Victory with a world record for Leon Schäfer: The long jumper gave the German para-athletes their first medal at the World Championships in Paris – and it was gold right away.
The 26-year-old from Leverkusen won the prosthetic long jump with 7.25 meters and improved his own world record by one centimeter in the last jump. Berlin’s Ali Lacin was fifth with 6.29 meters.
For Schäfer it was the second world title after his triumph in Dubai in 2019. At the 2021 Paralympics in Tokyo, the athlete, who was born in Burgwedel, had to be content with silver. Schäfer was once considered a great football talent and was spotted by the DFB before his right lower leg and knee had to be amputated after suffering from bone cancer.
Schäfer, who jumped with a black headscarf, was under a lot of pressure after two invalid attempts, but prevented the preliminary round elimination with a safety jump of 6.52 meters. With 6.95 meters he moved up to second place with the fourth jump, and then flew to victory in the last jump.
In the morning the singer Merle Menje finished fifth in the wheelchair race over 5000 meters and just missed out on a quota place for the Paralympics. The preparation of the 19-year-old, who will start on three more routes, was strange. In the previous week she wrote two exams, seven hours after graduation she drove to Paris. “It’s been a totally crazy week,” said the two-time European champion: “I’m glad school is over and I can concentrate on the sport.”