Martin Schulz could not hide his tears. But the triathlon star was not disappointed about the lost gold on the Pont Alexandre III bridge in Paris after his successes at the 2016 and 2021 Paralympics. “Bronze won. With a big exclamation mark,” said the 34-year-old, explaining his emotions: “My coach didn’t write any gaps on the board for me during the race, just the names of my girlfriend and my son,” explained the visibly moved German flag bearer. “That pushed me to bronze.”

Added to this is the prospect that for Schulz, who was born without a left forearm, Paris may be his last Paralympics. “I’m not stopping,” he made clear, but added: “I’ve been in competitive sport for 20 years. Since then, I’ve done nothing different than prepare for a new highlight. I became a father last year, and that means some things in life have changed. Sport continues to develop. That’s the way things are. I’ll take it from year to year now.”

Annoying water discussion

Schulz did not want to accept the recent recurring discussion about the water quality and the current in the Seine as a possible explanation for third place. “The discussion got on my nerves, to be honest,” he complained. “Just look at the scenery. It’s really good. And the water quality wasn’t catastrophic. No one needs to worry that someone has caught something. The scenery makes up for everything.”

Nevertheless, Schulz was surprisingly only in sixth place after the swim, but fought his way back to first place on the bike. “I was at my limit. First place after the bike motivated me again. But then the two guys passed me. They did a really brutal job,” he explained. On the run, Paralympic champion Chris Hammer from the USA and the Brazilian Ronan Cordeiro were simply too strong. “To go home with a medal now is amazing,” stressed Schulz.

Gel hair turns to silver

Max Gelhaar secured silver in his class. The 26-year-old, who has spastic paralysis on one side of his body, finished behind the Spaniard Daniel Molina. He needed 1:08:43 hours for the 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike ride and the five-kilometer run. “I am very satisfied with my performance,” emphasized the Leipzig native.

The German was still in the lead after two disciplines. Then Molina started to catch up. “I had hoped that I would have had a big lead over him after the cycling. That wasn’t the case. But in the end I didn’t lose gold, I won silver,” said Gelhaar.

Triathlon only for a year and a half

The visually impaired Anja Renner and her guide Maria Paulig surprisingly took bronze. “I only started triathlon a year and a half ago. It’s overwhelming that we managed it in such a short time,” said the 38-year-old.

Even though the hoped-for gold in the triathlon was missing, Schulz announced: “With three medals we can throw a big party in the German House.”