In April, Maurice Wetekam had no chance at the European Championships. After that, he repositioned himself – and was promptly rewarded with the bronze medal at the Paralympics.
Before Maurice Wetekam received a kiss from his girlfriend Joline, he fought back tears in the pool at the La Défense Arena in Paris. At just 18 years old, the swimmer from TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen secured bronze in the 100-meter breaststroke and, thanks to the first medal for the German team at these Paralympics, also took some of the pressure off his teammates.
“Unbelievable – the first medal. But winning a medal in general is an incredible feeling,” said Wetekam, who was born with a deformity of his left arm. “I’ve never had such incredible support, I can’t even describe it.”
The Paralympics debutant had already improved his personal best in his preliminary heat and received high praise from national coach Ute Schinkitz. “As a newcomer for the first time in front of such a large crowd – you can only congratulate him,” she said.
Increased by more than four seconds in four months
It is the unexpected crowning achievement of a special year. At the European Championships in Madeira in mid-April, he only managed to finish eighth with a time of 1:11.59 minutes, well behind the competition. “He has had a difficult season,” said Schinkitz. “But there were always people who believed in him and he allowed that to happen, and I am very grateful to him for that.” In just four months, her protégé improved by more than four seconds.
“I have developed a completely new mindset – with a lot of support from the coaching team, but also from my family. I approached things in a new way, changed the training, revised everything and put my heart and soul into it. It’s not perfect yet, of course, but for the short time it’s been very good,” said the Dortmund native.
Field rolled up from behind
In the final, the eventual gold medalist Stefano Raimondi from Italy, local hero Hector Denayer and Artem Isaew, who is starting under a neutral flag, were the big favorites for a medal. And at first it looked as if Wetekam would be left behind. He left the starting block with a bad reaction time and had to rush after the field. “When I saw after 85 meters that the Italian and the Russian were next to me on the lanes in front of me, I just thought: Shit. It was a mega fight at the end.”
And that was rewarded. Wetekam improved his time by 0.75 seconds compared to his initial time. “It couldn’t have gone better, the time is definitely impressive,” he said.
And he already has his sights set on the next big goal: the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles. “We are building on what we have achieved now and hope that things will be even better in LA,” says Wetekam, and Schinkitz is certain: “The boy still has incredible reserves.”
Source: Stern
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