Germany's disabled athletes of the year
November 30, 2014
At a ceremony over the weekend at the German Sport and Olympic Museum in Cologne, Germany's National Paralympic Committee (NPC) announced its male, female, and team disabled athletes of the year.
Anna Schaffelhuber
For an Olympian, the Winter Games went swimmingly well for Anna Schaffelhuber, a single ski athlete from Regensburg. She won five gold medals in five events at the 2014 Sochi Games, adding to a bronze medal in super G from the Vancouver Olympics in 2010.
For Schaffelhuber, 21 (pictured above), it's her third straight disabled athlete of the year award.
"I'm really happy about becoming disabled athlete of the year for the third time and I'd like to thank all the fans who voted for me," Schaffelhuber said in a statement on the NPC's website
After the athlete nominations were compiled by sports journalists, the public had two weeks to participate in online voting.
Markus Rehm
In the men's category, Markus Rehm was picked for a remarkable performance at the German Athletics Championships, which even saw him take first place against able-bodied athletes.
His jump of 8.24 meters (27 feet) set a new Paralympic record (besting his own mark by 29 centimeters) and was the first time a Paralympic athlete had ever cleared 8 meters in the long jump.
Despite Rehm's domestic dominance in the long jump, the German Athletic Federation did not nominate Rehm for the European Championships, sparking a debate about inclusion in sport. At the International Paralympic Committee's European Championships in Swansea, Wales, Rehm won gold in the long jump and took third in the 100 meter dash.
Women's wheelchair basketball team
Germany's national women's wheelchair basketball team was honored for the third time in the team category of the disabled athlete of the year ceremony.
The team, which won Paralympic gold in 2012 in London, was second to host nation Canada at the wheelchair basketball World Championship earlier this year, losing by just four points.
"We can still be very satisfied with the silver medal," said head coach Holgar Glinicki. "We're among the best in the world, and all in all, I look back on a great season."