Berlin – Today, Monday August 6, marks the beginning of the 24th European Athletics Championship (EC). It is one of the most anticipated events of this season. 1,600 stars from over 50 nations have made their way to the Olympic stadium in Berlin. For the next six days, they will compete in a total of 47 disciplines on track and field. For the first time, the European Athletics Championship is part of the multi-sport event European Championships. Seven of Europe’s leading sports (such as swimming, cycling, rowing etc.) are brought together, simultaneously taking part in Berlin and Glasgow.
Largest German Team in History
128 athletes of the German Athletics Association (Deutscher Leichtathletik-Verband, DLV) have secured their tickets for the European competition. Never before have so many German athletes qualified to participate. In fact, five European Champions from Amsterdam in 2016 will try to defend their titles this year. Among those are David Storl (shot put), Cindy Roleder (hurdles), and Gesa Felicitas Krause (steeplechase). Sports director of the DLV, Idriss Gonschinska, highlights: “I would be happy if our athletes’ dreams came true and if we could achieve an even better atmosphere than at the world championship in Berlin 2009.”
At PM-International’s annual Kick-Off (f.l.t.r): FitLine brand ambassador Christian Schwarzer, Idriss Gonschinska , Carolin Schäfer, founder and CEO of PM International Rolf Sorg, Simon Fink (dragon boat), Domenico Solombrino (motor sports), FitLine brand ambassador and extreme athlete Achim Heukemes, Torsten Weber (General Manager International Sports Marketing of PM)
Winning Partners Since 2017
In 2017, PM-International and the DLV signed a partnership agreement. Since then, FitLine is one of the association’s official suppliers. “The broad range of products meets the multifaceted requirements of a complex sport such as athletics, with reference to the completely different athletic disciplines. In addition, the prerequisite for such a partnership was ensuring a high degree of product safety, primarily with regards to doping-relevant ingredients, and an entry of the products onto the so-called Cologne List®,” says Gonschinska.
The Cologne List® is an initiative, listing nutritional supplement products that have been tested on doping agents and stimulants, and provides athletes and manufacturers with an independent service platform, which provides transparent product information in the interest of all parties involved. All FitLine nutritional supplements are registered on this list. Thus, DLV athletes can rely on the products’ safety.
FitLine Athletes at the European Championships
Around 1,000 top athletes from more than 50 disciplines and 20 nations trust in the FitLine products. A number of them have made it to the European Athletics Championship in Berlin this year. For example, Carolin
Schäfer, the heptathlete who hopes to build on her outstanding performances leading up the EC. She is extremely motivated: “I can’t imagine a greater motivation or a more wonderful thought in my athletic career than competing in the event of my lifetime in front of a home-crowd, supported by the atmosphere, and in the end winning a medal in my own country!”
Next to Carolin, fellow athletes from the DLV, Shanice Craft (discus throw) and Kristin Gierisch (triple jump), will likewise try to outshine their competition. Shanice came in third place in the last two European Championships in 2014 and 2016 and recently became German champion. What will this year have in store for her? Kristin, on the other hand, is the reigning European Athletics Indoor Champion of 2017. Can she be just as convincing outdoors?
Among others, these three German stars are joined by two of their Polish colleagues: Katarzyna Kowalska and Karol Zalewski. Katarzyna takes the stage in the 3000m steeple chase. Karol has already had a major success this year. Together with his team, he won the gold medal for the 4 x 400m relay at the World Indoor Championships. In Berlin, he is in the starting gates for the 400m sprint.
PM-International wishes all participating athletes the best of luck!
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