|
STEFFEN LEHMANN (GERMANY)
In 2007, German Steffen Lehmann was elected as one of the best male Goalball players worldwide. He has been playing Goalball for a long time, beginning in 1991 when he moved from a school for the visually impaired to a school for the blind. Interested in athletics, Goalball and swimming at first, he soon realised he would not be able to focus on all 3 sports at the one time.
During the German Championships in 1992 the head coach discovered him for the national men’s team. In 1994 the newcomer went to his first international tournament in England. Since then he has taken part in almost all tournaments and championships in Europe with the German team.
In his dining room on a sideboard you will find lots of trophies for first places and a wide range of medals. Steffen has taken the award for top scorer at many international events.
His greatest achievements were competing at the Paralympics in Atlanta, USA, in 1996, Sydney, Australia, in 2000 and, in 2004, in Athens, Greece, as well as the 2006 IBSA World Championships in South Carolina, USA. Unfortunately an accident prevented him from playing any part in the IBSA World Championship 2002 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Every 2 years he has travelled with his national team to the IBSA European Championships in many different countries. With his club team he has picked up 6 gold medals and some silver and bronze too.
Is there life beyond Goalball for Steffen? "To be honest, not really", he answers. After work Steffen goes to his daily practise. His day finishes with checking his email account and chatting to his friends from across the world. He thinks Goalball is a fantastic and exciting sport in which a lot of nice people are involved with the aim of making the sport a success and moving it forward. First of all it is about competition on the field, and after that it is a great opportunity to meet people from all around the world, get together and make friends. This is what it’s all about for Steffen…
|
 |
