World
Alica Schmidt, the ‘world’s sexiest athlete,’ flames out at 2024 Olympics
The 2024 Olympics didn’t sizzle as hot as Alica Schmidt hoped.
The German track star, often dubbed the “world’s sexiest athlete,” fell short in the women’s 4×400-meter relay after a seventh-place finish in the second heat of Friday’s preliminary round.
With just the top four teams in the first and second heats qualifying for Saturday’s final, the blonde stunner saw the end of her Paris campaign.
Schmidt and her three teammates clocked a time of 3:26.95, while the heat winners, Jamaica, crossed the finish line at 3:24.92.
The Dutch quartet finished second, while Ireland and Canada snagged spots in the final as the respective third and fourth-place finishers.
Team USA won the first heat and posted the fastest time — 3:21.44 — despite not having Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
Great Britain, France and Belgium also qualified.
Schmidt —who boasts over seven million followers between her Instagram and TikTok pages — competed in the mixed 4×400-meter relay last week, but Team Germany finished seventh and was subsequently eliminated.
The 25-year-old found herself in some apparent team drama, with a few of her compatriots expressing frustration toward the decision to put her in the relay.
“Yes, I am the second fastest 400m athlete on paper. No, I was not nominated for the mixed relay,” teammate Luna Bulmahn wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post.
2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
German sprinter Jean Paul Bredau, who is Bulmahn’s boyfriend, also ran in the mixed relay alongside Schmidt and seemingly shared his disappointment in the lineup.
“A few decisions were made that not everyone approved. The DLV [German Athletics Association] made it very clear: the fastest four should run. A different decision was made,” he wrote on Instagram and then deleted.
While Bredau issued an apology for his comments and was allowed to compete in the relay, Bulmahn was removed from the women’s 4×400-meter team.
“Jean Paul Bredau has apologized and will compete in the individual 400m race. Luna Bulmahn will not be used in the relay in Paris. Relays are a team sport. The athletes and coaches form this team. Success depends on good teamwork and mutual trust among all,” the DLV said in a statement Tuesday.
Schmidt qualified for the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021 and traveled with the team.
However, she was not chosen to race and later announced she would be taking a “break” from the track, opening up about struggles with COVID-19 and injuries during the 2021 season.
While the Olympics in Paris did not go as planned, she has not ruled out an appearance at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.