The Olympic Qualification In Weightlifting – About Facts, Corona As Well As Sparkling Wine Or Seltzer – With Max Lang

Max Lang: “The road to get a ticket to the Olympics is definitely not an easy one.”

The current qualifiers for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics have now been running since 2018. To get a ticket, you have to be listed in the top 8 in the world rankings or be the best in a continent after the top 8. Further possibilities exist only through the allocation of wildcards. In order to position oneself in the world rankings, so-called “ruby points” are awarded during the qualification phase in bronze, silver or gold competitions – the two best competitions of the semester are included in the ranking.

With the end of the qualification period, the world ranking and the qualifiers are determined. Only one athlete per nation can qualify – in case of a double team the better placed athlete will be qualified. Furthermore, only four starting spots for the men and four for the women will be allocated per nation.

Max Lang is currently in the spot of the best European.

But due to the ongoing Corona pandemic, which has brought most competitions to a standstill, Max is missing an important competition with gold status – namely the European Championships. This has now been postponed to April 2021 and will then, hopefully, take place in Moscow. “The European Championship is extremely important – it’s a matter of champagne or seltzer, so to speak.” Max emphasizes.

But it is not only the timing of the competitions and the start of the Olympics that Corona has changed, but above all the fairness. “Of course, as a professional athlete in Germany, I am fortunate to be able to continue my training normally. Furthermore, doping controls, despite restrictions, also remain – but you can’t automatically assume that this will be handled the same way in other countries around the globe.”

Currently, Max is training to maintain performance. “Weaken the weaknesses, and strengthen the strengths.” With the beginning of the new year, 2021, the preparation for the European Championship will start. This will also be the last possibility to grap important points for the ticket to Tokyo. Even though the time is currently particularly difficult for everyone, Max tries to look positively into the future. “Of course, given the current situation, you are sometimes down – I think that’s completely normal.” But Max wouldn’t be Max if he didn’t have another clever saying in store for all of us. “The trick is to keep reminding yourself why you started, how far you’ve come, and then to follow through.”

So always remain optimistic, no matter what situation arises.

We wish Max good luck on his way to Tokyo and will keep you posted on his progress.