Paralympic champion Markus Rehm set a new world record at the weekend. In Innsbruck, the 33-year-old athlete surpassed his old record by four centimeters.
Four-time Paralympic champion Markus Rehm jumped 8.66 meters in Innsbruck on Saturday. At the 18th edition of the Golden Roof Challenge, the prosthesis jumper was again able to beat his own world record. He surpassed the best mark he set about a year ago by four centimeters. 33-year-old Rehm, who won the long jump and pole vault competition for the fifth time, relegated the Swiss decathlete and long jump specialist Simon Ehammer (8.12 meters) to second place.
After a serious wakeboard accident at the age of 14, the long jumper had to have his leg amputated below the right knee. Always a keen athlete, the prosthesis was no obstacle for him. But on the contrary.
Markus Rehm is not allowed to take part in the Olympics
In the long jump, the 33-year-old clears one record after the other. He is 29 centimeters short of the world record set by Olympic athlete Mike Powell. Rehm would even surpass the Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou from Greece, who won the gold medal in Tokyo 2021 with 8.41 meters.
In both 2016 and 2021, Rehm tried to compete in the Olympics. Because there was a suspicion that his prosthesis could give him an advantage, he was denied this. The world athletics association and the international sports court CAS rejected his participation. “A chance was given to set an example for inclusion,” he said at the time. It’s not about the rating or the medal anyway, but simply about participation. In a conversation with “Zeit” he vents his disappointment: “I can’t do it anymore, I can’t conjure my leg back.”
Nevertheless, the record jumper would no longer want to exchange a medal for a healthy leg.
Sources: “Augsburger Allgemeine”, German Press Agency, “Die Zeit”, SWR
