Michelle Andres and Aline Seitz from Aargau have known each other since they were nine years old. Now the two 27-year-old track racers are realizing their Olympic dream in Paris.
Michelle Andres is already in full Olympic fever. She proudly shows off her fingernails, painted in the colors of the Olympic rings and - of course - a Swiss cross. As the Games slowly draw to a close, Andres and her partner in the Madison, Aline Seitz, will take part in the action on the third-last day. The goal is a diploma on Friday.
"It was a bit of a surreal feeling," admits Andres. "We saw the athletes on TV and were wearing the same clothes." At the training camp, the two of them spent their free time in front of the screens and cheered them on. "Since we've been here, we've noticed much less." Three years ago in Tokyo, they narrowly missed out on qualifying, but this time they made it.
They know each other inside out
Andres and Seitz are a real power duo. "We've known each other since we were about nine years old," explains Seitz, who is three months older. She lives in Buchs, Seitz in Hägglingen, 15 kilometers away. Both were once active in mountain biking. However, performance tests have shown that their skills are better on the track. "The fact that we know each other so well helps enormously," emphasizes Andres. "We know each other's body language and don't have to fake anything." And you can also speak your mind straight out.
The distribution of roles is very clear. Andres is the tactician and preparer, Seitz is supposed to sprint and score points. In the Madison, 16 teams ride 120 laps (30 km), with a sprint every ten laps in which points are awarded for the first four. There are also points for a team that gains one lap on the others. The winner is the team with the most points at the end. There is only one rider per team on the track, and riders can switch as often as they like.
Suffering and race-smart
"She's extremely professional," Michelle Andres enthuses about her partner. "She leaves nothing to chance, on and off the bike." She can also torture herself extremely well. "She can die 15 times and still sprint." Andres has a "mega will to persevere", says Seitz. "And she's extremely race-smart, she can read the race and pull me into the sprints perfectly."
In typical Swiss fashion, the pair do not want to commit to a ranking target. "Madison is a mega tactical discipline," explains Aline Seitz. "We want to try to implement everything technically and tactically well, then we'll also get a good result." Michelle Andres adds: "A diploma would be cool."
For Andres and Seitz, taking part is already a dream come true. "This is mega, mega cool," Andres enthuses. "It makes us extremely proud." Her friend and teammate even gets a second chance. Early on Sunday afternoon, she will be the last Swiss woman to compete for medals in the omnium at these Games.
