"Selected as the Sexiest Athlete?"... German Team's Internal Conflict After Preliminary Elimination [Paris Olympics]

7th Place in German Mixed Relay, Fails to Qualify
Team Luna "I'm 2nd but Schmidt Was Selected"

The German track and field star Alicia Schmidt (26), known as the "sexiest athlete in the world," is causing internal strife within the German athletics team over her participation in the Olympics. Some athletes have openly expressed dissatisfaction, claiming that Schmidt was selected as a member of the mixed relay team instead of athletes who have better records.

[Photo by Alicia Schmidt SNS capture]

On the 3rd (local time), at the Stade de France in France, the German team finished 7th in the heats of the mixed 4x400m relay at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a time of 3:15.63, failing to advance. The mixed 4x400m relay alternates runners in the order of male-female-male-female, and Schmidt ran as the second runner. She recorded a time of 52.05 seconds in the race, ranking 14th out of 16 female runners in heat 2.

The conflict arose after Germany was eliminated in the heats. Luna Bulman (24), a member of the German athletics team, expressed her displeasure after the race, saying, "The result is something no one can accept," and added, "The German Athletics Association should have let the four fastest runners compete. But a different decision was made." She openly criticized Schmidt's selection, stating, "By record, I am the second fastest runner in the 400m, but I was not selected for the mixed relay team."

Jean-Paul Breda, a participant in the event and Bulman's boyfriend, also posted on social media immediately after the race, saying, "Not everything went perfectly. That’s why we lacked the energy needed for the race." This is interpreted as implying that internal team discord had some impact on the race outcome.

Regarding this, the German Athletics Federation stated, "We formed a mixed relay team for a successful race," and added, "The coaching team made a unanimous decision and explained it to the athletes."

Meanwhile, Alicia Schmidt, standing 175cm tall and noted for her beautiful appearance, is active both as an athlete and a model. She is known as the "sexiest athlete in the world" and has 5.16 million followers on Instagram. She was named to the national team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but did not get a chance to compete; the Paris Olympics is her first Olympic appearance.

Balancing her careers as an athlete and model, she has responded to criticism about not focusing on training by saying, "Most German track and field athletes find it difficult to make a living from sports alone," and added, "Most athletes also study or have side jobs to earn extra income."