Sometimes there is nothing like domestic competition to drive an athlete on - and Germany’s women discus throwers are a prime example.
What a year they had in 2015, taking six of the top nine positions on the European Athletics rankings, led by Anna Ruh (66.14m) who was second overall.
Among this group were Nadine Muller, who won bronze at the world championships in Beijing, and Shanice Craft, the gold medallist at the European Athletics U23 Championships in Tallinn.
@shanice_craft of #Germany has won the Women's Discus Throw with a distance of 63.83. #Tallinn2015 @euro_u23s http://t.co/1p1cFDZkWL
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) July 12, 2015
Now, with the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam and Olympic Games in Rio edging closer, the competition for places is going to be immense and all six are set to face each other next month, reports leichtathletik.de, at the Werfer-Cup in Wiesbaden.
As Ruh led the way domestically, Julia Fischer (65.98m) was third on the European Athletics rankings, Muller (65.72m) was fourth, Craft (64.79m) was sixth, Kristin Pudenz (62.61m) was eighth and Claudine Vita (62.31m) was ninth.
An interesting battle to see which German women discus throwers will qualify for Amsterdam https://t.co/ODaqTSNP5h pic.twitter.com/dkVXM5e38G
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) April 29, 2016
In the 2016 lists, Ruh is the best German so far with 59.11m from Halle, but that was back in January when winter training itself was probably still very much the priority.
Craft, 22, triumphed in Estonia last July with 63.83m; 12 months after a throw of 64.33m brought her bronze at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich.
And that final in the Letzigrund Stadium was proof of the strength of the nation as Ruh (62.46m) was fourth with Fischer (61.20m) in fifth.
They are six of the best in the world and any of them could make the team for the championships.
Wiesbaden may offer some clues of who it will be in another chapter of a fascinating story.