Andre Pollmacher at the European Cup in April. © www.photorun.net
When Jan Fitschen was the surprise 10,000m winner at last August’s European Championships—four years after Olympic champion Dieter Baumann retired—no one thought that Germany’s distance-running fortunes had suddenly reversed. Even in the hour of his biggest triumph, Fitschen acknowledged that he had just had the race of his life, and estimated his chances in regards to this year’s World Championships. His judgement has been confirmed, as the European champion has not attained even the needed qualifying mark for the World Championships.
The fact that male German long-distance runners nevertheless have some new perspective is due to another athlete: André Pollmächer. Seventh at the European Championships behind Fitschen last year, the 24-year-old has turned the table on Fitschen, and left him behind.
Just as surprisingly as Fitschen triumphed at the European Championships, Pollmächer won the 10,000m at the European Cup in April. Only one German has achieved this before: Dieter Baumann. In the beginning of June the runner from Chemnitz then improved his personal best at a race in Belgium to 27:55.66. With that mark, he not only met the “B” standard for the World Championships, but also went faster than any German runner since Baumann. Pollmächer is now already 15 seconds faster than Fitschen, despite being six years younger. “I knew that André would further improve his performance this year but I would not have thought that he would already run under 28:00,” says Fitschen.
In the past, Baumann was Pollmächer’s role model. These days, the runner names two others as his idols: in regard to running style, Moroccan world record holder and Olympic middle-distance champion, Hicham El Guerrouj. And in all other aspects, his coach, Bernd Dießner. The very close relationship with his coach, who won a European Championships bronze medal at 5,000metres in the 1960s, is partly due to the fact that the German athletics scene would probably have lost the young talent Pollmächer if it was not for Dießner. Over 30 years, the coach has led a range of runners to extraordinary successes: at the European Championships in 1978, Olaf Beyer shocked the clear British favorites Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett by winning the 800m; at the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980, Jürgen Straub came second in the 1,500m between the two Brits; at the European Championships in Stuttgart in 1986, Ulrike Bruns won the bronze medal over 10,000m; and at the Olympic Games in 1988, Jens-Peter Herold came third over 1,500m. In the 1990s Dießner led Herold and other middle-distance runners to numerous German records.
In 1998, Dießner recognized the potential of the then-15-year-old Pollmächer. Recalls Dießner, “He ran a 1,000m race, which he won with a time over 3:00”—hardly an indicator of world-class talent. “But I could see that he had good physical conditions. In long-distance running you then need a lot of patience,” says Dießner. Initially it was the coach who had to have this patience, as he did not get through to the young talent at first. “I learned later that Bernd Dießner had called my club in Riesa and had wanted to arrange for a test training,” says Pollmächer. “But they told him that I would stay with them—and I had not even been informed.” The young runner, however, made his own plans and thought about changes after his performance had stagnated. “The leading state coach told me that if I wanted to succeed, I would have to go to Bernd Dießner.”
In winter 1999 he completed a two-week test training in Chemnitz, after which he improved his 3,000m time by more than half a minute. The decision to go to Chemnitz had been made. After 10th grade he changed to a sports school. Instead of training twice a week, he now trained every day. “In the first months, I crawled into my bed at 5:00 p.m. and slept till 7:00 in the morning. Bernd Dießner did not leave me any room for anything else.” The coach, who is known for his hard training, explains: “André’s talent for long distances was obvious. That’s why we have not even wasted any time trying other distances. We have trained well and suitable to his natural ability.”
After a little more than a year of working together, Pollmächer became the German junior road running champion. The European Championships of the under-23s in 2005 were the next major success. “Bernd Dießner had said to me that I had to win a medal there to make it – and he was right,” says the runner who came second over 10,000m then.
Since 2004 Pollmächer has trained at high altitude. Last year he was in Mexico with Dießner, and trained at altitudes of over 10,000 feet. “The first time I just wanted to die,” Pollmächer says about the hardship of training at this altitude. While at altitude, he runs an average of about 130 miles per week—more than many German marathoners run. “I think this is necessary to succeed,” says Pollmächer. “There are enough examples of other runners for this.” He is not thinking of the marathon yet—for the time being, the 10,000m is long enough for him.
In St. Moritz André Pollmächer will prepare for his first start at the World Championships in the coming weeks. In regard to the competition with the best African runners, he sets realistic goals: “I just want to achieve the best rank possible. If this will be 15th or 22nd, I don’t know.” Next year’s goal is clear: qualifying for the Olympic Games, where the standard is 27:49. “27:40 is the goal,” Dießner says. With this time, Pollmächer would have been the fastest European by far last year.
Pollmächer 2nd at 5,000m at German Championships
Arne Gabius and Sabrina Mockenhaupt won the 5,000m titles at the German Championships last weekend in Erfurt. In a tactical race, Gabius won in 14:03.97, just ahead of André Pollmächer (14:04.22). Christian Glatting was third in 14:07.24.
“It was clear to me that it would be a tactical race today. I became German champion for the first time today, and that of course makes me happy,” said Gabius, who is coached by Dieter Baumann, and who was second at the European Cup in June. For Pollmächer, the race was a successful test between two high-altitude training camps in preparation for his start at the World Championships 10,000m.
In contrast, Mockenhaupt has scrapped plans to run in the World Championships, where she had been slated to run the 10,000m. Instead, she’ll prepare for her marathon debut in Cologne in October. In Erfurt, she won the 5,000m with a solo effort of 15:23.71, winning by more than three-quarters of a minute over Simret Restle (16:11.11) and marathoner Melanie Kraus (16:14.79). “I went to Erfurt to win—and I made it. It was a good pace test for my marathon debut. For that race there is still a lot for me to do,” said Mockenhaupt. “Even though the World Championships are definitely off the list, I of course want to go to the Olympic Games in Beijing.”
