Paralympic Games: For Markus Rehm, gold is the least

After the sixth attempt, Markus Rehm raised his hands almost apologetically. It was already clear before his last jump that the 36-year-old would win gold again. As has often been the case in recent years, for the long jumper on Wednesday evening in Paris it was ultimately just a matter of fighting against his own personal best. Another slow clap with the audience at the Stade de France. One last shout of motivation just before the start.

But the last attempt was his weakest in the Paralympic long jump final at 7.59 meters. The best value was 8.13 meters, which Rehm set with his fifth jump. A distance that was easily enough for gold ahead of the Americans Derek Loccident (7.79 meters) and Jarryd Wallace (7.49 meters) – but still fell short of the top German athlete’s own standards.

»It was a really difficult competition today, we all had a hard time getting into it. But in the end it’s the medal that counts, the color counts, and gold is unbelievably great,” said Rehm at the ARD microphone after the competition. An extensive lap of honor through the Stade de France ensured that the dissatisfaction with one’s own performance was almost forgotten: “I’m definitely incredibly proud and grateful. A dream has come true.«

At the age of 14, Rehm had to have his right lower leg amputated after a wakeboarding accident. Now he has won gold in the long jump at the Paralympics for the fourth time. His incredible winning streak began in London in 2012. This was followed by gold in Rio 2016, gold in Tokyo 2021 and now gold in Paris. There are also seven world and five European championship titles. The professional from Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s athletics department has not lost a competition in 13 years.

The past year shows how far para athletes can go on good days. Rehm improved his world record twice. In May he jumped 8.64 meters before setting his best jump to date with 8.72 meters at the International Athletics Meeting in Rhede a month later. Only eight people ever jumped further – all without prostheses. 23 centimeters separate the German from the world record set by US long jump legend Mike Powell in 1991.

At the start of the 2024 season, the Göppingen native and his coach, the former javelin throw world champion Steffi Nerius, announced the magical nine-meter mark as the new goal. »Many people say that it is not possible to jump that far. I’ve often dreamed of being the first person to jump that far,” said the 36-year-old before the Paralympics. The further development of his sports prosthesis, which the trained master orthopedic technician himself is constantly pushing forward, should also help. But people and new material didn’t really want to come together this year. In the long jump final on Wednesday, Rehm used the setting from the previous season again.

Even with the old set-up, in the end he remained well below his potential. He didn’t really seem free during the entire competition. Maybe the pressure to deliver an outstanding distance in addition to the fourth Olympic victory was simply too great. The fact that it was still enough for gold was further proof of Rehm’s exceptional position in the para long jump.

Ultimately, even without a fabulous distance, it was a milestone for the Paralympic movement. The fact that the long jumper competition was broadcast live on ARD at prime time is largely due to the attention that Rehm brought to the sport. A late satisfaction for the four-time Paralympics winner, who has been campaigning for more inclusion in sport and for joint competitions between athletes with and without disabilities for years.

After the competition in Paris, Rehm initially left it open how long he would continue to fulfill his ambassadorial role for para sports. He would make the decision from year to year in the future, he told the SID after his gold triumph. However, he still has a few ideas about how he could get closer to the nine-meter goal: “The dream lives on.” And as long as his body still keeps up, taking part in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles is not out of the question.