The canoeist has reached the top level in a short time. In 2024, she qualified for the U23 World Championships in Bulgaria and won two gold medals: in the K4 and C2 (mixed double) events. The following year, she was already on the senior team and competed in the World Cups. “At the European Championships in the Czech Republic, we won the bronze medal in the K4 event; at the World Championships in Milan, we finished eleventh. I’m quite happy with that.” Her breakthrough came thanks to training with the older age group. “All of a sudden, it just worked.”
She has only just managed to find time for the interview but has to postpone her exams at the University of Potsdam. The next day, she’s heading to a training camp in Florida with the German Canoe Federation for several weeks. At least four such camps take place each year. “In winter, we go to warm-water training camps because you can’t paddle on a frozen lake.”
Spielhagen was originally a swimmer. Growing up in Caputh, she looked up to her older brother, who competed in this sport. When the family moved to Werder, she joined the Sportschule Friedrich Ludwig Jahn in Potsdam and participated in “small-scale competitions” until 2020, as she modestly puts it. “The biggest one was the German Age Group Championships.”
The push to switch to canoeing came from her family. Her grandfather and parents were canoeists; her father and grandfather were even coaches. “I started in 2020 during the pandemic. Everything was closed, but we were able to borrow a boat, and my father trained me on Lake Glindow – that’s how it all began.” During her 10th-grade year, when her final exams were also approaching, she occasionally participated in training sessions at the Potsdam Canoe Club. Starting late wasn’t a problem: “I wasn’t at the same level as the others, but they gave me helpful advice.”
Balancing training and education is something the canoeist has been doing for a long time. She was able to extend her schooling to 14 years and spread her final exams over two years. “That helped me balance both. Unfortunately, though, the others finished a year earlier and had already left by then.” It’s similar at university, where she studies psychology. There, competitive athletes are granted equality measures so that they have fewer modules to complete during the semester.
She was already interested in psychology during her school years: “What people are like. The mental aspect is also very important in sports.” Now, since attendance has not been mandatory so far, she has to download lecture notes during training breaks or on free weekends and work through them on her own. The career counseling services at the Olympic training center have been helpful throughout: “The collaboration with the professors works great. Without their understanding of the athletes’ situation, it wouldn’t be possible,” emphasizes the competitive athlete. “Because of the training camp, I missed almost all my exam dates, and we have to find alternative ones.”
Training takes place daily during the week: two sessions before lunch and another one or two sessions after a three-hour break, as well as sessions on Saturday mornings. Only Saturday afternoon and Sundays are free. “I try to schedule my training so that I can attend lectures during the break, but that doesn’t always work out.” A challenge? “I was already used to that from school.”
The qualifying races are coming up in April: “I want to qualify for the national A team again—so I can make the Olympic team and compete in the K4.” That requires not only physical training but also strong mental preparation. “Everyone has their own way of doing that.” For example, she works with sports psychologists to learn how to cope with stress. “I watch videos and photos to remind myself of what I’ve already accomplished in recent years – and that I can do it,” she says. “If I’ve trained properly, I really don’t need to worry. Then I know I’ve given it my all.”
On her days off, she tries to wind down and recover from an exhausting training camp, for example. However, the time she has to stay in touch with friends and family is very limited, especially since she also has to study for university. “It’s important that many of my friends are former athletes. They understand this.”
To avoid spending too many hours commuting between university and training, Spielhagen moved in with her boyfriend in Potsdam. In sports, the 2028 Olympic Games in L.A. are now her top priority: “That’s what I’m training for.”
This article appeared in the university magazine Portal - Eins 2026 „Inklusion“.