Elena Kratter wins the Paralympic bronze medal in the long jump for the second time after Tokyo 2021. The 28-year-old from Schwyz is delighted to have achieved confirmation.
It's a cold afternoon in January. Elena Kratter is completing an intensive running training session in Lenzburg, followed by a session in the gym. In between, she invites us to a conversation in her car. We talk about her journey as a long jumper, her earlier career as a skier, her magical night in Tokyo when she surprisingly jumped to Paralympic bronze for the whole world in September 2021. And it's about the 2023 World Championships in Paris, where she secures the silver medal.
At some point, the conversation turns to the future. It's about her goals for the Paralympics in Paris. And Kratter says: "I've already got bronze, silver too, there's only one thing missing." The unsaid thing at this moment is the gold medal.
A good eight months later, Kratter is standing in the catacombs of the Stade de France. She did not win gold in her second Paralympic competition in the long jump. It was another bronze medal. With 4.83 m, she achieved a season's best at the season's highlight. Australia's Vanessa Low remains out of reach with a world record distance of 5.45 m, but by the time Italy's Martina Caironi jumps to 5.06 m, Kratter is on course for silver.
For a moment she was annoyed that she had been overtaken, says Kratter, who has a strong sense of ambition, but after a few minutes she comes to the conclusion: "I am very proud, I was able to confirm my performance from Tokyo."
This medal is even more important than the first, says the Schwyz native, who lives in Vorderthal. Because three years ago, nobody expected anything from her. Now, however, she already felt the expectations and put more pressure on herself. "It's super nice to have succeeded in a competition like this in such a great atmosphere."
SDA
