Stand: 31.08.2024, 09:17
Von: Korbinian Kothny
PressSplit
Leon Schäfer dreams of a football career, then fate strikes. The long jumper was considered a big favorite to win gold at the Paralympics. Now his dream is in danger of being shattered.
Paris – Saturday (31 August) is set to be his day: German Paralympic star Leon Schäfer is about to fulfill his life’s dream in Paris. With the exception of Paralympic gold, the long jumper has won everything there was to win. And Schäfer was also considered the absolute top favourite for Paris – at least until recently.
Dutchman pulverizes Schäfer’s world record shortly before the Olympics
At his home meeting in Leverkusen, the long jumper came close to his own world record, but there was not much left of it. A shock for the German.
“I didn’t expect it, it’s a big surprise,” Schäfer told Sportschau at the time. The Dutchman Joel de Jong not only improved the record in the above-knee amputee class by 42 centimeters to 7.67 meters, but also jumped further in all six of his attempts than the German had ever managed.
Schäfer wanted to become a professional footballer as a child – until cancer came along
At the World Cup in May, the 27-year-old beat his Dutch competitor by 19 centimetres. Now came the demonstration of power from de Jong, who also had a few words for Schäfer in Leverkusen: “Go and get your ass off! See you in Paris.”
The German’s dream of gold is in danger of being shattered again, as it was in Tokyo. Back then, Schäfer traveled to Japan as the favorite. But suddenly technical problems arose with his prosthesis, and Schäfer didn’t have the necessary spare parts with him. In the end, he “only” managed to win silver. This time, he wants to win more. The long jump final in the Stade de France is scheduled for Saturday evening (8:34 p.m.).
Schäfer’s sporting career began very differently than we see it today. As a child, he dreamed of a career as a professional footballer until he was diagnosed with bone cancer at the age of 12. At that time, he was already in the Bremen team. The necessary amputation of his right thigh forced him to give up his football dreams.
Schäfer only needs a Paralympic gold medal
For Schäfer, a world collapsed. “It’s not that I have cancer or that my leg is gone,” he said, “but that I can’t play football anymore. That was my dream, I had already imagined it all.” The operation awakened Schäfer’s fighting spirit, and he was now determined to meet a para-athlete who could show him what a person with a prosthesis can achieve.
Markus Rehm was immediately impressed by Schäfer, now 27 years old. “He’ll be a good one, he can go really far,” the para-star suspected. Schäfer’s career immediately took off, and he was collecting awards one after the other. Only one is still missing: the Paralympic gold medal. (kk/sid)
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