Gold for Britta Heidemann
Her favourite sports equipment is precisely 110 centimetres long and weighs 770 grams. When Britta Heidemann brings her skill into play, it’s best to keep your distance and ensure you’re covered head to foot in protective clothing. After all, Britta Heidemann wields a dangerous weapon – masterfully and with great concentration. And in the process, she can suddenly find herself "in a perfect flow state" on the piste and then end up as reigning world champion in épée fencing, as recently happened in Saint Petersburg. And on Wednesday, at the Olympic Games in Beijing, the blonde fencing virtuoso evidently again experienced the same flow state – the pleasurable feeling of being complete absorbed in an activity – and won the gold medal. The 25-year-old defeated Ana Branza from Romania 15:11 in the épée final – in the city that has become something of a second home to the épée fencer. Word has got about in the media, among colleagues and sporting officials: Britta Heidemann speaks fluent Chinese, has lots of friends in Beijing – and is studying the country as part of her degree course. It all began with a vacation trip and her starting to learn the language. Her pioneering efforts also include the fact that she was the first German to arrange a private school exchange in Beijing. And ever since she interpreted questions for her Chinese opponent Li Na at a press conference, she has probably been more famous in China than in her home country. Even in her choice of university subject, the sportswoman from Cologne who fences for Bayer Leverkusen decided to focus on the Asian country: she is studying Chinese regional studies. She wants to write her diploma thesis when she returns from the Middle Kingdom. Whatever she does in the more distant future, one thing is for sure: "China will play a role."