Overview

• On the eve of her world championship title defense in Singapore, Köhler fears boos from Chinese spectators over her past criticism of a competitor.
• After describing Zhang Yufei’s Paris 2024 bronze as a “bitter taste,” she was inundated with hundreds of hate messages featuring Nazi imagery that fueled persistent paranoia.
• She has withdrawn from much of her online presence to protect her mental health in an era of intense digital scrutiny.
• Köhler credits sports psychologist Monika Liesenfeld with helping her overcome the abuse and maintain her competitive focus.
• She stresses that her remarks targeted systemic flaws in doping enforcement rather than Zhang Yufei’s individual achievement.