When Simone Laudehr reflects on the Olympics, her first thought surrounds a humorous episode which took place in Beijing in 2008. She was stood in the German headquarters next to a man who turned out to be her idol. “I wasn’t able to see much of him at the time because he was so tall! It was hard to see his head,” she remembers. It turned out to be Basketball star Dirk Nowitzki.
An exchange of autographs took place. “It was a super. We spoke for a long time and I can confirm what others have said, he’s a really nice guy. He’s definitely a professional and someone you should look up to,” Laudehr added.
Bronze in Beijing
Back then she helped Germany claim a bronze medal. Eight years later, the quest for silverware is still there. Saskia Bartusiak, Melanie Behringer, Annike Krahn, Babett Peter and Anja Mittag are also competing in their second Olympics and are determined to add to their haul. “You always want a gold. That’s logical. However, I’m fully aware of how valuable my Bronze from Beijing is,” remarked the Germany star. The Olympics have been held for “hundreds of years” and “finishing third is like winning a title. But, of course, we’re going there to win the final.”
Laudehr: "Want to share my experience"
“I’m 30-years-old and feel like I’m a calm, mature an experienced player on the pitch,“ she said. Laudehr has already played in a number of major tournaments, including the 2007 World Cup and the 2008 Olympics. Once the competition is over she will link up with new club FC Bayern. “I want to share my experience with other players. I’ve always tried to lead and help those players around me, so hopefully I can do more of the same in the future,” she explained.
An incident ahead of the 2013 European Championship helped to bring about this outlook. Shortly before the tournament she picked up a career-threatening knee injury. “I was in floods of tears,” she explained, “but then I saw a man who had just been told that he had months to live. It was a real eye-opener for me. It changed the way I look at things. It made me thankful for what I’ve been able to do and determined to help others at the same time.”
She’s going to make the most of the tournament, obviously. “In tournaments there are always ups and downs, but in Germany we’ve developed a competition mentality. You can see it with the men and it’s also there for us,” Laudehr remarked, before adding that she’s looking forward to facing some of the world’s top teams reiterating, once again.