Catharina Weiss

Started: She began the sport in 2013 in Tubingen, Germany. (Athlete, 27 Aug 2021) Reason: She was involved with Para swimming and Para alpine skiing from age nine. She became interested in wheelchair basketball after she attended the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, where she saw Germany win gold in women's wheelchair basketball. "From that point on, I knew that it would be my dream to compete at the Paralympics one day. At the end of the day I had the most fun playing wheelchair basketball. I just loved it more to compete in a team than competing in an individual sport. I just love playing and watching wheelchair basketball. It is definitely the sport I am the most passionate about, it is a part of my everyday life and I would not want to miss out on that." (paralympic.org, 02 Jul 2024) Ambition: To win a gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (paralympic.org, 02 Jul 2024) Additional Info: PARALYMPIC MEDAL AMBITION Having lost the bronze medal match to the United States of America on her Paralympic debut at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, she is hoping to claim her first Paralympic medal at the 2024 Games in Paris. She was also part of the German teams that lost the third place play-off matches at the European championships in 2021 and 2023 and the 2022 World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates [which took place in June 2023]. "It is definitely in my head that we want to change that and not lose the semifinal and then the bronze medal, again and again. The biggest goal would always be to compete for a medal at the Paralympics. As long as we play our best team basketball, everything is possible." (paralympic.org, 02 Jul 2024) LEAVING CLUB In March 2024 she announced she would be leaving German club RSV Lahn-Dill at the end of the 2023/24 1. Bundesliga season. "I would like to thank my team, the club and, above all, the great fans from the bottom of my heart for the last four years, because it was always a huge honour and something very special for me to be able to play in front of this audience." (rsvlahndill.de, 23 Mar 2024) FURTHER EDUCATION She has studied at the distance learning department of the International University of Applied Sciences [IU] in Bad Honnef, Germany. She has also spent time at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL, United States of America. (Instagram profile, 25 Apr 2024; rsvlahndill.de, 23 Mar 2024)