Retirement from professional sports

Katja anounced her retirement today at the awards party of the Rhein Neckar Cup and was crowned QUEEN OF RHEIN NECKAR CUP

retirement speach

"good-bye" presents

and crowned THE QUEEN OF RHEIN NECKAR CUP

For more than 13 years triathlon was my life. I did everything to improve my performance every year and make it from nothing to the top level of triathlon racing. Now I have new goals and aims in my live. I want to use my experience to make other athlete’s dreams come true. I have founded a Triathlon academy and will offer seminars and coaching to athletes of all levels. Racing has been my live, I have experienced the greatest highs and lowest lows through the sport, and I know nothing else would have ever been able to teach me so many valuable lessons for live. I was lucky to make my passion my job and it was a great, wonderful time. I want to thank everybody, from my family to my sponsors and friends for the great support during all those years.
Is there a reason why I retire now? Yes there is. Tiger Woods said once: “I don’t measure my success through my wins, but through becoming a better athlete every year.” This year was the first time for me that I felt I had passed my peak. After winning Half Challenge Barcelona, I tried to adjust my training so I would be able to keep up with the big jump in performance women had done in the last 2 years on the Ironman distance, and I had to discover that I had hit a wall. The other reason to retire is that I want to be able to put all my efforts in coaching and helping other athletes. There was more than one race this year where great performances of my athletes were more important to me than my own. Life will change and I am ready for it. It was a great time as a pro athlete and I am very happy that I can still be with this wonderful sport of triathlon. Now as a coach.

Career:
Katja did her first triathlon 1990 in her hometown Heidelberg. She won the race with a town bike that was way too big, cycling in running shoes and wearing pink pants (“it was fashion back then, and I got them for free”). One year later she decided together with two friends to do an Ironman after watching the emotional finishes at Ironman Europe in Roth. They trained for 2 years and Katja finished in 10:16h and qualified for the Ironman World Championships on Hawaii. Katja: ”I did not go to Hawaii that year, as I felt I wasn’t good enough yet. I did not realize what an honor it was and how hard people trained to qualify and go to Hawaii. The next year I started my studies to become a physical therapist and didn’t have much time for training. So it took a couple of years until I qualified again, and I started realizing what I had done for my first Ironman.”
“1995 I finished 3rd overall at Ironman Lanzarote and after that race I decided to give it a go and try to make it a career. It was a big step for me, as I had no sponsors and had to earn each training camp and travel to races trough part time jobs. I took every job that allowed me to still train, from maid to barkeeper at night.” After turning pro it was a steady way to the top, she finished 2nd in Lanzarote 1996, 2nd in Roth 1997 and won her first Ironman title 1998 at the Ironman Europe in Roth.
When Mr.Lautenschläger from MLP read the newspaper staging that Katja had no money to go to the World Championships on Hawaii he called and offered support. MLP would become her longest and best sponsor and support her though all highs and lows of her career.
After Katja won her first Ironman she set new goals for herself: The Olympic Games in Sydney Australia. For the first time triathlon should be part of it and Katja wanted to pursue a live long dream of being at the Olympic Games as an athlete. She trained for two years and made it to be one of 3 athletes racing for 2 slots for Germany at the World Cup in April in Sydney. But she shouldn’t make it to the start line. A car door, opened imprudently ended her dream. She was knocked off her bike and ruptured her biceps muscle.
After recovery Katja went back to Ironman racing and had her best years 2001/2002. She won almost every race she did. Here a few of her wins: 2001 Ironman Florida in record time, 2002 Wildflower International, California Half Ironman (record time) and Ironman Frankfurt.
After one year of health problems she was accused of doping. There was never anything proven, laws broken from the prosecution and Katja always stated her innocence, so the hearing ended in a settlement of both parties. But the damage was done and Katja had to battle the stigma for the rest of her career.
Katjas answer was her best finish in Hawaii 2005, she was 6th at the Ironman World Championships and in 2006 she won her 4th Ironman in Wisconsin, USA. In her last years she won 2 German Championships, Ironman 70.3 Florida and this year one of the best fields at a half distance race the Half Challenge Barcelona.
Katja: ”I am looking back at a great time in my life, the sport has filled my life with joy, the hard times have tought me a lot for live. Now I am looking forward to fulfilling other people’s athletic dreams.”