The presenter’s voice echoes through the Stade de France: “From Germany on track 3: Welcome, Jule Roß!” Jule Roß puts one foot in front of the other and enters the entrance to the athletics stadium the Paralympics in Paris. The German flag is displayed behind the 18-year-old athlete from Leverkusen as she looks up, waves to the crowd with a smile and runs to the start of the 400-meter race. Hardly a seat of the possible 80,000 is left empty on this Saturday evening.
Jule Roß, who was born with a missing forearm, only started training at the club two years ago. In this short time, the young talent managed to take fourth place at the World Championships in Kobe, Japan. She even managed to achieve a new personal best of 58.78 seconds. With this time, she qualified for her first Paralympic Games at just seventeen years of age.
For Roß, who graduated from high school in the spring, her first run over 400 meters with a time of 1:01:08 minutes was enough to get her into the final. But it was close – less than two hundredths of a second got her into the race.
She had already achieved her goal before Paris: “I definitely want to make it to the final in the 400 meters, i.e. to be in the top eight,” she revealed in an interview in June.
In the final on Saturday evening, after the first 100 meters, there is not much gap between her and the other finalists. Training partner Léon Schäfer cheers her on from the long jump area. At the end of the race, however, she cannot keep up with the speed of the front runners. She crosses the finish line last.
However, there is no sign of disappointment. The clock reads 59.47 seconds – the second fastest time Jule Roß has ever run. “It was amazing. The atmosphere, the mood was indescribably good,” said the 18-year-old.
She is cheered on by family, friends and teammates with a personalized German flag with her name on it. “First and foremost, I wanted to enjoy the final, take everything in and be happy with my time at the end of the day and I definitely am,” says Roß. The evening was therefore a complete success for the young up-and-coming talent.
Next week, Roß will be competing in the 100 and 200 meters as well as the long jump. This will give him plenty of opportunities to enjoy the atmosphere at the Stade de France to the fullest.
