The “Hero de Janeiro” wasn’t there, but he was right in the middle of it. Because he was injured, Andreas Toba is helping the German gymnasts at the World Championships in another way through qualification.
The German team’s secret hero walked out of the hall quietly and without greeting through the spotlight. Two days after his withdrawal from the World Championships due to a knee injury, Andreas Toba led his team colleagues as a dedicated coach at the World Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp through qualification in the team all-around event to almost certain participation in the Olympics.
“The way he shouted at us through the exercises is unbelievable. He is the most important man. Emotionally it is extremely important that Andy was here and also in the interior,” said Olympic silver medalist Lukas Dauser.
tears in the eyes
The 32-year-old Toba sustained the injury during podium training. It is still unclear how serious the injury is. The veteran known as the “Hero de Janeiro” will undergo a detailed examination at home on Monday. “The injury was a shame for him. I saw tears in his eyes when I unfortunately had to take him out,” reported national coach Valeri Belenki.
Toba kept talking to his teammates, kneading their tired muscles and cheering them on tirelessly. “He supported the team really well. A big thank you to him,” said the national coach.
Even with Toba’s help, Dauser (Unterhaching), Pascal Brendel (Wetzlar), Lukas Kochan (Cottbus), Nils Dunkel and Toba’s substitute Nick Klessing (both Halle/Saale) ended up fourth in the interim ranking with 248.862 points. Since only eight nations are starting in the final two rounds today, the German team’s Olympic qualification is almost impossible to take away. However, instead of twelfth place, eleventh place could be necessary because the Chinese who have already qualified are unexpectedly behind the DTB ranks.
Source: Stern
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