World’s ‘sexiest athlete’ Alica Schmidt announces change of event as she targets next Olympics after Paris disappointment

Olympic runner Alica Schmidt, who has been labelled as the world’s ‘sexiest athlete‘, has announced that she is trying her hand at another event.

The German, 26, took part in her first Games in Paris this summer, having been a reserve in Tokyo in 2021, racing in the mixed 4x400m relay at the Stade de France.

Schmidt was also controversially chosen over Luna Bulmahn in the women’s 4x400m event, despite her teammate being heavily expected to start. Unfortunately, Germany were knocked out in the heat stages of both contests, with Schmidt later describing the three-week trip to Paris as ‘an emotional rollercoaster’.

In an Instagram post on Sunday, Schmidt reflected on the whirlwind 12 months and revealed that she will be training to compete in the individual 800m.

‘It’s been quite a year,’ she wrote. ‘It was filled with so many highlights and I made some memories that will last forever: From the world relays in the Bahamas, where we qualified the mixed relay for the Olympics.

To the European championships in Rome, where we qualified the women’s 4x400m for Paris to the German nationals and of course: THE OLYMPICS.

‘After Paris I tried something new and ran a 800m & 600m and really enjoyed pushing out of my comfort zone. Back in 2022, I decided that I wanted to give the 800m a shot after the Paris Olympics, so now it means… I’m going for it next year I‘m on my way to my first high altitude training camp where I’ll join an international 800m group to train alongside great athletes where I can learn a lot.

‘I‘m super excited for this new challenge and what it will bring (I‘m also going to run the 400m but focus more on the endurance part in training for now) Let this journey begin.’

Schmidt, who was named as the sexiest athlete in the world by Australian magazine Busted Coverage in 2017, recently showed off a celebration of her involvement in the Games with her ‘first and only tattoo’, posting the intriguing design in a racy Instagram story.

She is seen in a video, lying on a treatment table, while a tattoo artist hovers over her with the needle before the camera pans to a view of Berlin including the iconic Fernsehturm in the distance.

The camera zooms in on the finished product, which is a neat design of the Olympic logo on the German’s thigh. A caption reads: ‘I’m sooo happy!! It turned out exactly how I wanted it.’

The runner is known for keeping her fans entertained on social media and in August, as the Games drew to a close, she shared a fun compilation on her Instagram of the activities available to athletes in Paris.

Some of the highlights from the list included getting a personalised stamp from official Games partner La Poste and enjoying complimentary baguettes, croissants and fizzy drinks provided in the Athletes’ Village.