Berlin- Germany’s Annika Zeyen postponed her wedding to try to write a piece of Paralympics history.
The plan worked out and when the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) brand manager won Paralympic gold in a second summer sport, her fiancé was the first to congratulate her by phone.
Her victory in the handbike road time trial was unusual not only because she is the sole IPC employee to compete in Tokyo, but also because the paraplegic won gold in wheelchair basketball in 2012.
“To win gold in two different sports is incredible. You can’t top that,” said the 36-year-old, who has only been competing in international handbike races for two and a half years.
It was the sporting highlight on a very emotional day from a German perspective on the former Formula One track at the foot of Mount Fuji.
Jana Majunke won gold in the tricycle race at the age of 21. Her club colleague Angelika Dreock-Kaeser, 23 years older and competing in the Paralympics for the first time after a stroke, took bronze and dedicated the medal to her husband who died four weeks ago.
“He is with me in my heart,” Dreock-Kaeser said. “He so wanted me to be here. And he was so happy that we were going to win a medal.”