The tension is palpable as wheelchair fencer Maurice Schmidt is pushed into the Grand Palais in Paris on Tuesday evening. The applause is loud – the 25-year-old is fencing for his first Paralympic medal in the sabre.
The clash of sabres and cheers can be heard as the audience follows the final between the German and the 29-year-old Briton Piers Gilliver. In his silver combat uniform, the fencer looks almost majestic, while in the Audience favourite Grand Palais confidently parried an attack – on his mask the black, red and gold of Germany is representative.
Schmidt is taking part in his second Paralympics in Paris – in Tokyo in 2021 he finished tenth in both the sabre and the épée. “I was there in Tokyo just to be there,” said the student from Stuttgart.
Now in the French capital, where he is competing in the épée and sabre in category A, his goal is much higher: a medal. “I know I can beat any opponent and I will do that,” he predicted before his first start. “Now I’m ready.”
He was right. On his first day of competition in the sabre, he moved into the final with a win in the semi-final against the Chinese Jianquan Tian – at least silver was guaranteed. The final was no easy task: the first points in particular went back and forth – the Briton Gilliver was leading after the first round with 8:7 points. But after a short break, Schmidt was able to pull away, landing eight hits in a row: 15:8 and gold for Schmidt.
“The special thing about him is that he learns quickly and can implement what he has learned in a very short time,” said Gavrila Spiridon, who has been training Schmidt since the first day of his fencing career in 2012. Since then, Schmidt has worked his way up rapidly and is now considered the best German wheelchair fencer. Spiridon talks about the euphoria that Schmidt constantly displays.
Since 2014, the athlete, who was born with dysmelia, has been able to celebrate success at German and international championships. Most recently at this year’s European Championships, where he achieved third place in the épée. However, the gold medal at the Paralympics surpasses all of Schmidt’s previous successes. On Friday, Schmidt has the chance to win another medal in the épée.
