Alica Schmidt makes feelings clear with the main reason for switching events from the 400m to 800m

German athlete Alica Schmidt recently indulged in a Q&A session with some of her followers on Instagram. The middle distance runner talked about her diet regimen, her training, as well as some of her personal decisions regarding her current event - the women's 800m.

Schmidt had been primarily competing in the 200m, the 400m and the 4x400m relay events since the beginning of her athletic career. However, by early 2025, the 26-year-old runner decided to officially switch to 800m, as she competed for the first time in this event at the German National Games.

During the Instagram Q&A, when she was asked what was the principal reason for her transition, Schmidt replied:

"I wanted a change and believe that, in the long run, I might have more potential in the 800m than the 400m. I needed a new challenge, new training schedule, new goals, and want to see where my limits are in this event."

Screengrab of Schmidt's Q&A session from her Instagram stories [Image Source: Alica Schmidt's Instagram]

However, this doesn't mean that Alica Schmidt will give up on the 400m event. She assured her followers that as long as she is capable of running, she will be running the 400m event this season since she 'loves this event'.

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Alica Schmidt talks about her first National appearance in the 800m event

Alica Schmidt talks about her debut appearance in 800m [Image Source: Getty]

Alica Schmidt participated for the first time in the 800m event at the German National Games. The 26-year-old runner had begun on a solid note, but lost momentum midway, eventually finishing fourth in the finals.

Schmidt later opened up about her experience, and how she could've done better. In the video she uploaded on her YouTube channel, Schmidt said (14:18):

"It was a bit hectic because the relay was just after the 800. I have to say I'm a bit annoyed about the race. It was of course, totally different from what I would have expected or wanted the race to be. I'm just happy that I made it out healthy and I didn't get injured in the race. I have like a swollen knee, and it hurts a bit, but it shouldn't be something."

"I knew that the 800m is a bumpy race, but this race and I watched it again. Yeah, I should have maybe made some better decisions. It was my fourth race over the 800, so, of course, I just have to gain experience," she added.

Schmidt had represented Germany in the women's 4x400m relay at the Paris Olympics 2024. Sadly, the German team couldn't progress beyond the preliminaries, and finished seventh in the second heat, only above the Indian relay team.