It’s the highlight of her swimming career: Leonie Beck competed in the Olympic 10km open water swimming event in Tokyo on August 3rd. After a strong race, in which she led the starting field over long distances, she fought her way to 5th place in challenging competition conditions. va-Q-tec has been supporting the 24-year-old athlete from Würzburg for many years as part of the va-Q-athlete program and is especially proud of the young athlete’s top performance.
The conditions at the Odaiba Marine Park in the Tokyo harbor were tough with 29 °C water temperature and 87% humidity. Nevertheless, Leonie Beck showed what she was capable of right from the start of the race. She took the lead right after the start which lasted almost two hours and rarely relinquished that lead the entire race. Only in the finish corridor did she have to admit defeat to the medal winners Ana Marcela Cunha (Brazil), Sharon von Rouwendaal (Netherlands) and Kareena Lee (Australia) when finishing in 5th place, only 2.6 seconds behind.
The 24-year-old is nevertheless justifiably very proud of her performance: “The race was great fun, tactically it was one of my cleverest ever!” The exceptional talent from Würzburg proved that she belongs to the world’s best and can withstand even the toughest conditions. She can take a lot from Tokyo for her participation in the next Olympic Games, which will be held in Paris in 2024: “I’m very satisfied, anyway,” she concluded. “I can be proud of this fifth place at the Olympic Games.”
Dr. Joachim Kuhn, CEO of va-Q-tec, is also proud of the va-Q-athlete’s performance: “For many years now, we have been supporting Leonie on her journey in top international sports. Her strong performance at the Olympic Games in Tokyo makes us particularly proud! As one of the top athletes in the Main-Franconia region, she stands for international top performance and special endurance over long distances through her sporting successes. Likewise, our company and its high-performance products stand for precisely these attributes, especially in the industry of temperature-controlled logistics. We are therefore delighted to continue to accompany Leonie on her further journey as a strong partner!”