualification and, on top of that, our direct competitors would have to lose. That's not very realistic. We see the greater chance in the Continental Cup, a format similar to the Davis Cup in tennis. 2 teams per nation compete against 3 other nations and the winning nation advances to the next round. If we can beat Ermacora/Pristauz and Seidl/Waller in Austria, we would also have home advantage. Because the next and penultimate round of the Continental Cup will take place in Baden near Vienna. With the home fans behind us, it's often easier, as we already noticed at the 2017 World Championships in Vienna. We also owe our silver medal in the World Cup to a certain extent to our fans.
How has Corona changed your training?
Clemens Doppler: Many teams have used the Corona break to eliminate athletic deficits. We did that, too, of course, but our focus was more on injury prevention. Our ball training, on the other hand, didn't change much in scope or content. However, we had far fewer outdoor training sessions. This is also the reason why I am relatively pale for February. Unfortunately, the travel restrictions imposed by Corona had a major impact and we simply couldn't train to the usual extent in sunny foreign countries.
"You spend 4 years preparing for a big event like the Olympics, subordinate everything else in life to that goal, and then suddenly it's all over."
Clemens Doppler
How did you keep your focus despite missing many tournaments?
Clemens Doppler: The whole thing reminded me a bit of 2004. You prepare for a big event like the Olympic Games for 4 years, subordinate everything else in life to this goal and then suddenly everything is over. In 2004 we were already qualified and 1 month before the Olympics I suffered a cruciate ligament rupture. With one blow, the dream of the Olympics was over. This time Corona threw a spanner in the works, so of course it's not quite the same. As in 2004, however, it was important this time to make the best of the situation, not to grumble and to look ahead. The magic word is attention control. Far too often, people waste time focusing on things they can't influence instead of investing energy where they can change something for the better. I think we succeeded very well as a team. Of course, our vast experience plays a major role here.
Has your team structure not been strained at all by the crisis?
Clemens Doppler: No, the team structure never wavered. We were and are all in the same situation. But the burden has increased on a financial level. There was a lot of uncertainty for a long time. What will the sponsors and partners do? Can we maintain our professional environment? Here, in retrospect, we can only say that we were very lucky. Our sponsors have all stood by us. I'm sure that not everyone in our sport has felt that way.
"You have to think anyway, so why not think positive".
Clemens Doppler
Under these difficult conditions, what would qualifying for the 2021 Olympics mean to you?
Clemens Doppler: Qualifying for the Olympic Games is always something special. It is the highest you can achieve. If we make it this year, it would certainly be a little more special, as we are certainly facing the most difficult conditions of our careers. Until the qualification deadline, the thought is simply that we will make it this year as well. You have to think anyway, so why not be positive.
Will Doppler/Horst also still aim for the 2024 Olympics?
Clemens Doppler: The 2024 Olympic Games will be held in Paris - right in front of the Eiffel Tower, an incredibly casual location. Of course, I would love to experience that. But now the focus is on 2021, we haven't talked about it within the team yet and that would be completely wrong. But anything is possible! The US American Jake Gibb, for example, is 44 and will qualify for the Olympics again this year. But as I said, right now it's all about what's going to happen this year and then we'll sit down at the table and see what other goals we want to achieve together.
Why the switch to J. Athletics?
Clemens Doppler: We simply don't want to leave anything to chance anymore. J. Athletics develops sunglasses based on the know-how of top athletes and uses only high-quality components. There is no better sports sunglasses. We noticed that immediately from second 1. We have already tested the glasses at our training camp in Tenerife and were thrilled. The style of the glasses is also extremely trendy and Alex and I were approached by many people. I am also very happy that an old friendship has been revived with the partnership. I had the pleasure of working with Mike Kofler, the inventor of J. Athletics, several years ago and even then I could feel his passion for the perfect sunglasses. Last but not least, we also get to design our own model, which allows us to get out even more and of course it also makes us a little proud.
Clemens, thank you for the great interview and the exciting insights into your sporting life. We wish you and Alex all the best for the Olympic qualification.
