After the second round of the 2023 Bundesliga in Schliersee, the standings have been completely jumbled up. As much as Buschhütten were dominant on their way to victory, there were several incredibly close finishes among the teams in pursuit. Indeed, 2nd place through to 6th were separated by only five points.
As a reminder, the three top finishers (from four athletes on a team) count towards each teams’ points. Each athlete’s place is given the same amount of points (so 1 point for 1st and so on) and the team with the lowest score wins.
With two races in the season gone, there are a number of teams on level-pegging and only 1 point separates 8th place from 13th. Over the coming rounds, then, there will be plenty to race for.
1st) EJOT Team TV Buschhütten – 40 points (no change)
Buschhütten were totally dominant and swept the podium in Schliersee. In doing so they continued a perfect season in which they have essentially put forward the top-3 athletes at both races.
Lisa Tertsch won after overcoming Rachel Klamer late on in the run. Meanwhile, Tanja Neubert was the only returning woman for the team from Kraichgau and, once again, she delivered. With finishes of 1st, 2nd and 3rd in their ranks, Buschhütten took the lowest possible score of 6 to take the full 20 points for the round win.
As much as their lead at the top of the table is only 3 points, it feels like a cavern. So long as Buschhütten can continue putting out their athletes, they will take the title. With the next round in Düsseldorf doubling as the German Championships, there is no reason to expect any absences from their German stars.
2nd) Team Berlin – 37 points (no change)
After taking 2nd place overall in Kraichgau, Berlin were part of a three-way tie for 3rd place in Schliersee as their top-3 finishers added up to 54 points.
Once again, Céline Kaiser was their most important finisher as she recorded a 9th place. A new face on their team, Tina Christmann, also impressed on her way to 15th. Typically more of a middle distance triathlete, Christmann was particularly strong up the climb to Spitzingsee. Lina Völker rounded out the scorers from 30th.
With a healthy lead over 3rd, Berlin will look to lock up 2nd place over the rest of the season. Catching Buschhütten, though, seems like mission impossible.
3rd) SSF Bonn Triathlon Team – 32 points (up 4 places)
In an improvement from Kraichgau, Bonn were part of the tie with Berlin for 3rd. The star of their day was Sara Alemany Seguer who took 8th place. Bonn also got solid results from Ronja Steiling (in 20th) and Eva Daniëls (in 26th).
With a lot of their success coming from international athletes, Bonn could be vulnerable at the next round in Düsseldorf when the German Championships will attract several domestic stars.
4th) Dr. Loges Triathlon Team Lüneburg – 29 points (no change)
Lüneburg held firm in 4th place overall despite finishing 10th in Schliersee.
They did not have a bad day really. Rather, several other teams performed a little better than expected. Heidi Juránková led the way in 18th place while Antonia Koch finished 33rd and Finja Loges took 37th.
One of the big reasons for their success in Kraichgau was Robin Dreyling’s outstanding performance and the team missed her in Schliersee.
If they can put Dreyling and Juránková in the same line-up at the next couple of races, they could defend their position in the top-4.
5th) Absolute Teamsport KTT 01 – 29 points (up 6 places)
KTT 01 were a surprise package in Schliersee and they are now tied on points with Lüneburg. Fantastic performances across the board saw them take 2nd place with 50 points.
Anna Busse was the top athlete on the team in 7th place. Moreover Letizia Martinelli and Madlen Kappeler just missed breaking into the top-20 themselves with finishes of 21st and 22nd, respectively. After Kraichgau, we suggested that the return to the Sprint distance would help KTT 01 and that seemed to be the case in Schliersee.
If they can maintain their level going forward, a podium finish at the end of the year could be on the cards.
6th) SG Dresdner Spitzen Triathlon Team / LTV Erfurt – 25 points (up 4 places)
A 7th place team finish in Schliersee was enough to help Dresden/Erfurt into the top-10 of the season standings.
Caroline Pohle had a great race to take 6th place. Pohle originally came to the sport from a swimming background (and raced at the Berlin World Cup back in the day). In a crowded German team, though, she moved up to the longer distances. Schliersee, however, showed that she still has the speed to swim at the front of the pack. Although she was dropped on the mountain by the leaders, she had done enough by then to seal a high finish.
Emily Lucy Köpper then took 34th place and Anna Heyder earned 38th place for the team.
Both Köpper and Heyder also had good showings in Kraichgau and can look to move into the top-30 and beyond this season. If they can manage that, the team will have a happy ending to the year.
7th) Sparda Bank Team Hagen – 23 points (up 9 places)
Well… that was unexpected.
Hagen entered Schliersee in last place after not finishing in Kraichgau but then tied Berlin and Bonn for 3rd. In doing so they added 18 big points to their total for the season and their result really goes to show how important it is to have enough key athletes at every stop.
Margareta Bicanova was the big talking point with her 5th place. Having settled in the chase pack after T1 and during the flat part of the bike, she was a machine up the mountain to catch Pohle.
To seal the deal, she added a classy run split. Although she won the Asia Cup in Pokhara earlier in the year, Schliersee was probably the best showing of her season. Against a much deeper field, she tackled the climb as well as anyone and was essential in Hagen’s rise.
The team also received a vital 10th place from Joanna Wozniak. Emma Fahrenson then rounded out the team in 39th place.
In the space of an afternoon, Hagen have therefore gone from relegation candidates to looking at a much safer picture.
8th) Triathlon Team DSW Darmstadt – 22 points (down 3 places)
Whereas Hagen had a splendid day, Darmstadt suffered a day to forget. They finished 15th and were the last of the teams to actually race.
They did not even do a lot wrong. Lucie Kammer had a decent race on her way to 19th. Hannah Frickenhelm also took 45th while Alina Weber took 49th. With a slightly better finish from either Frickenhelm or Weber (or both), there were several points close by for the taking.
The absence of Finja Schierl did not help however Darmstadt will be encouraged by Kammer’s progress.
9th) Mey Post-SV Tübingen – 22 points (down 3 places)
In a similar vein to Darmstadt, Tübingen were a little off compared to Kraichgau as they finished 14th overall.
With Greta Groten in 28th and Alina Würth in 32nd they had two solid scorers. Lena Miller’s 48th place was perhaps a tad lower than they would have hoped and that saw them just slip behind Witten on the day.
As one of eight teams separated by just 3 points, Tübingen will need to have some big races to avoid slipping behind. Fortunately, they will have a home race in Tübingen at the end of July (the fourth round of the series). Of all the races left, that feels like the moment they will rise up.
10th) Team Bad Orb – Gesund im Spessart – 22 points (up 2 places)
Bad Orb kicked on from their 12th place in Kraichgau with an 8th place in Schliersee. In doing so they have nudged into the top-10 of the standings, although are in the midst of a dogfight with at least seven other teams. On their recent showings, though, they are in with a big chance of finishing in the top-10 at the end of the season.
Stephanie Weiß was the team’s best performer in Schliersee from 12th place. Meanwhile, Theresa Moser finished 31st and Verena Repp finished 41st.
If Weiß in particular can maintain her current levels, Bad Orb could have a very good year.
11th) triathlon.one Witten – 21 points (down 3 places)
A WTCS athlete, a retired athlete and a pregnant athlete walk into a bar.
As much as that should be the start to a joke, that was the prospect Witten faced in Schliersee. Without a fourth athlete in their starting line-up, all three women had to finish.
On the plus side, all three did. Marlene Gomez-Göggel had a strong race amidst heavy training to finish 4th. Sophia Saller stepped away from her day job in AI for an afternoon and dusted off her triathlon kit to finish 50th and Bogen, at seven months pregnant, took 52nd.
For Witten to finish was a victory; taking 8 points in total was the cherry on top. When the likes of Anabel Knoll return, expect them to return to the top half of the table.
12th) TSV Amicitia Viernheim – 21 points (down 3 places)
Viernheim ended up in 12th place in Schliersee which saw them slip to 12th in the overall standings.
Katrin Halter was the best of the bunch with her 17th place. On another day, she might have snuck into the top-15 but a top-20 finish is always a welcome achievement. Further back, Helen Scheffold also had a solid day in 35th place while Sophia Stößer finished 47th.
With plenty of teams bunched around them in the standings, every position will matter for Viernheim going forward.
13th) Karlsruher Lemminge – 21 points (up 2 places)
They were so close. Had one of their athletes finished one place place higher, Karlsruhe would have tied with Berlin, Bonn and Hagen. Nonetheles, the team put together a wonderful performance in Schliersee.
Sabrina Fleig and Valerie Moser recorded top-20 finishes in 14th and 16th, respectively. Claudia Wipfler was also close behind with her 25th place. Overall, the team had a fantastic day and they will hope for a repeat performance in the next round.
With more showings like that, Karlsruhe will be able to avoid relegation.
14th) HEIKOTEL Tri Team Hamburg – 20 points (down 1 place)
Hamburg were part of the other tie in Schliersee as they finished with the same points as Lüneburg.
Jenny Jendryschik was close to making the top-10 but ultimately finished 11th. Her result was hugely important for the team, though, as Tatjana Kortmann slipped to 53rd. In between, Leonie Konczalla earned 24th place to balance the team’s results.
If they can find a little more from either Kortmann or another third athlete, Hamburg could make their way into the top-10 overall. With the competition around them fierce, they will also have to be careful not to slip behind and risk relegation.
15th) Triathlon Potsdam e.V. – 18 points (down 12 places)
Unfortunately for Potsdam, they provided an example to everyone else of what happens when you don’t show up to a race. Without enough starters, they were forced to withdraw and so became the only team this season to have scored 0 points at an event.
They would have had high hopes, not least given Jule Behrens had shown her form with a silver medal at the European Cup in Wels just a day prior. Yet it was not to be.
Potsdam will recover at the events they actually attend. However, an overall podium is now realistically out of the question.
16th) SV Würzburg 05 – 17 points (down 2 places)
Würzburg might have slipped to last in the standings, but there are reasons to be optimistic.
The first reason is that they are very close to the teams above them. It will not take much for them to move up the rankings. In addition, an 11th place in Schliersee provides a second reason for optimism as they proved they can contend with most of the teams above them.
Sarah Schönfelder and Eleisa Haag both made it into the top-30 with finishes of 27th and 29th while Lea Cagol was close behind in 36th. If any of those three can nudge into the top-20, Würzburg could make it to safety.
View the full team results from Schliersee here.
