Leipzig. Usually they experience everything in a double pack: Twin sisters Alina and Jessica Schlegel (16) TuG are the driving force in Leipzig’s gymnastic Bundesliga team. But in this particular case, Alina cheered her sister from the stands for the Olympic qualification in Munich. The same will happen in Stuttgart on Saturday, when the international ENBW-DTB Cup takes place at the Porsche Arena after a two-year break due to the pandemic. Sports high school student Jessica will compete on the German gymnastics team for Team Challenge – premiering in the national jersey.
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“I think it’s great. I was a spectator at the World Championships in Stuttgart, now I’m participating in such an attraction. Super, the girls are great, I’m really looking forward to the challenge,” Jessica Schlegel at the local “Leppy” hall earlier in the week. On Thursday she heads to the capital, Baden-Württemberg, where she will complete her first training session at the Swabian Gymnastics Association’s artistic gymnastics centre. By his side is Mama Kerstin Schlegel, who this time for family reasons does not belong to the pool of judges.
The German women’s team is led by Sarah Voss (Cologne/22). Other top gymnasts took breaks or were absent due to injury after the Olympics in Tokyo. This is the chance for athletes following like Jessica Schlegel. In January he received an invitation to the DTB course in Frankfurt. Although not really fit, the Leipzig native tried his best. The team of head coaches around Claudia Schunk and new national coach Gerben Wiersma honored this and invited Jessica to the enrollment course in the second week of March. Things went “really good” there and a ticket to Stuttgart was booked. The equipment on which the beam specialist will be used will be decided during the podium training session on Friday.
International competition is strong. Six of the eight teams have Olympic experience, including Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada and the USA. The hostesses have to stretch themselves to have their say in the top spots. Jessica Schlegel says, “I want to show a steady performance and do well in what I do in gymnastics.” She is always excited, this time more or less, she can’t say. Anyway, her twin sister Alina and other girls from the TUG group will put their fingers in the stands on Saturday.
