He turned 26 on 19 December and is heading for the sailing year of his life: Philipp Buhl is leading the German national sailing team Sailing Team Germany into the 2016 Olympic year. According to DSV Sports Director Nadine Stegenwalner, the man from Sonthofen in the Allgäu region of Germany also ended his own sporting year in 2015 "with an outstanding result".
"It was a fantastic year," says even Buhl, who is known for his modesty, looking back on more than just World Championship silver and European Championship silver. Two victories in World Cup regattas also adorn the balance sheet of the active spokesman for the German Olympic sailors. Buhl has delivered one year before the Olympic Games and is entering the home stretch of the Olympic cycle at the turn of the year, at the end of which he hopes for nothing more than a medal at the Olympic regatta in Rio de Janeiro in August. This medal dream is the driving force behind all his efforts, hard training and his great passion for Olympic regatta sport.
The fact that Philipp Buhl lost his long-standing main sponsor Veolia in the autumn was as undeserved as it was surprising. When asked by YACHT online, the company explicitly praised Philipp Buhl as a successful sailor and ambassador, but justified the untimely withdrawal with a reorientation of its own sponsorship activities. Buhl now has to manage without Veolia's support in the year of the Olympic pinnacle of all years. The fact that, despite this setback, he is not saying a bad word about his former partner, who is weakening in the home straight, speaks in favour of the man from Sonthofen, who grew up in the Alpsee-Immenstadt sailing club and has worked his way up to the world's top laser sailors over the past two years.
This year, Buhl has laughed and cried, cheered and struggled, successfully battled his back problems, toiled, hoped and won. Hamburg's "No" to the Olympics affected the thoroughbred athlete deeply and motivated him to write a much-noticed commentary on the position of competitive sport in German society entitled "Deutschland, was ist los mit Dir?" (Germany, what's wrong with you?). This can be read again here.
Philipp Buhl is not a loudspeaker, but an outspoken advocate for competitive sport. He is an exemplary fair player and regularly admits when others were better than him. For example, he immediately sent world champion Nicholas Heiner, who was narrowly defeated in the Dutch Olympic qualifiers, a message of encouragement via Facebook after his Olympic dreams were dashed: "Never stop fighting, Nicholas Heiner! You are a fantastic sailor and have already been world champion in the Laser class. There aren't many of them..."
Laser helmsman Buhl expressly welcomes the fact that other German top sailors were able to shine with world-class performances in the year just ended: "It's good for all of us when the circle of our hopefuls for the Olympic Games gets bigger." Buhl has familiarised himself with the Olympic area in several training camps, but has not yet got to grips with it. This area, characterised by complicated current conditions and extremely unpredictable winds, is a constant challenge for the sailors. "Before Rio, it's all about personal experience, seeing and feeling," says Buhl, "we'll be back in March with an international training group. That way you can gain the best insights. So, if you have 20 good people with you and don't just equalise, but sail a lot of races under the most realistic conditions possible."
Buhl tries not to let the never-ending debate about the poor water quality of the Olympic area get too close to him. "One thing is clear to me: the water is filthy. It's dirty and stinks. At high tide, the conditions are reasonably acceptable. Out in the bay is fine, but not really in the Marina da Gloria. I've stayed healthy so far and hope it stays that way. I'm doing everything in my power to do so." Buhl has had hepatitis vaccinations and, like his team-mates and opponents, tries to avoid drinking water as much as possible. A look at some of the action photos proves that this resolution is hardly feasible in action. The sailors wash themselves thoroughly after every race. The German coach boats are equipped with freshwater showers before Rio so that they can rinse off at any time, even between races. Buhl rinses his mouth before every drink from carefully cleaned bottles.
Philipp Buhl is starting 2016 with "a mixture of anticipation, growing tension and also a bit of nervousness" for what is set to be his year. Buhl says: "I know that I want to do something great. And an Olympic medal, that would be cool!" The group of favourites is particularly large in the Laser. In Buhl's opinion, around nine or ten helmsmen could be in contention for the medals. These include the Brazilian former champion, Olympic gold medallist and nine-time Laser world champion Robert Scheidt, the British world champion Nick Thompson, the fast Australian world number one Tom Burton, the Cypriot Pavlos Kontides, the Croatian Tonci Stipanovic, the New Zealander Andy Maloney, the Dutchman Rutger van Schaardenburg, the Swede Jesper Stalheim and the Frenchman Jean Baptiste Bernaz. Buhl himself, ranked fifth in the world, is also among them. National coach Thomas Piesker will also accompany Philipp Buhl on the water before Rio. His father Friedl Buhl will be there to support him.
Buhl wants the medal "in principle as much as if it were my last Olympic Games, although that doesn't necessarily have to be the case". He knows: "It's a really good time. I am fit. But of course that also applies to many others. But others might find it harder mentally than me. I'm normally mentally strong and I believe that I can be in August too." The remarkably good team spirit in Sailing Team Germany also puts the DSV star in a good mood: "The atmosphere is really cool, very good across all classes. I'm very pleased that the circle of hopefuls has grown. I really enjoy the idea that not everyone is just looking at one or two teams, but that the German sailors as a whole are worth something." Anyone who knows Buhl knows that this fun is his most important driving force.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
