SCHAFER Carolin

General
CHANGING COACHES
In November 2019 she announced that she had decided to part ways with her long-time coach Jurgen Sammert, and moved to a group coached by German decathlete Niklas Kaul's parents, Stefanie and Michael Kaul. "Sammert and I worked together for eight intensive years, he brought me to the top of the world, he made me the athlete that I am today. Even if it wasn't easy, I think it was the right decision for me to move on. I needed a new impetus, a new training environment, new coaches to get a new perspective, and to get the best out of my career. In mid-September [2019] we sat down and realised that we had different expectations and ideas." (Fr.de, 14 Nov 2019)

HELP FROM THE BEST
In 2017 she approached German javelin thrower Thomas Rohler, who won gold at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, for help to improve her javelin throwing. "For me, the javelin is the discipline I'm most hesitant about. I've never really dealt with this. Since I came from a handball background, I was always good at throwing, but I found that my opponents had caught up. I realised that I needed to do something, so I asked Thomas for help. I thought I may as well learn from the best. What I needed was a general review of javelin throwing, I cannot dwell on tiny details as I have six other disciplines. But small nuances can help. He knew exactly how I felt about it, he understood and told me to try a few things." (wr.de, 18 Apr 2018)