“I see this competition as a big test to Montreal, in August, for the World Championship. The more I win and show good performances, the more confident I am going to be in Canada.”

Over 450 swimmers, including Paralympic champions, will compete at the German International Championships in Berlin this week (23-26 May), in one of the last chances to qualify for the World Championships in Montreal in August.

Daniel Dias, who became Brazil's most successful Paralympic athlete after taking his total of Paralympic medals to 15 in London, will be competing in four disciplines at the Europa Sports Park.

He will be racing in two of his favourite events – the 100m S5 freestyle and 50m S5 backstroke – and hopes to continue his reign in the pool after becoming Paralympic champion in Beijing and retaining the title in 2012.

Dias has had a great few months since winning six individual gold medals at London, all in world record times. In March he was awarded the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability award for the second time.

Speaking about Berlin and his preparations for Montreal, Dias said: “The tournament is traditional and have an important role on the swimming world scene. It’s an opportunity to compete against my biggest opponents and see how they are, after all, we have the World Championship this year.”

Fellow Brazilian and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) One to Watch, Andre Brasil, will also be looking to impress in Berlin. He has won seven Paralympic gold medals in the last two Games and will be competing in five disciplines in the German capital. Brasil, who celebrates his 29th birthday on Thursday (23rd May), will race in both the 50m S10 and 100m S10 freestyle – events where he is already Paralympic champion.

Brasil said: “I see this competition as a big test to Montreal, in August, for the World Championship. The more I win and show good performances, the more confident I am going to be in Canada.”

Another London gold medallist that will enter the pool in Berlin, and is also one of the IPC’s Ones to Watch, is Norwegian Sarah Louise Rung. The 23-year-old won four medals at her debut Paralympic Games in London and will be hoping she can win the 100m SB4 breaststroke this weekend following her silver medal behind Ukrainian Nataliia Prologaieva in London, who hasn’t made the trip to Germany. Rung will also be competing in the 200m individual medley, 400m freestyle and 100m backstroke.

The event in Berlin features many competitors from the host country including the experienced pairing of Kirsten Bruhn and Daniela Shulte. Bruhn has collected 11 Paralympic medals during an impressive career which includes winning the gold medal in the 100m SB5 breaststroke at the last three Paralympics.

The 43-year-old, who considered retirement after London, will be competing in six disciplines in Berlin including the 50m S7 freestyle which she holds two Paralympic medals in from Athens and Beijing.

Shulte meanwhile is set to compete in an impressive eight disciplines including the 400m S11 freestyle which she is both the current world champion and Paralympic gold medallist.

The 30-year-old stormed onto the Paralympic scene in 1996 winning four medals at the age of just 14, but more recently won an incredible six medals at the World Championships in 2010. Similar to Bruhn, Schulte won a gold and silver medal in London in the 400m S11 freestyle and 200m SM11 individual medley respectively.

Germany’s women’s wheelchair basketball team got its gold medal after settling for silver at the previous Paralympics and World Championships. © • Getty Images

Related News

Netherlands earn series victory over Great Britain

Related Features

Wheelchair basketball technology pushing limits

“It was great to see the team grow in 10 months so they knew how to work together and when you want to win a medal you must play as a team, on court but also off the court.”

The Netherlands’ women’s wheelchair basketball team became a force to be reckoned with when they won their first Paralympic medal since 1996 last year at the London Paralympics.

The women in orange lost by just three points in a closely contested semi-final against their German rivals, but then claimed the bronze comfortably against the USA.

The Netherlands have actually gone head-to-head with Germany in every final of the European Championships since 1989, with Germany grabbing the gold in the last six meetings.

However, many of the Dutch believe the reigning European and Paralympic champion Germans are not necessarily everyone’s pick to win the IWBF European Wheelchair Basketball Championships, which take place from 28 June – 7 July in Frankfurt, Germany.

“We can beat the German team,” said Mariska Beijer, who was one of the top Dutch scorers at the London 2012 games, averaging 23 points per game.

“The result of the three-point loss shows the quality of our teams. We are so close to each other that it is always an exciting game to play and watch.

“I think we really stood out there as a team and we all knew what we needed to do on the court. This is what made us so strong. We were done with the underdog position and snatched a medal away from the settled countries such as USA, Canada, Germany and Australia.

“It was such an awesome feeling to get the bronze medal. It really felt like gold.”

Power duo in orange

Luckily for the Beijer and the Netherlands, they won’t have to face Germany in the group stage in Frankfurt, as they’ve been placed in Group B with Great Britain, Italy and Turkey.

Inge Huitzing will join Beijer as a key part of the Dutch squad, having experience playing for the able-bodied national team as well as the wheelchair team.

She, too, though, has her eyes focused on getting revenge on the Germans.

“I really don’t think they are unbeatable,” said Huitzing.

“We didn’t start the Paralympic semi-final game very well and we were 10-0 down or something. After that, our press started working and they were not communicating very well so it was too bad for us that there was a halftime break.

“I think that could be one of our weapons against them but that is not all we have.”

A veteran at the reigns

The Netherlands are coached by former Paralympian Gertjan van der Linden, who has won many Paralympic and World Championship medals, including Paralympic gold at the Barcelona 1992 Games.

Van der Linden expressed the importance of improvement as they build toward their target of going for gold at the Rio 2016 Games.

“Together with my staff we did an excellent job to make a team of them,” said the three-time Paralympic medallist.

“It was great to see the team grow in 10 months so they knew how to work together and when you want to win a medal you must play as a team, on court but also off the court.

“The key to winning is all players working together for each other. For me, as a coach I am so lucky and happy to work with them together.

“Our next step is Rio and over there we want to win a medal again but it must be a different colour.”

Germany’s women’s wheelchair basketball team got its gold medal after settling for silver at the previous Paralympics and World Championships. © • Getty Images

Related News

Netherlands earn series victory over Great Britain

Related Features

Wheelchair basketball technology pushing limits

“It was great to see the team grow in 10 months so they knew how to work together and when you want to win a medal you must play as a team, on court but also off the court.”

The Netherlands’ women’s wheelchair basketball team became a force to be reckoned with when they won their first Paralympic medal since 1996 last year at the London Paralympics.

The women in orange lost by just three points in a closely contested semi-final against their German rivals, but then claimed the bronze comfortably against the USA.

The Netherlands have actually gone head-to-head with Germany in every final of the European Championships since 1989, with Germany grabbing the gold in the last six meetings.

However, many of the Dutch believe the reigning European and Paralympic champion Germans are not necessarily everyone’s pick to win the IWBF European Wheelchair Basketball Championships, which take place from 28 June – 7 July in Frankfurt, Germany.

“We can beat the German team,” said Mariska Beijer, who was one of the top Dutch scorers at the London 2012 games, averaging 23 points per game.

“The result of the three-point loss shows the quality of our teams. We are so close to each other that it is always an exciting game to play and watch.

“I think we really stood out there as a team and we all knew what we needed to do on the court. This is what made us so strong. We were done with the underdog position and snatched a medal away from the settled countries such as USA, Canada, Germany and Australia.

“It was such an awesome feeling to get the bronze medal. It really felt like gold.”

Power duo in orange

Luckily for the Beijer and the Netherlands, they won’t have to face Germany in the group stage in Frankfurt, as they’ve been placed in Group B with Great Britain, Italy and Turkey.

Inge Huitzing will join Beijer as a key part of the Dutch squad, having experience playing for the able-bodied national team as well as the wheelchair team.

She, too, though, has her eyes focused on getting revenge on the Germans.

“I really don’t think they are unbeatable,” said Huitzing.

“We didn’t start the Paralympic semi-final game very well and we were 10-0 down or something. After that, our press started working and they were not communicating very well so it was too bad for us that there was a halftime break.

“I think that could be one of our weapons against them but that is not all we have.”

A veteran at the reigns

The Netherlands are coached by former Paralympian Gertjan van der Linden, who has won many Paralympic and World Championship medals, including Paralympic gold at the Barcelona 1992 Games.

Van der Linden expressed the importance of improvement as they build toward their target of going for gold at the Rio 2016 Games.

“Together with my staff we did an excellent job to make a team of them,” said the three-time Paralympic medallist.

“It was great to see the team grow in 10 months so they knew how to work together and when you want to win a medal you must play as a team, on court but also off the court.

“The key to winning is all players working together for each other. For me, as a coach I am so lucky and happy to work with them together.

“Our next step is Rio and over there we want to win a medal again but it must be a different colour.”

Aniek van Koot of the Netherlands will be one to watch at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. © • Getty Images

The Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT) has confirmed the entries for the Roland Garros Wheelchair Tennis Event, the second Grand Slam of the year and part of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour.

The event which takes place from 5-7 June in Paris, France will feature the top seven ranked players in the world in the men’s and women’s gameas of the 15 April entry deadline, plus one wildcard.

World No. 1 ranked players Shingo Kunieda and Aniek van Koot head the entries for the men's and women's singles.

In the men's field, Stephane Houdet of France is the defending champion, while 2011 title winner Maikel Scheffers of the Netherlands who brought to an end Kunieda's sequence of successive victories two years ago will also feature.

A new name will be added to the women's singles roll of honour following the retirement earlier this year of six-time champion Esther Vergeer. Vergeer's fellow Dutch woman van Koot, a 2011 finalist at Roland Garros, won her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.

Men’s entrants – (figures in brackets denote world ranking at entry cut-off – 15 April).

Shingo Kunieda (JPN) (1)

Stephane Houdet (FRA) (2)

Gustavo Fernandez (ARG) (3)

Maikel Scheffers (NED) (4)

Ronald Vink (NED) (5)

Gordon Reid (GBR) (6)

Stefan Olsson (SWE) (7)

Michael Jeremiasz (FRA) (9) (Wildcard)

Women’s entrant

Aniek van Koot (NED) (1)

Sabine Ellerbrock (GER) (2)

Jiske Griffioen (NED) (3)

Marjolein Buis (NED) (4)

Lucy Shuker (GBR) (5)

Kgothatso Montjane (RSA) (6)

Sharon Walraven (NED) (7)

Katharina Kruger (GER) (11) (Wildcard)

Mareike Adermann meets with her team's sponsor, Audi. © • Photo courtesy of Mareike Adermann

Related News

Netherlands earn series victory over Great Britain

Related Features

Adermann wakes up a champion

No. 22: Germany bucket first gold since 1984

I will continue to write blogs leading up to and during the European Championships (28 June-7 July), as well as the U25 European Championships (15-18 August), so keep checking back.

It is spring and for me, that means it is not only time to finish my bachelor’s degree, but also to begin my yearly travels to compete for the German women’s wheelchair basketball national team.

Only one week after I had finished the season as a national champion in the US intercollegiate division, I spent my spring break with the national team at the University of Texas-Arlington for an 11-day training camp.

This was the first time the team was nearly complete and training again since the London 2012 Paralympics.

The week was filled with hard work along with a few fun events such as shopping and watching a Dallas Mavericks NBA game.

This training camp was also the first as preparation for the 2013 European Championships, which will be held in Frankfurt at the end of June.

As we are the host and current top team worldwide, we train hard to try to continue being at our best.

Last year was the first time in 28 years that we were able to get to this level. However, getting there and being able to stay there are two completely different challenges, so we have to start over and train just like before.

After the camp in Texas, all of us returned to our homes to train with our club or collegiate teams and prepare on our own, while working, or in my case taking exams and going to class.

Most of the year was spent that way, which is why most of the success we have really depends on how hard we are willing to train and how much time we are able to spend in gyms.

Luckily, most of us are in situations where we are provided with many opportunities and are able to train and play at high levels all year.

Sometimes, the travels with the national team provide a challenge to these situations, though. As many of us work, study or go to school, we always have to find the understanding of professors or supervisors that allow us to take days off.

I am personally very fortunate to have chosen to study in the United States, as the university is very accommodating and allows me to be with the national team almost every time to continue developing together.

Thus, last Thursday, only four weeks before finishing my undergraduate studies, I got on a plane to Germany to compete at the women's national championships and a training camp with the national team.

At the German championships, I was competing for Hamburg. We had four full games within two days and were not only able to capture the first place but I was also named tournament MVP.

Next on the busy travel schedule was a training camp with the national team in Berlin.

However, first we got to enjoy the benefits of winning a Paralympic gold medal. Our sponsor, Audi, allowed us to spend a whole day driving and racing some of their best cars, which was a very fun team event.

We trained for three days, pushing and competing against each other. The time was well spent, and thus as I am now sitting on a plane flying back to the US, I am exhausted but excited for the rest of the summer that I will continue having fun with the team while training and playing my favourite sport.

However, before I am able to see them again, I will have to spend two weeks to catch up on exams, papers and other school work to make sure I actually graduate this May.

It would simply be too easy if I could just train and do what I love most.

I will continue to write blogs leading up to and during the European Championships (28 June-7 July), as well as the U25 European Championships (15-18 August), so keep checking back.

"I may have been taking too many risks. I was close to the podium but it’s still a shame.”

Racing in the Paralympic classes came to a close at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres with Germany’s Heiko Kroger winning the 2.5mR and France’s Bruno Jourdren, Eric Flageul and Nicolas Vimont-Vicary clinching the Sonar race.

Kroger impressed all week in Hyeres winning five of ten races after a shaky start that saw him disqualified from Race 2, after being deemed on course side before the start of the race. Having overcome his early wobbles three race victories in a row saw the London 2012 Paralympic silver medallist open an advantage and a final day second and bullet sealed the deal.

London 2012 Paralympic gold medallist Helena Lucas of Great Britain was back in the boat for racing in Hyeres and christened her comeback with a silver medal.

Compatriot Megan Pascoe rounded off the 2.4mR podium.

“At the beginning of the week I had some problems downwind but I was able to fix it,” said Kroger. “A lot of good sailors were here and a lot of medallists. I had a very good set up and that’s easy when you’re fast. It helps a lot.”

Damien Seguin had been a mainstay on the top of the podium in Hyeres from 2008 but missed out entirely on any honours for the first time in his home nation.

He still took heart from some steady racing that included three race wins, “I’ve won races in all types of weather so it is reassuring and it proves I can still win races at least. I may have been taking too many risks. I was close to the podium but it’s still a shame.”

Three French smiles were prevalent in the Sonar as Jourdren, Flageul and Vimont-Vicary celebrated victory back on shore taking gold ahead of Germany’s Jens Kroker, Robert Prem and Siegmund Mainka.

Coming into the final day the French trio were tied on 13 points with Norway’s Paralympic bronze medallists Aleksander Wang-Hansen, Marie Solberg and Per-Eugen Kristiansen .

“It was tight because this morning we were on equal points,” said Jourdren. “We did two rounds and the conditions could not have been more lenient because we never had more than 10 knots of wind. We expected more.

“In the first race we had a great start and we managed to break fast away from the rest of the fleet and preserve the advantage to the finish. Given our place in the first round we were further from the Norwegians so we are very happy.”

The Norwegians could not find their mid-week form that brought them into contention for gold as a third and a fifth meant they slipped to third.