Run 18 meters too long

Bitter Setback, but European Championship Qualification Still Possible

She ran a distance that was too long with the relay team in Kapfenberg but now wants to qualify for the European Championships “on her own”: Susanne Gogl-Walli.(Bild: GEPA)

What bad luck! Austria’s women’s national 4x400-meter relay team was hoping to set an ÖLV record and qualify for the European Championships in Kapfenberg, but they were sent down a track that was about 18 meters too long! Following the bitter mishap, Gogl-Walli is now aiming “solo” for a spot at the European Championships in Birmingham at the National Championships in Innsbruck.

“We apologize to the Austrian national relay team,” reads a message in large letters on the Kapfenberg Track and Field Club’s homepage. The statement then explains the massive blunder that hit Linz native Susanne Gogl-Walli and her teammates hard: “We made a big mistake.” During the 4x400m relay’s record attempt last week, the team started from the 400m starting line instead of the one designated for the 4x400m. This added more than 18 meters to the race! “So the relay team didn’t run too slowly—they ran too far,” the statement says.

We apologize to the Austrian national relay team. We made a big mistake.

Kapfenbergs Leichtathletik-Verein

Record Would Have Been Set
In the end, Lena Pressler, Viktoria Willhuber, Anja Dlauhy, and Gogl-Walli clocked a time of 3:33.92 minutes. Had the course length been correct, Austria’s record (3:32.71) would certainly have been broken—and the quartet might also have secured their ticket to the European Championships in August. “This is really tough! For the first time in many years, we have a very strong national relay team; we would have had a good chance at the European Championships,” says Gogl-Walli, but she immediately adds: “It just turned out really badly. I don’t want to blame anyone. It’s already so difficult to find volunteers for the events,” says the Olympic semifinalist, who now plans to run to Birmingham on her own at the last minute.

Focused on the National Championships in Innsbruck: ÖLV record holder Susanne Gogl-Walli.(Bild: GEPA)

Last Chance to Qualify in Innsbruck
After months of injury worries and a resulting training deficit due to calf problems that initially seemed minor, things are getting tough for the 30-year-old. “We’ve got the problems under control now,” says Austria’s record holder (50.60s) and perennial national champion. To still qualify for the European Championships via the world rankings, she needs a strong result at Saturday’s National Championships in Innsbruck—running exactly 400 meters—following her 53.11 time set Wednesday in Banská Bystrica.