Oliver-Sven Buder - Things are looking up
"Things are looking up", with this words Germans best and most constant shotputter, Oliver Sven Buder describes his situation at the moment. The Silvermedalist from the World Championships 1997 and 1999 had at the 15th March an operation at his intervertebral in Leipzig and exactly one week later was following the second part - this time it was his left elbow. " So everything was repaired at once. And the 35 year old Athlete is happy now, that his pains belong to the past. "As a normal person I would say I feel fantastic, as an athlete I say I feel good", he explains his feelings and the very small difference. At the moment he is in Portugal. Until the 2nd of May the 2 m tall sportsman will prepare the season and he makes great strides. "I am able to do almost everything again, except a few exercises in the weightlifting room", says the man who is one of the ambassadores for the European Championships 2002 in Munich.
Buder is the kandidat who has the shortest way to the European Championships. Even he is not very often in Munich at the moment. In Leipzig at the "Olympiastützpunkt" he meanwhile rent a room, because the Indoor European Champion from 1998 commutes between Munich (where he lives normally), Leipzig (his Club and Trainingsdomicile) and Lübeck (for private reasons) back and forth. In addition to that, he visits a lot of Trainingscamps
Besides Portugal he travels also very often to Kienbaum. Thanks god, that his employer is very understanding. The Erdinger Weißbier Brauerei, employs Buder as a sales representative. And he has a lot of free time for training and competition, whenever he needs it. "This is my biggest sponsor", Oliver Sven Buder, who made the shotput in Germany popular, together with Astrid Kumbernuss., says. Of course he is very glad about this situation. "And I am a little bit proud as well."
Start his season not until June
Because of his operation he will start his season not until June. "This is one month later as I wanted to do", says Buder. In Gotha at the 9th June, he will begin. His goal: "I want qualify for Munich, then we will see what happens". The time after he will use to reach a top-shape.
The 35 year old athlete doesn`t want to give prognosis. "The guys in Europa are very good". During the winter Oliver Sven Buder changed his Club. He went from Ingolstadt to Leipzig. "I got a very good offer until the year 2004", the 35 year old man tells.
After the Olympic Games in Athens he will definitely retiere. It doesn`t matter what will happen. Then he could imagine to work as a coach. A few times he tried to do this job already. Just for fun. He himself trains with Joachim Lipske. "Even I am in the szene a very long time and I know exactly what I have to do, its very good feeling, if somebody is watching you and tells about your mistakes.
Buder, who likes reading criminal stories and listen to the music ("everything except classics"), loves his sport very much, but meanwhile he knows that the health is the important thing in life. "I realized that at the World Championships in Edmonton last year, when I left the field with fever after the qualifikation", the Vize-World Champion from Athens and Sevilla remembers. In such phases Germanys best shotputer had thoughts like "why I still do that" !! But he never wanted to stop his career. Not seriously. "As long as I have fun and I still can win the events, I don`t need to stop with the sport", he says.
And meanwhile he likes his sport again very much. "And when I am in a good health 2004, the Olympic Games in Athens could be a fantastic conclusion as an athlete", Buder plans. But the next big thing are the European Championships. And Munich is a good place for Oliver Sven Buder. And if it`s necessary he could reach the Stadium in 17 minutes from his front door. This is already his special record. On the street. And who knows, maybe it was not the last record. Maybe it will follow another one. This time in August. In the shotput competition. If Buder would win one more medal, it would be the third one he ever wins at the European Championships. Silver he has already twice. Three would be a very good number for him..........
Ursula Kaiser
