Hannes Gets 2023 Preparations Underway!

It always feels a bit strange, season 2022 has just ended and season 2023 is just around the corner! Right now, I’m in Lee Valley for a training camp. It’s my 5th week of training after a very long summer break since the worlds in Augsburg.

We got our second baby (his name is Felix) in September, so I was not training for a couple of weeks. I’m really happy that Felix is sleeping very well and I had no problems so far with sleep deprivation.

The start of my pre-season preparation was a bit unlucky. Just the day before I started with training at the end of October, I hurt my back when lifting a moving box. That meant that I could only train with restricted mobility for more than three weeks, mostly paddling straight forward. Luckily, I have no limitations anymore and can move again.

Without any Whitewater sessions for a very long time I was bit worried about joining the training camp in Lee Valley with the German team to prepare for the next year’s World Championship. The first sessions I was struggling a lot in Lee Valley, but finally there were some good moments as well. I really like this course here, it’s one of my favourite places to train. And I also have a lot of good memories like racing the Olympics in 2012 or preparing for the World Championships in 2015 on this course. I’m looking forward to the next season and hope to spend a couple of training camps in Lee Valley in 2023.

The next big steps to the new season are a three weeks training camp in la Reunion in January and February and another training camp in Lee Valley. At the end of April, our national selection races in Markkleeberg and Augsburg will be the actual start of the 2023 season.

See you on the water, Hannes