Olympics in danger: Herzog had to cancel the training camp

After the fall, Herzog will be at the state championships before the turn of the year Innsbruck started. “Since then it has gotten worse day by day and has escalated in the last few days,” reported husband and trainer Thomas Herzog to the APA on Wednesday. “Vanessa has so much nerve pain that she can no longer speed skate.” She will now undergo physical therapy and an appointment for a magnetic resonance examination (MRI) is scheduled for Thursday. Thomas Herzog: “It is more than questionable at the moment whether the Olympics will still happen.”

Austria’s Athlete of the Year in 2019 achieved Olympic “plate” status despite less than optimal preparation; four years ago in Beijing her appearance was uncertain for a long time due to severe intervertebral disc problems. This winter, after unsatisfactory results, she did not finish the Heerenveen World Cup in December and was missing in Hamar as well as the Polish European Championships in January. But she then competed at the state championships. Herzog secured Olympic qualification with fast times at the November World Cup in North America.

Olympic missions planned for February 9th and 15th

The former world champion has qualified for her parade distance of 500 m and 1,000 m. She will start this competition on February 9th. The 500 is scheduled for February 15th. The Inzell World Cup would have been her last competitive test for this. In addition to Herzog, Gabriel Odor, Alexander Farthofer, Jeannine Rosner and, in the short track, Nicolas Andermann, Austria’s speed skating association also achieved Olympic quota places for Milan/Cortina.