Walter Ablinger: “I train like a berserker”

After the good start of the New Year in the more or less wintry Innviertel, Walter Ablinger is changing the season this week. The handbike champion is heading to Adelaide, Australia tomorrow, where temperatures in the “30+” category and a hot challenge await him. The first Handbike World Cup points of the year will be awarded as part of the “Down Under Tour”. Ablinger needs it like a bite of bread in order to get a ticket to the Paralympics in Paris in the summer after a mixed 2023 season.

“I train like a berserker, have great physical values ​​and feel very good,” said the 54-year-old two-time Paralympic champion before his departure to Australia. The father of three daughters has subordinated a lot to the fight for a ticket to Paris in the past few weeks.

Instead of a regeneration phase, he completed a strenuous training camp in Dubai in November. Since he believes that the time trial has the best chance of being in the world class again, the Innviertel native began to “rebuild” his body – with considerable success. Ablinger: “I didn’t think it would be possible to build up so much muscle mass at my age.”

He has gained three (fat-free) kilos in the past few weeks, which has even amazed his family. “The children have already asked me what’s wrong with me – that’s what I’m like now,” jokes the model athlete, who was anything but a “Zniachtl” even before the change in the training and nutrition plan is.

In addition to the “bodywork,” Ablinger also pulls out all the stops to optimize the environment and its materials. Further experts are integrated into his broad support team with trainer Christoph Etzlstorfer, sports scientist Markus Kinzlbauer, mental coach Bernhard Streif and physio Christoph Kohlbauer, such as an ominous “smart professor from Frankfurt”, to whom Ablinger owes a special “blue light glasses”. “It’s supposed to help me avoid having any problems with jet lag in Australia,” says the handbike professional, who has also changed his sleep rhythm in the past few days. The good start mentioned at the beginning also took place while I was sleeping.

Handbike with turbo

Ablinger also needs to be particularly well rested if he wants to win bonus points for the Paralympics qualification in Adelaide from January 13th to 17th. “In my class the level is extremely high, in Australia the world class will be almost completely represented,” says the time trial winner in Tokyo. As with the Paralympics in Japan two and a half years ago, the World Cup in Australia will also be held on a race track. A good omen, because on such routes Ablinger usually manages to ignite the turbo on his handbike.

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