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German track and field star Alica Ѕchmidt has found herself in some apparent team drama at the Paris Olympics.
Schmidt, dubbed “the World’s Sexiest Athlete,” was selected to compete in the mixed 4x400m relay and Team Germany finished seventh and was eliminated from the preliminary round last Friday.
That result didn’t sit well with her teammate, Luna Bulmahn.
Taking to social media, the 24-year-old Bulmahn didn’t seem happy about the decision to put Schmidt in the second heat of the event.
“Yes, I am the second fastest 400m athlete on paper. No, I was not nominated for the mixed relay,” Bulmahn wrote, according to The Sun.
The message is currently not posted to her verified Instagram account.
German sprinter Jean Paul Bredau, whom is Bulmahn’s boyfriend, also ran in the second heat — and seemingly shared his disappointment in her being overlooked.
“Not everything went perfectly beforehand. That’s why I didn’t have the energy,” he said, according to The Sun.
“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.”
The message is currently not posted to his verified Instagram page.
Bredau walked back his comments and apologized for his comments, news.com.au reported Tuesday.
The DLV later dismissed removed Bulmahn competing in the women’s 4x400m relay, while her boyfriend would still allowed to compete in the men’s 4x400m relay.
Team Netherlands went on to win gold, the Americans took home silver and Great Britain secured bronze in Saturday’s mixed 4x400m relay final.
“The (mixed) line-up was made with a view to a successful mixed relay team. The decision was made unanimously by the DLV coaching team and was explained to the athletes,” the DLV said in a statement published Tuesday by news.com.au. “With a time of 3:15.63 minutes, the German mixed relay team was eliminated in the preliminary round on Friday in seventh place.
“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.”
Bredau failed to qualify for the semifinals and finished third in the fourth repechage heat.
Schmidt, 25, has yet to address the situation publicly.
The sprinter — who’s also a model and social media influencer with 5.3 million Instagram followers — represented Germany at the Tokyo Olympics, however, she did not compete in Japan.
