Fresh off their double triumph in the 2023 Bundesliga, EJOT Team TV Buschhütten have sent a shockwave though German triathlon.
Effective immediately, they have disbanded their men’s and women’s Bundesliga teams. In addition, the Buschhütten Triathlon will be discontinued
For almost 35 years, Buschhütten has been a hot-bed of triathlon in the country. However, the news comes on the back of the retirements of Rainer and Sabine Jung. The pair were instrumental in the rise and prolonged success of Buschhütten.
The remaining executive board decided on the new course for the organisation.
In a (translated) statement, they said, “we do not see ourselves in a position to continue writing all the success stories surrounding the EJOT team – German team record champions – and the major event and to be able to continue operating at such a high level.”
The rise in costs and the increased difficulty to retain committed volunteers or find new ones were cited as some of the reasons behind the end of the triathlon event and the team.
The executive board also noted the loss of Rainer and Sabine Jung to a well-earned retirement as a major blow.
With regards to the Bundesliga, the loss of Buschhütten is a gamechanger. After winning every title between 2012 and 2021, the women’s team won all five rounds of the 2023 season. Meanwhile the men also came away as champions this year to go with their triumphs in 2009, 2011-2019 and 2022.
Alongside the loss of one of the biggest teams in the league, a plethora of talent will suddenly be on the market.
Among the German women, Lisa Tertsch, Tanja Neubert, Annika Koch and Lena Meißner are big names that will be looking for new teams. The likes of Solveig Løvseth, Rachel Klamer and Natalie Van Coevorden likewise raced for the team in 2023 and could be picked up by another set-up.
On the men’s side, Vetle Bergsvik Thorn, Richard Murray, Jonas Schomberg and Simon Westermann will be free agents. Any team that can add even one of those names to their squad will automatically find themselves in a much stronger position.
Most, if not all teams, will struggle to offer the same financial package that Buschhütten managed. Nevertheless, the German athletes will need teams to realistically race in the German Championships (which is incorporated into one of the stops; this year it was in Düsseldorf).
Moreover, there will still be pay and prize money on offer at other teams. Rather than going from the Buschhütten package to zero, the likelihood is that most of the athletes will look to make up the income with another club.
Furthermore, the Bundesliga continues to offer high-level racing opportunities and so will continue to draw elite athletes.
The loss of Buschhütten will be a blow to the league. The sight of the red tri-suits at the front of the race has been a defining part of the series for the last decade. With teams like Hylo Team Saar winning the men’s title in 2021 and Potsdam winning the women’s in 2022, the league was also in the process of developing greater depth in the title race.
Still, one team’s loss will be an opening for others.
The best team in the league might be gone, but several other teams might be about to get even stronger as a result.
