News09 Jan 2009


Plätzer planning the climax to her race walking saga

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Norway's Kjersti Platzer enjoys the moment after her victory in Chihuahua, Mexico (© CONADE (conade.gob.mx))

Approaching the age of thirty seven (on 18 January), and having seemingly achieved neat enough symmetry to her Olympic career in Beijing by winning a silver medal in what will be her last Games to match her achievement in the first Olympic outing in Sydney back in 2000, you’d have been forgiven for expecting Norway’s Kjersti Plätzer to be planning a quieter 2009.

Yet Plätzer has decided that for one more year she will juggle motherhood, business life and elite athletics; braving hard training along the dark and icy roads around Softeland.

But, why not, when in 2008 she also became the IAAF World Race Walking Challenge winner and, almost injury free, walked faster than ever. The new year finds her inspired by dreams of glory to come.

Back in hard training

A long hard season left her drained and tired. In October, Plätzer returned to full time work, as Adecco’s Sales Manager for the Western Region of Norway, but despite the icy conditions in Norway she’s back in hard training.

“It’s very tiring. Yesterday it was minus 16 degrees and today plus five which is a big change for the body to cope with. I’ve also been busy at work although now I’m working part time.”

Secret surgery and strict coaching

With time to reflect on her successes Plätzer can now reveal the reasons for success and new lease of life that has inspired her to carry on.

“I had no choice after stopping in the 2007 Challenge final in Saransk. An MRI scan revealed the cause of my recurring hamstring injuries to be in my back. It showed I had two prolapses. If I wanted to go the Olympics I had to fix my back - although I could only fix the one that affected my walking, not the one that was just sometimes painful.”

“So without much time to decide I had back surgery on 19 October 2007”.

Keen to avoid disruptive attention from the Norwegian press she decided to keep it as low profile a surgery as possible.

“I decided it was important to keep it secret from the media after seeing all the coverage of Andreas Thorkildsen’s back problems in 2007. They kept asking him about that so in the end one of the team leaders in Osaka made him a T-shirt that he wore with the slogan “My back? My back? My back is OK!”

“There were not many people who knew so it was easier to keep it in the team - the national team doctor, the Olympic Committee and the Federation, my family and of course Sabine Zimmer (the German race walker). The surgery was carried out not far from her home so I actually recovered at her place. I stayed on her sofa for four days!”

“I think that keeping it secret was the right decision because I had the surgery but while I was recovering it wasn’t a question of ‘how’s your back?’ and it wouldn’t have been Olympic silver unless my back was OK!”

Chihuahua the biggest surprise of the 2008 Challenge

It was the start of the recovery that was more surprising to Plätzer than the end result.

“Especially after surgery, winning in the first challenge race in Mexico in March was the biggest surprise of the season. Sabine and Susana Feitor had already raced well. I hadn’t even done any speed work and came from Flagstaff with just three weeks of altitude training before Chihuahua. My only goal was to score some points by getting an A standard.”

“I controlled my pace to get that time. It was a hard course, it was hot and dry and at altitude so I focused on myself but near the end the instinct for competing warmed up in me and I started catching them. I had to push really hard in the last 2km to be able to do the standard and get my 10 points but I was very surprised I could win a Challenge race then.”

Kjersti started full race walking training at the end December 2007 building up slowly having missed two months. Her coach, and husband, Stephan Plätzer, insisted on maintaining her training through of the season without allowing any let up for races, right until just before the Olympics. 

“I felt strong through the year but not exactly in full fitness - just tired from the training. I was able to train from January until the Olympics with no breaks and no injuries.”

The best behind Kaniskina in Beijing

“My goal for the season was a medal at the Olympics. After arriving in China every day I felt better and felt my fitness coming. I was confident that I had been strong through the year but felt now I’m in shape. That was Stephan’s work - he was holding me back all season by putting on that training load. He told me ‘Kjersti, you need to have ice in your stomach, be patient and you will be in shape when you’re supposed to be’, and he was right!”

“In Beijing we saw a lot of personal bests - we were lucky we had the rain and it was 23 degrees so it was perfect. I focused on what I had to do and that was the main reason I was the best behind (Olga) Kaniskina.”

Inspired by finish at the Brandenburg Gate

Looking ahead to 2009 imagines a German operatic theme to the climax of her race walking career.

“The main reason to carry on is I feel I still have the chance to do well for another season.”

“We will go to training camp in Flagstaff which fits with the first Challenge race in Mexico but it depends on the organisers if they want me to come. I’m planning on doing four challenge races again plus the final but it depends on race distances - with the new regulations its possible there will be shorter races so it would be much easier to fit in more. It’s fun to do 10km.”

For this year’s Challenge athletes can earn points in some other competitions than the eight race IAAF Race Walking Challenge events. According to Plätzer “I think it’s good to have points for other smaller races and gives area competitions a greater chance to survive as it makes it easier for athletes to include these in their schedules.”

However, Kjersti’s main focus for the year will come in August for the IAAF World Championship 20km.

“Ending my career in Berlin will ‘fulfill the ring’ because my first European Junior Championships were in Cottbus, in former East Germany, in 1985; my first European Championships was in Stuttgart in 1986 and my first World Championships were in Stuttgart in 1993 - so all my initial big races were in Germany. So it will be nice to have my last big event in Germany. Then the ring cycle is complete!”

“Plus, the finish at The Brandenburg Gate is very historical. The finish to the marathon and walks in Berlin will be fantastic for all the competitors.”

“After that I plan to return to normal life. I will have more than enough with working, two children and following the race walking scene - my brother Erik will continue at least to London 2012.”

On Saturday (10) Plätzer will be nominated for the Norwegian Female Athlete of the Year award. “That’s a big honour - and on Monday the entire Olympic team has been invited to the castle in Oslo to eat tapas with the King!”
 
Plätzer may have a lot to occupy herself, but training on the quiet local roads will provide ample opportunity to dream of climatic, and possibly triumphant, Wagnerian chords to mark the closure of her 24 year international race walking career.

Tim Watt for the IAAF

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