Berlin 2018: Germany select strong team

Numerous reigning Paralympic winners and world champions, promising young talents and newcomers as well as three local heroes, Germany want to cause a sensation in front of the home crowd at the World Para Athletics European Championships in Berlin.

A total of 41 athletes were selected by national team coach Willi Gernemann for the competition which takes place at Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark from 20-26 August. The German delegation is almost twice as big as the team at the London 2017 World Para Athletics Championships.

Among them are Paralympic and world champions such as Irmgard Bensusan, Sebastian Dietz, Johannes Floors, Niko Kappel, Birgit Kober, Heinrich Popow, Markus Rehm, Daniel Scheil and Felix Streng as well as ten athletes from the junior team.

The youngest participants are 17 years olds Phil Grolla, Charleen Kosche and Felix Krüsemann. For other 12 athletes, Berlin will represent the international debut in a major competition.

One of them is Ronny Ziesmer, who suffered a spinal cord injury while he was part of Germany gymnastics team preparing the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Now Ziesmer has set a new goal to be at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

"It wasn’t easy to make the selection. It was our ambition to compete at the home European Championships with a large but also high quality team. With 40 nominated athletes and a guide, our team is almost twice as big as at the World Championships in London last year," said NPC Germany sports director Frank-Thomas Hartleb.

"We not only have numerous Paralympic and world champions with us, but also want to give the youngsters a chance to gain competitive experience on the international stage. With a view to the established forces we hope that they will strike again and build on their great successes from Rio and London," Hartleb added.

Due to injury, however, Paralympic and European gold medallist David Behre, shot put world champion Frederike Koleiski and Léon Schäfer and Tom Sengua Malutedi, members of the 4x100m world champion relay team, will miss out.

Around 650 athletes from 40 countries are expected to compete in 191 medal events at the Berlin 2018 Europeans.

More information on Berlin 2018 can be found online.

Full team:

Lindy Ave – 100m, 200m, 400m, long jump T38

Alhassane Baldé – 800m, 1500m, 5000m T54

Imgard Bensusan – 100m, 200m T44

Johannes Bessel – 400m, 1500m T46

Reinhold Botzel – high jump T46

Marie Brämer-Skowronek – javelin, shot put F34

Vanessa Braun – 100m, 200m, 400m T38

Sebastian Dietz – shot put F36

Janne Engeleiter – 100m, 200m T13

Johannes Floors – 100m, 200m, 400m T62

Phil Grolla – 100m, shot put T/F 46/47

Frances Herrmann – javelin, shot put F34

Johannes Hohl – 400m T20

Niko Kappel – javelin F41

Franz Koalick – 100m, 200m, 400m T/F 38

Birgit Kober – shot put T36

Charleen Kosche – javelin, shot put F34

Felix Krusemann – 1500m T38

Ali Lacin – 200m T61

Andreas Lehmann – javelin F46

Mathias Mester – javelin F41

Juliane Mogge – shot put F36

Katrin Muller-Rottgardt – 100m, 200m, 400m, long jump T12

Alexander Kosenkow – guide to Katrin Muller-Rottgardt

Nicole Nicoleitzik – 100m, 200m T36

Heinrich Popow – 100m T63

Moritz Raykowski – 400m T37

Markus Rehm – long jump T64

Daniel Scheil – javelin, shot put F33

David Scherer – 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m T54

Denis Schmitz – 100m T33

Annegret Schneider – 100m, long jump T37

Mathias Schulze – shot put F46

Felix Streng – 100m, 200m, long jump T64

Maria Tietze – 100m, 200m, long jump T64

Frank Tinnemeier – shot put F63

Tomas Ulbricht – 100m, javelin T/F 12

Hanna Wichmann – javelin, club F32

Martina Willing – discus, shot put, javelin F56

Annika Zeyen – 800m, 1500m, 5000m T54

Ronny Ziesmer – 100m, 200m, club T51