Full Twist contributor AC takes a look a the relatively young German selection who will compete in Antwerp.
Elisabeth Seitz
Elisabeth Seitz is the eldest and most well known member of this young German selection. She trains at TG Mannheim under head coach Ulla Koch. At 19 years old, Seitz has huge international experience competing in a number of international competitions throughout her gymnastics career to date.
She excelled through the German gymnastics system from 2006. In 2008 she competed at the Junior European Championships, placing 6th on Bars. She competed at the 2010 American Cup placing 6th AA where she competed against Rebecca Bross, Aly Raisman, Jessica Lopez, Ariella Kaeslin, Yuko Shintake, Dominique Pegg and Elsa Garcia. She then continued on to the European Championships where she ranked 6th in AA, She also made the Bar final finishing in 8th position. Seitz took 4 gold medals in the 2010 German Championships. The 2011 European Championships was alsovery successful, placing 5th in both Bar and Vault finals. Competing on home turf, she took silver in the AA competition with a score of 56.700.
She has competed in three World Championships, 2009, 2010 (12th AA & 8th UB) and 2011. It was at the 2011 World Championships where Seitz really made a name for herself. She ranked 11th in AA finals with a score of 55.823 and also contributed to the German’s team 6th place finish, thus securing them a place at the London 2012 Olympic Games. It was at these World Championships that she debuted a new skill, a full twisting Maloney on uneven bars and had the skill named after her in the FIG Code of Points. Known as ‘The Seitz,’ it is an E Element worth 0.5.
The German team placed 9th in the Olympic Games with Seitz qualifying through to the Bars and AA final (10th AA and 6th UB). Seitz carried on competing through 2012 eventually becoming the FIG All Around World Cup Champion over USA’s Elizabeth Price and Italy’s Vanessa Ferrari.
Elisabeth is a great All Around competitor but is best known for her threatening bar routines containing numerous flight elements and a maximum difficulty value. We’re looking forward to seeing what she can do at her fourth World Championships.
Sophie Scheder
Sophie Scheder is one of the youngest members of this German Selection. At 16, she is just stepping out onto the International scene. In 2012 she competed in the Junior European Championships in Brussels where she placed 8th AA and won Gold in the Bar finals with a score of 14.566. Like Seitz, Scheders bar skills are second to none. She has great rhythm on the bars and performs her routines very fluidly.
Earlier this year she competed at the Cottbus Cup in Germany, one of her first Senior competitions. She came 5th in bar finals with 13.300. Competing at the Senior German Nationals in Mannheim in May she placed 1st in bar finals with a score of 14.933, Elisabeth Seitz finished in third place with 14.400.
Sophie competed in her first Senior European Championships earlier this year in Moscow firmly securing herself as a talented bar worker. Here she placed 4th in the Bar final.
Most recently she competed at the Dutch Invitational. Here she finished 7th AA but did not compete in any event finals. Sophie’s bars will surely be ones to watch in Antwerp.
Pauline Schäfer
Like Scheder, Pauline Schäfer is only 16. Only a year ago she was training at a regular club not very seriously. She then moved to Chemnitz to live and train with gymnasts from the national team. The first year senior competed at the German Nationals in Mannheim in May this year. She surprised everyone with elegant skills and placed 4th in Vault finals, 3rd in Beam finals and 6th in Floor finals. She also placed 4th in the AA final with an impressive score of 51.998.
Cagla Akoyl
Cagla Akoyl is the youngest member of the German Selection, she has just turned 16. Throughout 2009 and 2010 she had a lot of success in German events. 2012 was a quiet year for her, she had been selected to compete at the Junior European Championships but weeks before she dislocated her arm, an injury which required surgery.
She hit the International stage with the Cottbus Cup earlier this year. Here she came 4th in Floor finals with a score of 13.100. Here is her Floor routine with excellent tumbling skills.
Her biggest event to date has been the 2013 European Championships where she qualified to the AA final, placing 21st. Cagla has cited competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics as her biggest dream.
This is a very young German Selection. Scheder, Schäfer and Akoyl will be looking up to Olympian Seitz for support and it will be interesting to see how they get on.