From sand to snow: temperatures of minus 24 degrees Celsius take some getting used to for Markus Rehm, but he is immediately in his element when it comes to sport. The dominator of the long jump only tries out on a snowboard. But his victory encourages the prosthesis athlete to do more.
Markus Rehm meandered elegantly through the tight banked curves, skilfully mastering the icy bumps - even the chilly temperatures couldn't harm him. "It's freezing cold at minus 24 degrees," said the summer expert, but "it's really fun". When changing from the tartan track to the snow, the three-time Paralympic winner in the long jump felt right at home.
After all, in the Canadian Big White Ski Resort he was right there where it almost always ends, even in summer - on the top step of the podium. The prosthesis athlete took first place in the Paralympic banked slalom in his first competition on a snowboard. "What an adventure," he enthused. And it shouldn't be a one-off trip, Rehm wants more.
"What do you think of the idea of adding a bit of snowboarding action to the long jump?" asked the Göppingen native of his Instagram followers, adding a thoughtful smiley to the post. The surprisingly successful debut in the second-class Nations Cup apparently makes the long jump world record holder seriously ponder. Will the gold attack in Paris be followed by the medal attack in Milan and Cortina? Open. But it would hardly come as a surprise.
The TSV Bayer Leverkusen athlete has always been a sporting all-rounder. As a child, Rehm developed a passion for wakeboarding, which is similar in movement to snowboarding. At the age of 14, he fell into the screw of a passing ship and his badly injured right leg had to be amputated below the knee. But Rehm fought his way back into sport with a prosthesis - and how.
He has been unbeaten in the para long jump at major events since 2011 and has long since become the face of German disabled sports. In the fight for inclusion and in search of competition, Rehm tried several times in vain to participate in the Olympics. He loves a challenge - so trying to snowboard doesn't come as a surprise. And who knows, maybe the ambitious athlete will actually achieve Paralympic honors on snow and ice in 2026.
