How did the preparation for the European Championship go?
Lukas Dauser: "Actually quite well. We had our German championships in June. That was a small indication. I was able to win the all-around title. At the first qualification I managed to qualify directly for the European Championships. That's why I'm actually very satisfied with the preparation. Of course it is not always easy. There are also days when it's hard, but I think we've done pretty well now and we're happy that we're finally here and it's starting."
How do you find the training facilities here on site at the TUM Campus?
Lukas Dauser: "Really good, I must say. I think that Munich has good halls anyway and that there is such a great hall right next to the university is an added value for everyone. You can be really proud that you have something like that."
What are your goals for the European Championships?
Lukas Dauser: "My goal is actually to perform well and have fun. I believe that if we gymnastics well, we can also compete well in the front and ideally also be in the game at all competitions. Then we'll see what comes out. With us it is very subjective, the judges decide what happens. We can only gymnast well and then see what the judges decide."
Last year you won the silver medal at the Olympics. How do you rate your chances now for a bars final or even a medal?
Lukas Dauser: "I just try to perform well. The rest is not in my hands. That's why I try to concentrate on my exercises. The rest has to be judged by the judges."
What does the home European Championships mean for you?
Lukas Dauser: "This is something very special for me because I am also from Munich. I lived here for 18 years, did my Abitur and then moved to Berlin. I still have a lot of friends and family here, so of course it's something special for me here. The friends and family will also be in the hall on Thursday. That's really cool that such a great event is taking place here in my hometown."
What do your days look like until the first competition on Thursday?
Lukas Dauser: "On Tuesday is the podium training, which is simply another trial run before the competition quasi at the same run times. Then on Wednesday we will have a training session. That's to get a little bit of security again. If something didn't work in the rehearsal, you can do it again in training to get the remaining safety. And as soon as the arm goes up on Thursday, I'll give it full throttle and then we'll see (laughs)."
Do you have any rituals before the competition?
Lukas Dauser: "Yes, some. For example, I always get up with both legs at the same time in the morning so I don't get up with the wrong leg, I always drink a coffee and my bathing shoes always have to be parallel when I go to the apparatus. There are already a few rituals that one has acquired over the years. The most important thing is, if it doesn't work out, you can't let yourself get rattled."
Do you then also eat something specific before the competition?
Lukas Dauser: "My breakfast is actually always the same - yogurt with oatmeal and fruit. At lunchtime I like to eat pasta, but it always depends on when the competition is. On Thursday it's quite late, so we'll still have lunch and then it will be something with noodles."
How often do people still see you in your home village of Glonn?
Lukas Dauser: "Relatively often now again. It was the last few years but also less. Especially in preparation for the Olympic Games, I couldn't find that much time to always come to Glonn. I was there four or five times a year. Now I try to be there every few weeks on weekends. It's just nicest at home with the family."
So how did you get into gymnastics?
Lukas Dauser: "(laughs) My sisters did ballet and I thought the movement was really cool. My parents then said, 'Come on, let's put you in a gymnastics club, ballet and boys don't really fit'. My dad is a teacher at the school in Unterhaching and there was a gymnastics club there, so I started. And so one step led to another."
Interview: Milena Kreber & Lena-Marie Hemmers
Photo: Lina Lässer