January 19th, 2013

Last January 16th, redbull.com released an exclusive interview with 2012 Olympic gold medalist & now retired Jonas Reckermann.

Below are some highlights of the feature:

How about your family’s reaction?

My wife knows how much the sport means to me. She would have been supportive if there was a chance of me continuing. We had already booked flights to the traning camp in South Africa together with my young son. If there’s a positive side to all of this, it is the chance to spend more time at home.

How will you fill your time now?

There are a couple of plans swirling around and I’ve had requests for things, but I will try to give myself time to digest this massive change. It wouldn’t be wise to begin another full-time job at the beginning of February, would it? [laughs]

What was the most outstanding moment of your career?

Wow, there were quite a few. I celebrated my first German title in 2001 just as excessively as the Olympic triumph in London, which was, of course, the most prominent victory for me. It’s the single most massive success you can have in our sport.

Would you change anything?

No, I would do it all over again, almost 100 per cent. There were a few small, wrong decisions, but they didn’t have a huge impact on my game as a whole. It couldn’t have been better.

How was your time with Julius Brink?

Super interesting and highly intense. One could say that I only arrived with Julius. At the beginning of my career, when I teamed up with Markus Dieckmann [2001-2005], it was me who was the rookie. After that, with Mischa Urbatzka [2007-2008] it was the other way round. With Julius [2009-2012], we were on one level. We worked with focus and precise intention – something I always dreamed about. I am very lucky that I enjoyed my best experiences with him.

Will you stay in contact with him?

Of course we’ll be in touch – on and off the beach volleyball court.

Click here to read the full interview.

January 10th, 2013

SHOCKING & SO SAD!

5 months after winning the Olympic gold medal in London, Germany’s Jonas Reckermann is plagued with injuries and has no choice but to END his career. The 33 yr old successfully recovered a shoulder injury which required surgery last October BUT a more serious condition was discovered after an MRT exam just last month. Jonas suffers from a degenerative process in his spine and a cyst in the canal of the spinal cord which is putting pressure on a nerve.

His doctor says that if he pursues his beach volleyball career then he’d suffer more serious conditions to a point wherein the damage would untreatable.

Jonas says:

“The decision was difficult, due to various reasons, but you cannot buy health and in the end health comes first. I am thankful to everyone who helped me experience a long and successful beach volleyball career. I am sure that Julius Brink will have a successful future with his new partner, too, and I wish both all the best!”

Just because he’s injured, it doesn’t mean it’s over for Jonas and Julius. They will still honor their commitments with their sponsors and will still embark on press tours as a team. Jonas adds that he and Julius will not go on separate ways.

“I really regret this because this year would undoubtedly have become interesting, but I entirely understand this step. We will definitely keep working together and be available for our fans, sponsors and partners.” says Julius in a statement released by the FIVB.

While Jonas takes his road to recovery & still be involved in beach related endeavors, Brink will now partner with Sebastian Fuchs under the coaching staff of Markus Dieckmann, Hans Voigt and Stefan Hübner.

Side Dish: Aside from winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics, Brink and Reckermann have won 1 World Championship crown, 2 European Championships titles and 3 German Championship golds.

(source: FIVB/ images: zimbio.com)