One Last Round with Christina Hering

Christina Hering is beaming. She has just completed the final lap of her career on Berlin’s famous blue tartan track. With a white bow in her hair, she sprints across the finish line. Family, friends, and fans are celebrating her. And rightly so. Because the always cheerful runner has dominated the 800-meter race in Germany for the past ten years. She also made her mark on the international stage, competing at the Olympic Games in 2016 and 2021 and sprinting into the final at her home European Championships in Munich in 2022. Now she has celebrated a fitting, emotional finale at the ISTAF in Berlin.

We spoke with Christina the day after the 800-meter final at the Paris Olympics. She didn’t qualify herself. It was her last major athletic goal. Nevertheless, Christina is cheerful, friendly—and in Paris. She wants to soak up the atmosphere, watch other sports, and cheer on her teammates. It’s a little obvious—and completely understandable—that this isn’t just easy for her, but also painful. After all, Paris was a goal she’d been working toward for years, and for Christina—who has already competed in the Olympics twice—it would have been another career highlight. Now she can only say, “It was okay for me to watch it; I’ve come to terms with it.” Still, she celebrated the final and the evening of sports at the German House.

Sometimes it’s just bad luck

Christina has dominated the women’s 800 meters for ten years, winning gold nine times at eleven German Championships. On top of that, she has three more gold medals in the relay and six in indoor competitions. The fact that it didn’t work out with Paris after Rio and Tokyo was a close call. And bad luck, as she says.

“Based on my world ranking and my form, it definitely would have been possible. I just needed one fast race. But unfortunately, the conditions usually weren’t right,”

Christina explains.

The Right Moment

The fact that she wasn’t allowed to compete in Paris is certainly no blemish on Christina’s record, though she would understandably have wanted it as the crowning finale to her career. “I actually believe there’s still more in me, but for me, the time has simply come to call it quits,” says the military athlete, who now lives in Berlin. She ran her final laps in early September at the ISTAF. Including a lap of honor to say goodbye one last time. In top form, in front of a large crowd, in perfect weather, and surrounded by all the people who matter to her. One thing became clear: Christina will leave a void that the German track and field scene—and especially her training group—will miss.

Highlight: Home European Championships

“I can look back with pride on what I’ve achieved,”

says the Munich native. She cites the European Championships on home soil and reaching the 800-meter final—where she finished 7th—as her highlights. “The fact that I withstood the pressure and made it to the final was such a big deal for me—something I’m really, really proud of—and I’d already realized that I could actually quit right then,” Christina reflects. As we know, she decided against it; she changed coaches, training groups, and where she lives in order to give it her all once more, to experience the Olympic Games in the neighboring country, and simply to be a top athlete who always believes she can keep improving.

Fun as the Key to Consistency

Perhaps the greatest achievement for athletes is to remain successful over a long period of time. For Christina, the most important factor in achieving this was not losing her enjoyment of the sport.

“Of course, there were times when the pressure I put on myself almost overwhelmed me, but fundamentally, I always felt that I was doing my sport from the heart. It was simply my great passion, and it rarely felt like work,”

Christina shares insights into her emotional life and her recipe for success.

Physically and Mentally Healthy

Throughout her entire career, Christina has always made sure to stay healthy and fit in the long term, avoiding any risks in training that could have harmed her physically or mentally. “I think I had a pretty good sense of when to consciously take a break and step back from the sport,” says Christina. She also always received a lot of support from outside sources, including family and friends. “In my view, this emotional support is also crucial for a successful career,” says the Munich native.

Compression Boots for Faster Recovery and Faster Legs

Christina also counts recovery among the breaks she mentioned—something she has always prioritized after or between training sessions.

“The older you get, the more important recovery becomes; you can’t handle as much intensity and volume as you perhaps could in your early 20s,”

, says Christina. For the 29-year-old athlete, plenty of physical therapy and active recovery are the keys to long-term health. “I’ve also been using the COMPRESSION BOOTS regularly for some time now and find them to be a very effective recovery tool,” says Christina.

Not without my pillow

“Something that’s often overlooked is sleep. Between two training sessions, I’ve always liked to take a little nap to recharge,” says Christina. Of course, her head was resting on the Recovery Pillow from BLACKROLL.

“I also think the pillow is great because it packs down to take up very little space, so I can take it with me anywhere. And that’s just so nice—when you’re on the go so much, it’s great to always have the same pillow with you.”

Looking Forward to the Next Chapter

In the future, Christina won’t be traveling quite as much. That said, things won’t exactly slow down right after the ISTAF. First, she’ll move back to Munich, then she’ll head to Australia for two months. After 10 years of competitive sports, Christina is used to traveling a lot. Only this time, there’s no pressure—she doesn’t have to train or compete at a meet. But it won’t be a vacation spent lounging in a hammock either. After so many years in competitive sports, it’s important for her athlete’s heart to wind down gradually. “It’s not healthy to go from 100 to zero percent all at once, so I’ll need to do recreational sports in the coming months and years. But I’m also looking forward to doing sports just for fun, without any pressure. For example, I’ve avoided skiing in recent years because the risk of injury was too high for me,” says Christina, already looking forward to next winter. She also sees herself on a tennis or beach volleyball court in the future. In any case, sports—just like the Blackroll pillow—will continue to be a part of her everyday life. Whether the sports scientist with a master’s degree in management will remain in the sports industry professionally will be decided in the coming months.

We wish Christina all the best for the next chapters of her life!