Sport Specific Information |
| Club / Team |
TSV Bayer Dormagen: Germany |
General Interest |
| Hero / Idol |
Russian fencer Stanislav Pozdniakov, German fencer Nicolas Limbach. (sporthelden.de, 10 Apr 2010) |
Sport Specific Information |
| Name of coach |
Olaf Kawald [club]; Vilmos Szabo [national], ROU |
| Handedness |
Right |
Further Personal Information |
| Languages |
English, German |
| Residence |
Cologne, GER |
| Higher education |
Economics - University of Cologne: Germany |
| Occupation |
Athlete, Serves in the Army |
General Interest |
| Nicknames |
Richie (Instagram profile, 30 Dec 2020) |
| Other information |
GOLDEN MINDSET
He said he realised the importance of relaxing about performance pressure after winning a gold medal at the 2019 Military World Games in Wuhan, People's Republic of China, seven months after tearing the medial meniscus cartilage in his knee. "I didn't put any pressure on myself and just really wanted to do it, that was key. For me it was the determination of my performance that showed me what is possible." (solinger-tageblatt.de, 19 Dec 2019) |
| Injuries |
In February 2019 he tore his medial meniscus cartilage [knee] and underwent surgery, which put him out of competition for several months. He returned to compete in October that year at the 2019 Military World Games in Wuhan, People's Republic of China, where he won a gold medal. (solinger-tageblatt.de, 19 Dec 2019) |
Sport Specific Information |
| Why this sport? |
As a child he played handball for the Wald-Merscheider Turnverein club in Solingen, Germany, where he also first competed in fencing. He later played basketball for TSV Bayer Dormagen, but switched his focus exclusively to fencing. |
General Interest |
| Ambitions |
To compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (Instagram profile, 30 Dec 2020; tsv-bayer-dormagen.de, 06 Aug 2020) |
| Milestones |
In 2010 he became the first athlete representing Germany to win a fencing medal at the Youth Olympic Games, when he won bronze in the individual sabre event in Singapore. (SportsDeskOnline, 06 Jul 2018; schwaebische.de, 15 Aug 2010) |
Sport Specific Information |
| Training Regime |
He trains six mornings a week and does cardiovascular training three times a week. |
| When and where did you begin this sport? |
He took up fencing while growing up in Solingen, Germany. |
