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Sharing the triumphs – our Verival athletes 2.0

November 20, 2019
  • Mindful Morning
  • Sport
Sharing the triumphs – our Verival athletes 2.0

We’ve been supporting Austrian sportsmen and women for many years now and love following their careers and sharing their triumphs. We can be truly proud of our boys and girls this year, as they’ve really achieved a lot. We sponsor our sportspeople with delicious Verival Breakfast products and products from our Verival Sport range to provide them with optimum nutrition for their sporting endeavours. In this second instalment we tell you a bit more about some of our sportsmen and women and ask them to look back at the past year’s achievements. Today, in part 2, we’d like to introduce the following athletes: David Wallmann, Lukas Knapp, Matthias Hohlrieder, Katharina Zipser and Robin Seidl.

David Wallmann

Brief biog

My name is David Wallmann, I’m 28 years old, and I’m a passionate trail runner. 

What was it about this particular sport that attracted you?

As a nature-lover, endurance sports are my passion. That’s why I love trail running in summer and ski touring in winter. I spend as much time in the mountains as possible: you could say that they’re my playground. For me, the most fascinating aspect of trail running/ski touring is that they allow you to burn off energy and recharge your batteries at the same time. 

How long have you been doing your sport, and when did you turn professional?

By putting in some good performances I was given the chance of a lifetime to join the Salomon trail running team. 

What have been your major successes this season?

This season I managed to earn a place on the podium or finish as best Austrian in every event I competed in. 

And what were your major challenges this year?

Without a doubt, the biggest challenge for me in the past season was getting back on track after sustaining quite a complicated fracture to two of my fingers. Nevertheless, I’ve managed to take something positive away from all the setbacks I’ve suffered to date. 

Looking ahead, what’s in the pipeline for the coming year?

Another of my passions is cooking, which I love to do with my girlfriend Kerstin. The nice thing about it is that we spend a lot of time together in the kitchen as well as in the great outdoors. Both of us take care to eat a healthy diet, and naturally that starts with a good breakfast. As yet I haven’t any concrete plans for next year: the most important thing is to stay fit and healthy and enjoy life!

Favourite Verival product

For breakfast I prefer to mix the Heritage Grains Muesli with Nuts and Fruits with the Muesli with Coconut and Apricots! The mixing ratio is approx. 2:1 – if possible I don’t use normal milk but a coconut drink because lactose often causes problems during sports. During the day as a snack I like to have some nuts with me – here the Good Morning Organic Energy Mix is my absolute favourite.

David-Wallmann

Lukas Knapp

Brief biog

My name is Lukas Knapp, I’m 22 and I’m a competitive speed climber.

What was it about this particular sport that attracted you?

I’ve tried out lots of different sports, but climbing was the one that really grabbed me because there are so many facets to it. No two routes are the same, there are endless different ways of moving, and you can do it just about anywhere.

How long have you been doing your sport, and when did you turn professional?

I didn’t start climbing until I was 12, but at 13 I already started entering my first regional competitions. I’ve been in the senior squad of the Austrian national team since I turned 18.

What have been your major successes this season?

My biggest success of the year was definitely finishing in 13th place at the European Championships in Edinburgh. Major events like that obviously mean more pressure than usual, so I was extremely relieved to reach the top 16 in the finals, and with a good time too.

And what were your major challenges this year?

The season is a long one, and it wasn’t always easy to stay on form because the time between competitions is often very short. Also, it’s sometimes difficult to concentrate 100% on training when personal things are playing on your mind, but luckily I’ve learnt from the experience and can deal with it better now.

Looking ahead, what’s in the pipeline for the coming year?

Next year kicks off with the European Championships in Moscow in late March, followed by the World Cup season with competitions in China, South Korea, the USA, Switzerland and France. My goal is to qualify for the full World Cup season for the first time and achieve some top rankings in the competitions.  I’ll also be participating in a number of International Masters events in China as well as the World University Speed Climbing Championships in Italy.

Favourite Verival product

Work-Out Mix, Oat Crunchy

Lukas Knapp
Verival - We love mountains, mornings and breakfast



Matthias Hohlrieder

Brief biog

Matthias Hohlrieder, 25, triathlete

What was it about this particular sport that attracted you?

I’ve always been quite versatile at sport, so triathlon turned out to be just my thing. As a teenager I was interested in all kinds of sports; besides triathlon I did ski touring, competitive trampolining and downhill ski racing, among others, and of course swimming, cycling and running.  

How long have you been doing your sport, and when did you turn professional?

I’ve been doing triathlon since I was 8. It’s hard to say exactly when I turned properly professional. I started doing structured training at 15, and I’d say I’ve been competing more or less professionally since 2017. Having said that, I’d be careful about using the term professional in this context, because for me a professional athlete is someone who earns their living from sport. That’s very hard to do in triathlon, so I have to do a day job on the side in order to fund the sport side of things.

What have been your major successes this season?

My best result this year was first place in the Elite I category at the Austrian Championships, which qualified me for the Elite European Cup. Other highlights included coming first overall in the Obergrafendorf Sprint Triathlon and 2nd overall in the Linz Sprint Triathlon.

And what were your major challenges this year?

I injured my right calf just a few weeks after competing in the Austrian Championships, which entailed a six-week break from running. Not great right in the middle of the season, especially as I wanted to be in good shape for the Elite European Cup race in the second half of the season. 

Looking ahead, what’s in the pipeline for the coming year?

My qualification for Elite European Cup races means that I need to establish myself in the European Elite field. I’ll be working on my shortcomings with my sights on making it into the World Cup!

Favourite Verival product

Honey Crunchy

Matthias-Hohlrieder

Katharina Zipser

Brief biog

Katharina Zipser, 35, long-distance and mountain running, club: SK Rueckenwind

What was it about this particular sport that attracted you?

For me, running is the epitome of movement: natural, easy and you don’t need any special equipment.

How long have you been doing your sport, and when did you turn professional?

I’ve been running competitively since 2011, and I qualified for my first World Championships in 2015.

What have been your major successes this season?

The first half of the year was all about the lead-up to the Vienna City Marathon. As a member of the VCM Team Austria I started training intensively for that from December onwards, before sustaining a serious injury at the beginning of March. This summer I celebrated a number of mountain running victories, including the Silvretta Run 3000, a mountain marathon over the almost 3000-metre-high Kronenjoch, which I won for the 6th time.

And what were your major challenges this year?

My comeback.

Looking ahead, what’s in the pipeline for the coming year?

I’m currently in training for the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships in Patagonia this November.

Favourite Verival product

Grain Free Sport Muesli Almond-Fig , Chocolate Cereal Mix, Good Morning Organic Energy Mix

Katharina Zipser

Robin Seidl

Brief biog

Robin Seidl, 29, beach volleyballer, Seidl/Waller beach volleyball team.

What was it about this particular sport that attracted you?

I’ve tried all kinds of different sports, from tennis to football to ski jumping. But with beach volleyball I quickly became very good at it and you can play non-stop and really go for it … That’s why I went for beach volleyball.

How long have you been doing your sport, and when did you turn professional?

I’ve been competing professionally since about 2009 🙂

What have been your major successes this season?

The highlight of our season was the World Championships in Hamburg. We came 9th, which was a good result. Besides that we finished in the top 10 in several other World Tour events and won the Austrian Championships. 🙂

And what were your major challenges this year?

Both of us were a bit under the weather and had to take it easy for a short while. That put us back a little, but we always managed to pick ourselves up again.

Looking ahead, what’s in the pipeline for the coming year?

The Olympics are the major highlight of next year, and the major goal we’re working towards. We’re also looking forward to some cool tournaments in Vienna, Baden and Hamburg 🙂

Favourite Verival product

Heritage Grains Muesli with Nuts and Fruits

Robin-Seidl


We’re really proud of what David Wallmann, Lukas Knapp, Matthias Hohlrieder, Katharina Zipser and Robin Seidl have achieved this year and wish them all continued success in the year to come!

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