From January 24 to 26, 2025, the catch-up German University Championships (DHM) in apparatus gymnastics for 2024 took place in Biedenkopf - a weekend full of top sporting performances, a rousing atmosphere and a sea of yellow T-shirts. The Karlsruhe König:innen, the largest delegation on site with 66 people out of around 600 athletes, lived up to their name and left a lasting impression - both on and off the competition floor.

DHM competitions: A royal start
The competition began early on Friday morning with the men. The team, consisting of Tobias Roth, Björn Brücher, Julian Bertsch, Pascal Metz, Marius Jullum Faanes, Philipp Beeskow, Daniel Kastner and Hendrik Freiberg (coach: Simon Gerber), performed an almost flawless competition without any wobbles and secured fifth place in a strong field of competitors. First place went to WG Stuttgart, but our boys impressively proved that they can also compete at the top of the German university gymnastics scene.

The women then took to the apparatus. The team of Ann-Kristin Geyer, Marie Schneider, Marleen Leveringhaus, Linda Stickel, Yara Berlinger and Victoria Wendenburg (coached by: Anna-Lena Britz and Max Hertweck) fought their way to a respectable fifth place after a bumpy start. Particularly outstanding was the performance of Ann-Kristin Geyer, who not only took sixth place in the individual competition, but also qualified for the apparatus finals on floor and beam. The women's title went to WG Köln - a well-deserved success after an exciting day of competition.

adh-Cup: Karlsruhe cheers and runner-up title
Our adh women had to get up early on Saturday. Leonie Schlaier, Carina Blache, Lisa Dobriakov, Theresa Schmutz, Nele Mühlhauser, Katarina Toroman, Leonie Schäffer and Alice Günther (coach: Vanessa Beyrle) were wide awake and performed a competition that put them on the podium: runners-up behind WG München! The brilliant performance of our queens was of course also due to the support of the fan block, which shook up all the tired people in the audience and among the opponents as early as 7:30 am.

The adh men also put in a strong performance. Paul Jackisch, Gerrit Enderle, Gideon Arndt, Maximilian Hertweck, Neyén Eder, Lars Gerber, Lorenz Windisch and Mattis Trutschel (coaches: Simon Gerber and Tobias Roth) impressed with precise exercises and also secured the runner-up title - a well-deserved success that was cheered loudly by the fans.

Apparatus finals: Geyer shines, yellow T-shirts dominate
The highlight of the weekend was the apparatus finals. This is where the elite of university gymnastics came together to crown themselves on individual apparatus. Ann-Kristin Geyer represented the Karlsruhe colors worthily: on floor, she took an impressive fourth place, while on beam she finished fifth despite two falls.

In the best royal tradition, the Karlsruhe delegation spent the night in a castle - accommodation that was absolutely worthy of the performance and appearance of our gymnasts. The evening ended with a DHM party, where the focus was on FUN until the early hours of the morning - with the kings in the middle of it all, of course!

Thanks and outlook
This weekend showed what university sport is all about: team spirit, fun and passion. Special thanks go to all the fans who created the unmistakable Karlsruhe atmosphere with their yellow shirts and loud cheering, as well as to the organizers, judges and helpers who made this event possible.

The next DHM Apparatus Gymnastics will take place in Tübingen this year. The kings of Karlsruhe are ready to shine again - on and off the mat.