With tears in her eyes she leaves Leon Schäfer on Saturday evening at the Stade de France. His disappointment is written all over his face. The para-long jumper does not want to talk about the competition. He walks past everyone without saying a word, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
As in Tokyo, the 27-year-old travelled to the Paralympics to Paris. In Tokyo, he ended up winning the silver medal. But this year, at the World Championships in Kobe, he won twice and became two-time world champion in the long jump and the 100-meter sprint. He shows that the battle for the Paralympic gold medal is still open.
Schäfer’s strongest competition at the moment is probably Joel de Jong. The Dutchman surprised everyone this year with a jump of 7.67 meters, improving Léon Schäfer’s world record by over 40 centimeters. Schäfer, who has a thigh amputation due to bone cancer, therefore started this competition with the second-best distance of 7.25 meters.
Qualification for the 100-meter final
According to Schäfer, he wins many competitions more mentally than physically. At the big home game in Leverkusen this summer, de Jong pushed Schäfer down to second place. At his home club’s competition venue in Leverkusen, Schäfer had to admit defeat shortly before the Paralympics. Could this competition and the lost world record have had an impact on the 27-year-old’s self-confidence?
On Saturday evening, it seemed as if Schäfer had not arrived in the competition. His focus and mental strength were lacking in his performance, which proved to be the athlete’s downfall. In two of a total of six jumps, he did not find the right take-off for a perfect flight. In the end, a distance of 6.93 meters was shown on the scoreboard. 32 centimeters below his best performance, which meant that Schäfer finished in a disappointing fourth place in the overall ranking. A major setback for the three-time world champion, who is still waiting for his first gold medal at the Paralympics. After the competition, Schäfer was consoled by his friends and family for a long time.
His goal for Paris was clear. “First and foremost, just be better than before. If we win gold, it’s even better,” said Schäfer before the games. The disappointment is even greater now that it was not even enough for the bronze medal.
Schäfer’s frustration is overshadowed in the stadium by the Dutchman’s exuberant joy. A further improvement of the world record to 7.68 meters and the gold medal round off a perfect evening for Joel de Jong. “It felt incredible. My family and friends and so many other people supported me here today,” says the newly crowned Paralympic champion.
Now Schäfer’s priority is to clear his head again. On Sunday he will continue with the qualification for the 100-meter final. As the reigning world champion and winner of the Leverkusen home game, he also has high hopes of a medal in this discipline.
National coach Marion Peters continues to believe in his potential: “I hope that he can gather energy tonight and rehabilitate himself tomorrow. He has the form – and I believe in him.”
