If Buschhütten were impressive in the men’s race in Kraichgau, they were on another level altogether in the women’s event. They scored a crushing victory to open their account for the season. Of any team, they will undoubtedly be the most satisfied.
Plenty of athletes and teams enjoyed successful weekends in Kraichgau, though, and below you can find the latest rankings along with how each team got on.
You can read the breakdown following the men’s season opener here.
1st) EJOT Team TV Buschhütten – 20 points
With the four women of the Buschhütten team logging the four fastest legs of the race, Kraichgau really could not have gone better for last season’s runner-up.
Their two German athletes, Tanja Neubert and Annika Koch, each put in classy displays. Likewise Buschhütten received invaluable contributions from Zsanett Bragmayer and Solveig Løvseth.
With a deep roster to call upon throughout the season, it is hard to see anyone knocking Buschhütten from their perch.
2nd) Team Berlin – 19 points
Berlin will be thrilled with their start to the season.
Celine Kaiser is the obvious talking point after she overhauled Jule Behrens and Potsdam on the final lap of the run. Lina Völker also deserves plaudits after performing a big team role in guiding Kaiser through the swim and bike. Without her steadying the ship, Berlin’s day could have easily fallen apart.
The contributions of Lara Thekla Ungewickell and Mirjam Huber should also not go overlooked. Although they lost time to Buschhütten and Potsdam, the opening pair were very solid.
At this point Berlin have marked themselves as possible challengers to Buschhütten. Given how strong the leaders looked, their focus may turn to defending 2nd place.
3rd) Triathlon Potsdam e.V. – 18 points
The defending champions had a good day in Kraichgau but it could have been better. Had Kaiser not found such a high gear on the run, they could have taken 2nd place without their two biggest names
They will be eagerly awaiting the return of Nina Eim and Laura Lindemann. Potsdam likely won’t have them at the next round in Schliersee but the arrival of both thereafter could turbocharge their season.
In their absence, Selina Klamt and Jule Behrens will carry the flag. It is quite a challenge for such a young team to go up against the likes of Buschhütten. They nevertheless acquitted themselves well in Kraichgau and should find their way onto the overall podium regardless of the contributions of Lindemann and Eim.
4th) Dr. Loges Triathlon Team Lüneburg – 17 points
Lüneburg had a super day in Kraichgau; indeed, all things considered, it was among their best ever showings in the Bundesliga.
In all honesty, it was not a team effort that made it happen. Although Finja Loges and Silke de Wolde were solid in the first pair, they nonetheless lost over two minutes to Buschhütten and well over a minute to Potsdam and languished amid the battle for 10th.
Luckily they had Robin Dreyling up their sleeve.
Dreyling was fast in the water and closed the gap with the third fastest swim of any athlete. She then produced a huge bike split to jump towards the chase pack behind the lead Buschhütten duo. As Berlin and Postdam battled out the podium, Dreyling produced a fine run to consolidate a shock 4th place for Lüneburg.
Last year Lüneburg finished 8th overall in their first season after promotion, with a best finish of 6th. Having already improved upon that, it will be fascinating to see how high they can finish. They still have two of their best performers from 2022, Franka Rust and Heidi Juránková, to call upon so will definitely be a team to watch.
5th) Triathlon Team DSW Darmstadt – 16 points
Darmstadt are another team that will be happy with how Kraichgau panned out. Although Finja Schierl could not quite hold of Dreyling at the end, she still produced a marvellous performance to put Darmstadt safely in the top-5. Last season the team finished 9th overall so they have already made a significant step forward.
Lucie Kammer and Linda Hehenwarter were a secure duo in the first pair and can be counted upon across the season. Moreover when Katharina Möller is available they should be able to consolidate their position in the top-5.
The real focal point going forward looks like it will be Schierl. She showed her potential across all three disciplines in Kraichgau and could really step up this year.
6th) Mey Post-SV Tübingen – 15 points
Tübingen will be happy with a top-6. After a smooth handover from Karina Kornmüller and Greta Groten, Pia Wolf overtook Bonn with a fantastic all-round leg.
Wolf was the star of the show for the team and broke into the top-15 splits for the day. She will need to maintain her high standard throughout the campaign.
The midfield is looking tightly clustered this year with several teams looking to jump up the rankings after Kraichgau. If Tübingen can defend their 6th place throughout the season, they will have done a great job.
7th) SSF Bonn Triathlon Team – 14 points
Daryna Moskalenko was the best performer for them and set them up with a great opening leg. Julia Bodenschatz and Lea Stratmann then stayed together in the second pair to help Bonn towards 7th. But for a fast finish from Pia Wolf, they could have finished 6th.
With plenty of positives to take from their season opener, particularly the swim and bike splits of all of their athletes, Bonn will aim to improve their position over the coming races.
With Eva Daniels still to race, the team are gathering a notable amount of depth.
8th) triathlon.one Witten – 13 points
Kraichgau was not the start Witten wanted. They were hurt by Anabel Knoll’s late withdrawal which left them scrambling for cover only a couple of days out.
Marit van den Berg had a good first leg. Marlene Gomez-Göggel then made sure to stay with Jony Heerink on the second leg. She waited for Heerink in T1 and then the duo rode and ran together. Having become a mother in recent years, Heerink had a solid outing.
Going forward, though, Gomez-Göggel should be able to unleash her full capacity in Schliersee.
It’s all well and good having athletes like Knoll and others on the roster but they are not much help if they don’t show up. If Witten are to rise through the rankings and get close to last season’s 3rd place overall, they will need their big names to start at some point.
9th) TSV Amicitia Viernheim – 12 points
Helen Scheffold and Leana Bissig put together a very good opening leg to keep Viernheim in the hunt.
Tabea Huys really impressed as she brought the race home. The youngster was smooth in the water and will likely be a very important part of the team going forward. She broke into the top-15 splits en route to an impressive day.
With a decent start under their belts, Viernheim will hope to gather momentum as they seek to match last year’s 5th place overall. It will be a challenge given the strength of the teams ahead of them, but it is not impossible.
10th) SG Dresdner Spitzen Triathlon Team / LTV Erfurt – 11 points
Emily Lucy Köpper was the pick of the team with a strong first leg. Anna Heyder and Lena Cecilia Riedel also impressed as they stayed together to lock up 10th place on the second leg.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the team’s performance was that three of their best athletes were not racing. Last season, Sophie Gießmann, Anna Harbo and Caroline Pohle were important cogs in the overall machine and were expected to play big roles this year.
Seeing as the likes of Köpper fared so well, the team actually have more flexibility that may have been otherwise presumed.
If they can get their team selections right at the next few races, they could rise up the standings.
11th) Absolute Teamsport KTT 01 – 10 points
In what was quite a young team, Finja Herrmann had a good first leg before handing over to Anna Busse and Josephine Seerig. Both Busse and Seerig swam well although they lost a little time on the bike.
If they are to recapture last season’s 6th place, they may need to find a little more power on the bike. Of course, the 2+2 format broke up the field a little more than a standard race. Still, when the Sprint format returns, KTT 01 should gain a few places.
12th) Team Bad Orb – Gesund im Spessart – 9 points
Bad Orb have already shown improvements from last year and can push towards the top-10.
Theresa Moser led the way on the first leg and was the quickest woman on the team. Amelie Hanf and Yasmin Rieger then showed that the team is acquiring some depth. Last season 12th in Kraichgau was Bad Orb’s best finish. As such, this year they will be hoping that they can at least match it at subsequent races.
13th) HEIKOTEL Tri Team Hamburg – 8 points
The newly promoted team had a very encouraging showing.
Nina Rosenbladt was the key performer for them in the opening pair. She ensured that Hamburg maintained enough of a toehold in the race for Tatjana Kortmann and Theresa Lowinus to finish the job.
This season will likely get tougher as more big names return to other teams however Hamburg have shown they have what it takes to survive. Every point will be vital but they having given themselves the ideal start and now can look to push on.
14th) SV Würzburg 05 – 7 points
Würzburg did not have the best day as they slipped down the rankings. Their core trio of Merel Veltman, Laura Zimmermann and Eleisa Haag were all decent. However they will each need to find another gear if Würzburg are to climb any places.
This season could be a dangerous one for them as the drop hangs over their shoulder.
15th) Karlsruher Lemminge – 6 points
In their first race following promotion from Bundesliga Süd, Karlsruhe brought up the rear of the field.
Sabrina Fleig was the best of their opening legs but lost time to the bulk of the field. Claudia Wipfler and Saskia Haug then finished together but, again, they were not able to make much of an impact.
With four weeks to go until the next race, Karlsruhe will need to find a boost from somewhere.
16th) Sparda Bank Team Hagen – 5 points
Hagen did not finish in Kraichgau. They nonetheless earned 5 points from their default last place which could prove invaluable later in the year.
