Tokyo bronze medallist: Alica Stuhlemmer switches to iQFOil - aiming for the 2028 Olympics

From Nacra catamaran to iQFoil board: sailor Alica Stuhlemmer has switched disciplines and is currently completing her first training camp as an iQFOiL windsurfer in Cadiz. "After eight intensive years in the Nacra 17, two Olympic titles and a bronze medal, I'm starting a new chapter: I've already switched from the boat to the board and will continue my career in Olympic windsurfing," says the 25-year-old. In a newsletter, Stuhlemmer and her former sailing partner Paul Kohlhoff announced the end of their sporting partnership. Their greatest success was bronze in Tokyo 2021, this year the duo finished eighth in Marseille.

My Olympic dream is far from over." Alica Stuhlemmer

Stuhlemmer is continuing her career solo on the iQFOiL. Her first weeks of training in Kiel are already behind her. With borrowed equipment at first, Alica Stuhlemmer has been getting to grips with the new sport in her home waters right after the Olympic highlight of the year and expanding her training programme step by step. Experienced coaches have been impressed by her progress and have given positive feedback on her talent and development potential.

"My journey in competitive sport continues. I'm still passionate about sailing," says Alica Stuhlemmer, who is taking a radical step with her change of discipline "With the iQFOiL, I've chosen a single discipline that will challenge me in a completely new way - athletically, mentally and as a sailor. I will experience sailing from a different perspective and grow personally and athletically. I'm looking forward to that."

More about iQFoil:

• iQFoil: The Olympic windsurfing equipment in detail
• iQFoil in self-experiment - Meeting with the monster
• From courses to medal races - the mode in iQFoil
• Trimming tips for the iQFoil: How to increase your wind range

First goal: Trofeo Princesa Sofia on Mallorca

At the same time, Alica Stuhlemmer is aware of the XL dimension of the new windsurfing challenge: "The demands on my body and the mental adjustment of now making decisions alone on the water are completely new to me." She has no illusions about the upcoming summit attempt: "I'm still at the beginning. I know that the road is long, that it's not always straight and that I'll have to prove that I can take things in my stride. Of course, the LA28 mission won't be easy, but that's also what makes it so exciting for me."

The new windsurfer's motto: "Be brave, face new challenges and grow with them." A decision on whether she will remain in the national team will be made by the end of the year. She is not lacking in training ambition and is known as one of the hardest workers in the German Sailing Team. She has set the Spanish classic Trofeo Princesa Sofia as her first competition as a stage goal.

"This will be a test for me. It certainly won't be at the top for me straight away," says the athlete from the Kiel Yacht Club with a realistic view of her development opportunities. However, as a rather smaller athlete, she can also benefit in the coming years from the fact that the size of the Olympic windsurfing sail for women has been reduced from eight square metres to 7.3 square metres from the coming season and will then be better suited to her body weight.

• Rule change: sails in the iQFoil are getting smaller

Tailwind from the German Sailing Team

Encouragement and support for Stuhlemmer's mission comes from the German Sailing Team. Sports Director Nadine Stegenwalner said: "Alica is an ambitious, hard-working and focussed athlete who enjoys taking on challenges. We have already accompanied her through two Olympic cycles in the Nacra with many strong successes and are excited to see what the LA 2028 cycle has in store for Alica on the board. We wish Alica every success with this exciting project."

Of course, the LA28 mission won't be an easy one, but that's also what makes it so appealing to me." Alica Stuhlemmer

The competitive athlete has no illusions about the upcoming summit attempt: "I'm still at the beginning. I know that the road is long, that it's not always straight and that I have to prove that I can take it." With Theresa Steinlein, who caused a minor sensation with sixth place before Marseille, Stuhlemmer also has strong competition within the German team.

• Interview with Theresa Steinlein: "The Olympics was never my lifelong dream"

Goal: 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles

Alica Stuhlemmer looks back on her time at the Olympics with her cox Paul Kohlhoff with a great deal of gratitude and pride: "Paul and I managed to fulfil a lifelong dream together with the bronze medal in Tokyo. That will bind us together forever. We also have a great team by our side and I am incredibly grateful for every experience and every encounter with the people I was able to share this journey with."

Although the duo achieved another top ten result in the heat battle of Marseille with eighth place, the second Olympic medal remained out of reach in the heat battle of Marseille in predominantly very light winds. However, the separation of the successful duo is less to do with their Olympic placing and more to do with the differences in their lives as they head into the future.

Alica Stuhlemmer explains: "As in many areas of life, there were numerous reasons for this decision. Our paths outside of sport have developed in different directions. In a discipline where you spend more than 250 days a year together - and the majority of those abroad - it became increasingly difficult for us as a team to find the necessary foundation to successfully work towards Los Angeles 2028."

"Always part of our lives"

Paul Kohlhoff is in a different life situation at the same time. The 29-year-old from the Kiel Yacht Club is initially focussing on the birth of his second child, which he is expecting with his partner Jana next March. His search for "a promising and promising mission on the water or on land" is still ongoing. "It's running at full speed. So far, however, without any promising results," says the experienced Olympic helmsman, who is currently focussing on family life.

Paul Kohlhoff looks back positively on his time together with Alica Stuhlemmer: "We are proud of what we have made of Kohlhoff Stuhlemmer Sailing since 2017!" He addresses his family, friends and long-standing partners when he says: "Team Kohlhoff Stuhlemmer Sailing will always be an integral part of our lives, because you have shaped us, driven us and stood behind us - no matter what the situation. We are forever grateful to you for that.