withTwo German doctors with them Paralympics Belgian wheelchair tennis player Joachim Gerrard recovers after circulatory failure in Tokyo. “You are the first person to see him and help him regain consciousness,” a spokesperson for the Belgian Association of the German News Agency said on Saturday. “We are very, very grateful to them. Maybe they saved his life.”
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On Wednesday night, the former world number one athlete fell to the ground at the Tokyo Sportsman Village and was taken to the emergency room. “He is fine,” the spokesperson said Saturday. “But he has to stay in the hospital for a few more days.” There is no definitive diagnosis yet. But also decided not to disclose the details.
The German delegation is located in the same building as the Belgian delegation. Friedhelm Julius Beucher, President of the German Disabled Sports Association, told dpa: “Anja Hirschmüller and Stefan Sevenich may have saved a life. It’s worth more than any medal. Tonight I will go to the village, bring Belgian Champagne Anja, and hold her in my arms. , Despite the new coronavirus.”
“I forgot everything else”
In terms of sports, another may be the most exciting moment in Paralympic Germany: when Edina Müller got the victory kiss from her son Liam on the boat, all the worries and anger of the past few months were in vain. “Everything else is forgotten,” said the Hamburg native, who won the wheelchair basketball gold medal nine years later, this time in a canoe.
For months, the 38-year-old woman even had to fight for being allowed to take her 2-year-old child to Japan as a breastfeeding mother. Because he was not recognized by the village, Mueller stayed in a hotel with him and her partner and had to travel to and from the village all the time. But in the final on Saturday, the son cheered on the shoulder of his father Niko as he crossed the finish line on the track.
“In the three years in Paris, Liam may stand next to me holding a banner, and we will cheer for his mother together,” said Friedrich Julius Beecher. Mueller is “a well-disciplined outstanding athlete”, he praised: “Only outstanding athletes can change the sport and win the gold medal.” Prior to this, Mueller team colleague Annika Zeen in 2012 ( Annika Zeyen) achieved success with this hand crank.
The special circumstances surrounding her son made Mueller’s victory even more extraordinary. “Edina put away everything outside,” Beecher said. For him, children and partners are self-evident in Japan. But if there is any difference, people must first learn to deal with this situation. But Adina here insists on her position as she does in the sports world. It brought a wonderful ending. “Her exercise bike, Arne Bandholz, thought so too. He jumped into the water after the victory. “It must be easy. But it’s nice and warm,” he said drenched.
“Everything can get better,” Mueller said of these processes: “But the most important thing is that we are together and I have the gold medal in my hand.” But the organizational issues did not end with victory. Although teammate Felicia Laberer (Berlin) announced after she won the bronze medal that “today will be very good”, Mueller found it “a bit difficult”. The little guy is not allowed to enter the village. We must find a place where we can get together. “
Nevertheless, “in the end she felt that everything she did was right,” Mueller said: “There are doubters, and there are people who don’t believe me and us. It’s great to get the gold medal now.” The final coronation event. Did not happen. When asked if he would like to be the standard bearer for the closing ceremony, Mueller replied: “I do.” However, the association has already made a decision for Natascha Hiltrop (Lengers). The 29-year-old player won her first sports shooting gold medal in Japan since Athens in 2004. With the addition of a silver medal, she may win another gold medal on Sunday.
At the same time, her teammate Tim Falken failed in qualifying. The Afghan veteran is the first German war-wounded soldier to participate in the Paralympic Games. He finished 14th in the qualifying round with a free rifle over 50 meters on Saturday. It is a must to enter the top eight. finals. “This is a good result. There was no downfall, but there was no soaring,” Folkenberg said after the game. However, the 37-year-old player from Oldenburg participated in the competition due to a mild flu.
The day before the closing ceremony, the German Disabled Sports Association (DBS) had no positive corona test to complain about in its 275-member team. This is what Chef Mission Karl Quade said on Saturday. “This is thanks to everyone’s strict discipline,” Quaid said. The 134 athletes have more than the same number of players. Many athletes and supervisors have already left Tokyo because they were told to leave two days after the last match.
“Thank God, the things that many people worry about have not happened. Sports are the center of reporting and our experience, not a virus,” President Beecher said. “Of course, we experienced a completely different game from before. But it turns out that it is. The right approach. In terms of sports, competitions provide everything they need and what makes them beautiful. Thankfully, they have not become super-spread events.”
