- Swimming heroes rescue German squad with dual triumphs
After a four-day wait, the German Paralympic swimming team rejoiced twice within ten minutes. Tanja Scholz and Josia Tim Alexander Topf clinched Paralympic golds over 150 meters in the medley. "I glanced at the scoreboard and thought: Holy smokes, there's my name on top. Then it sank in," Scholz shared. Topf secured the gold momentarily afterwards.
Scholz, a 40-year-old paralyzed swimmer, grappled with the opening 50 meters. "I can't swim backstroke. It's always a pain," she confessed. "Thankfully, breaststroke went smoother than expected, giving me enough power to push through. After the turn, I spotted the swimmer beside me and said: Tanja, switch to freestyle. Now show what you've got - you've got this." Scholz set a new Paralympic record with her impressive comeback, clocking in at 2:51.31 minutes. Gina Böttcher came in fourth.
Topf, born with an arm defect, maintained a lead following the initial 50 meters of backstroke. He lost momentum in breaststroke, sinking to third place. He regained his momentum with a powerhouse finish, outpacing his two Australian competitors, Ahmed Kelly and Grant Patterson, to claim his initial Paralympic gold.
The mixed rowing duo of Jan Helmich and Hermine Krumbein bagged bronze in the competition. They crossed the finish line third in the 2000-meter race in Vaires-sur-Marne, near Paris, in 7:28.31 minutes, barely a tenth of a second behind the second-place British duo.
The mixed rowing four with a coxswain struggled, finishing fourth with a minuscule six-hundredths of a second gap between them and France.
The visually impaired cyclist Thomas Ulbricht and his guide Robert Förstemann sped to third place in the 1000-meter time trial at the Velodrome, trailing behind the two British duos, James Ball (with Steffan Lloyd) and Neil Fachie (with Matthew Rotherham). "We delivered two stellar performances. We're content with bronze," Ulbricht said. This was his third Paralympic medal. Förstemann previously secured bronze in the team sprint at the 2012 Olympics in London.
The German track and field athletes had a lukewarm start at the Stade de France. Yannis Fischer finished sixth in the shot put, Katrin Müller-Rottgardt placed fifth in the long jump, and Merle Menje and Max Marzillier missed their respective finals in the 800 meters and 100 meters. Nicole Nicoleitzik finished eighth in the 200 meters.
Scholz's double gold victory in the medley was a much-needed 'double whammy' for the German Paralympic swimming team, following several disappointing performances in other events. Topf's gold medal win, despite a momentary setback, served as another 'double whammy' of positive results after the team's initial struggles.
