"What a messy race" - Alica Schmidt makes feelings known after disappointing finish in second race of the season

Alica Schmidt shared her thoughts after a last-place finish in her second 800m race of the season. The German runner is running the distance for the first time this season and hasn't got off to a great start so far.

Schmidt raced on Tuesday, February 4 at the Czech Indoor Galaa and finished ninth after nearly falling during the first 100m. She clocked 2:06.23 and remained at the back of the huddle for the majority of the distance after the collision.

The 26-year-old termed the race a 'messy' one and wrote:

"What a messy race. Almost fell at 100m but every face is a learning at the moment."

Alica Schmidt's Instagram story

Schmidt earlier opened her season at the Nationales Hallenmeeting Erfurt Indoor 2025 and was faster than Tuesday, clocking 2:05.57 for a sixth-place finish. However, Schmidt was still not satisfied but acknowledged she still needed more training.

"800m debut in the books. Honestly, not where I wanted to be - still a long way to go but I know it‘s part of the process. I‘m so excited for this journey and every race that gives me experience! Grateful for my team for always having each others back. Next race on Tuesday," Alica Schmit wrote.

Schmidt ran the 400m distance for the majority of her career before switching to 800m at the end of the 2024 season. She made her Olympic and World Championships debut in the 400m as well and would hope to continue the search for her first senior career medal in the 800m.

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"It's a huge change in training" - Alica Schmidt on transitioning from 400m to 800m

Alica Schmit at the Paris 2024 - Source: Getty

Alica Schmidt had been eyeing a move to the 800m distance for a couple of years, and while she wasn't expecting much changes in her training due to the change in distance, the German runner recently admitted finding the transition to be tough.

But as much as the transition to the 800m is challenging, Schmidt is loving it. Speaking at a press conference for the Czech Indoor Gala on Monday, she said:

"Of course, it's a huge change in training. I didn't know that it's this different because, of course, the endurance part is much, much higher. But I really love it. I fell really in love with the training and the process. And, of course, I know it's a long way to go. But I'm really happy to get every experience I get and hopefully can improve the next year."

While the 26-year-old will focus on the 800m and the 600m distance for most of her season, she has also expressed interest in continuing to compete in the 400m.