Johannes Floors

Started: He took up Para athletics in 2011 at the TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen club in Germany. (movens-magazin.de, 03 Jun 2015) Reason: He initially competed in swimming but began experiencing problems with his shoulder. He was inspired to try Para athletics by the stories of US Ironman competitor Scott Rigsby. The director of the TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen club invited him for a trial, and he began training. (movens-magazin.de, 03 Jun 2015) Ambition: To win a gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 24 Sep 2023) Awards: He received the Special Award at the 2023 German Sports Fair Play Awards. The honour recognised his actions at the 2023 World Championships in Paris, France, where he consoled US athlete Hunter Woodhall after Woodhall's prosthesis broke before the men's T62 400m final. (insidethegames.biz, 28 Feb 2024) In 2021 he was presented with the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt [Silver Laurel Leaf], the highest sports award in Germany. He also received the award in 2016. (LinkedIn profile, 20 Sep 2023; sportflash.online, 22 Nov 2021) He and fellow 4x100m relay runners David Behre, Markus Rehm, and Felix Streng were named the 2016 Team of the Year by the National Paralympic Committee of Germany. (paralympic.org, 29 Nov 2016) He was named the 2015 Male Junior Athlete of the Year by the German Sports Aid Foundation. (dbs-npc.de, 23 Nov 2015) Additional Info: FURTHER EDUCATION In 2023 he began studying for a master's degree in mechanical engineering at the Rhenish University of Applied Sciences [RFH] in Germany. He also studied orthopaedics at a vocational college in Cologne between 2014 and 2017. "For me, studying as a balance to sport is very important. Mechanical engineering offers exciting new industries and many opportunities. But maybe later I will go back to the development or research of prostheses, then I could combine both. I do not believe in concrete plans for the future, but when the door opens to an exciting opportunity and the circumstances fit, I go for it." (LinkedIn profile, 20 Sep 2023; sport-rhein-erft.de, 24 Jul 2019)