Tournament victory despite cancer
Delani Diekmeier: Her horse gives her new strength
Updated on January 7, 2026 – 12:41 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Great success for Delani Diekmeier: The cancer-stricken daughter of former HSV professional Dennis Diekmeier celebrated a victory at a riding tournament.
On the back of her horse, Delani finds new strength: The teenager, who is seriously ill with cancer, started the new year with a victory. At the riding tournament in Eppelheim near Heidelberg, the 15-year-old won a class L style jumping test on her horse Col d’Amour. She was the only participant to receive a score of 8.0. Delani is champion of the Badische Pfalz equestrian ring.
“The two of them are simply incredible,” wrote mother Dana Diekmeier on Instagram about her daughter and her horse. The tournament day became a family event: the younger siblings Dalina and Divia also competed in equestrian competitions, as several videos on social networks show.
For Delani, equestrian sport is an important balance to the stressful cancer treatments. Dennis Diekmeier explained this in a dpa interview a few weeks ago. “We notice this every day with Delani. Just when she’s with her horse: you can’t imagine how much energy that gives her,” said the former professional footballer, who, among other things, plays for the Hamburger SV and played for SV Sandhausen.
“If you close yourself completely and don’t talk anymore, then you’ll break down. You just need these positive moments, so that your body has feelings of happiness.” Sometimes Delani had to vomit again and again in the morning. “But then she went to the horse and had energy, pure joy and was happy there,” said the 36-year-old.
The oldest of Dana and Dennis Diekmeier’s four children was diagnosed with a tumor on her adrenal gland. Although it was able to be removed surgically, doctors discovered metastases in both lungs shortly afterwards. At times, Delani was classified as a palliative patient before her parents found other medical contacts.
Shortly before Christmas, the 15-year-old underwent a new so-called Imaza therapy from nuclear medicine at the Würzburg University Hospital – with initial success. A radioactive agent is administered that is absorbed by tumor cells. During the treatment break before the turn of the year, the family in Kitzbühel gained new strength. Therapy will continue shortly.