Olympia: Tears of joy at Last Chance Regatta - Bergmann/Wille secure Olympic ticket

Hamburg's Elbe sailors Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille have qualified for this summer's Olympic Games with third place at the Last Chance Regatta off Hyères. "We feel relieved and very, very happy. Today we reached a milestone on the way to our big goal," said 22-year-old helmswoman Marla Bergmann after a turbulent regatta week in complicated winds. With four race wins, but also one early start and two double-digit results, the duo struggled for six days to achieve consistency at the highest level.

Happy ending after a week under pressure

In the end, however, the young crew from Mühlenberger Segel-Club (MSC) in France secured the missing German national starting place in the 49erFX for the Olympic sailing regatta, which will be held in the Bay of Marseille from 28 July to 8 August. This means that Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille have cleared all the hurdles on their way to their Olympic première as winners of the national elimination series that ended earlier.

In their success off Hyères, the MSC sailors had strong support from their team-mates on the national sailing team: Maru Scheel/Freya Feilcke (Kieler Yacht-Club) and Sophie Steinlein/Jill Paland (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein) were at Bergmann/Wille's side without their own chance of an Olympic ticket, fighting with them for the national starting place for the German sailors.

"The team gave us incredible support. We now feel relieved and very, very happy," said Marla Bergmann after the final thriller with a happy ending. With third place in the medal race, which Sophie Steinlein and Jill Paland won, the MSC women were the best German 49erFX crew and finished third overall behind two Polish crews. When Bergmann/Wille crossed the finish line, Freya Feilcke even had a tear of joy running down her face because she was happy for Bergmann/Wille.

All for one, one for all

Freya Feilcke's helmswoman Maru Scheel explained before the start of the Last Chance Regatta: "Of course it's a bit of a strange feeling for us to know quite clearly that our own Olympic dream cannot be fulfilled in this cycle and that we are fighting for another team to make their dream come true. However, it has to be said that there are actually two teams: Freya and I as an individual sailing team and then our training group, which has been working together since the end of 2018, beginning of 2019 and always had the goal of getting one - after all, only one crew can sail - from the group of three or four boats to the Games - together."

We will now do everything we can to be among the front runners at the games." Marla Bergmann

This has now been achieved. Maru Scheel went on to explain: "If we as a 'group team' manage to get one to the games, it shows that the whole group has worked well together over the years and that we have also been able to do our bit - which now feels good." Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille, who took a bow in front of their team-mates, are correspondingly grateful: "We're just super happy! Together with our training partners, we gave our best this week. We are very grateful to Maru, Freya. Sophie and Jill for supporting us so much along the way."

The "return favour" is to follow. "We will now give our all to be among the front runners at the Games. The underdog role is not so bad for us," said Marla Bergmann, who with her 23-year-old foresailor Hanna Wille became the first crew in the 63-year history of the MSC club to qualify for the Olympic Games. The friends have known each other since the second grade. The 2021 U21 world champions took a beginners' course at the MSC when they were at primary school a good 15 years ago. They remained loyal to each other and their club.

German 49er sailors as if unleashed

DSV Sports Director Nadine Stegenwalner praised the young team from Hamburg, who originally had their sights set on the 2028 Olympic Games, for their "incredible development". She said: "Marla and Hanna are sailing into the future as a very promising team." Congratulations to the neighbouring club on the banks of the Elbe in Blankenes also came promptly from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein an der Alster, from whose ranks three candidates already have an Olympic ticket in the bag with Philipp Buhl (Ilca 7), Sebastian Kördel and Theresa Steinlein (both iQFoil windsurfing).

The NRV wrote in an announcement shortly after the end of the Last Chance Regatta: "The two 49er FX junior girls from Mühlenberger Segel-Club have just sailed the Olympic qualification for Paris 2024. At the Last Chance Regatta in Hyeres, they withstood the pressure in the decisive medal race and achieved the remaining national qualification for Germany. The girls have made great progress in recent years and are increasingly sailing among the world's best."

At the same time in Hyères, the German 49er men, who performed remarkably powerfully, also secured the tenth and final Olympic spot for the national sailing team with a victory by Jakob Meggendorfer and Andreas Spranger (Bayerischer Yacht-Club) in the medal race and in the overall standings.

Each of our three German boats would have qualified the nation for the Olympics." Max Groy

"The team sailed really well, the team performance was strong. Each of our three German boats would have qualified the nation for the Olympics," said coach Max Groy, delighted with the furious performance of his protégés. Groy paid tribute to Jakob Meggendorfer/Andreas Spranger, Fabian Rieger/Tom Heinrich (Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee/Norddeutscher Regatta Verein) in fourth place and Max Stingele/Linov Scheel (Kieler Yacht-Club) in fifth place in the showdown off Hyères.

Helmsman Jakob Meggendorfer, whose winning crew had to undergo a doping test immediately after the final, said: "It was a good week for us here. We had to find our feet first, but then we had a clear speed advantage. We were a bit more aggressive in the end and are now definitely happy, relieved and proud that we were able to secure the team's place in the Nations Cup."

DSV examines Olympic chances

Whether Meggendorfer/Spranger will be allowed to take this place remains to be seen. Before the start of the Last Chance Regatta, the Bavarian Express had narrowly cleared the Olympic qualification hurdles in the national qualifiers. Now the duo have put themselves back in the conversation with an impressive performance. "With their successes, they have created the basis for further consultations," said Nadine Stegenwalner. The German Sailing Association wants to stand up for its athletes and is examining the possibilities.

The official nomination of the sailors for Team D will be made by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB). It is not expected to take place until after the conclusion of further ongoing national competitions in the 470 mixed and kitesurfing disciplines in June.

Click here for the results of the Last Chance Regatta (abbreviated to "LCR" in the results lists), which is held parallel to the classic Semaine Olympique Française in the same area and in which other top athletes from the German Sailing Team take part. Ilca-7 helmsman Philipp Buhl (Segelclub Alpsee-Immenstadt/Norddeutscher Regatta Verein) was in third place after nine races.

A day with Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille - the two MSC sailors in a portrait taken during Kiel Week 2023: