Phil Grolla

Started: He took up Para athletics at age six. (vfb-fallersleben.de, 16 Feb 2018; bsn-ev.de, 2018) Reason: His brother was involved in athletics. "For me, running means freedom to switch off from everyday life. And to work on my strengths and weaknesses. What is fascinating about sprinting for me is the small details that you have to pay attention to." (osp-niedersachsen.de, 01 Aug 2023; vfb-fallersleben.de, 16 Feb 2018) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (osp-niedersachsen.de, 01 Aug 2023) Awards: In 2019 and 2020 he was named Sportsman of the Year by the Disabled Sports Association of Lower Saxony [BSN]. (VfL Wolfsburg Leichtathletik Facebook page, 09 Mar 2021) In 2019 he was named Male Athlete of the Year in Wolfsburg, Germany. (presse-service.de, 22 Feb 2020) In 2017 he was given the Youth Prize at the Wolfsburg Citizen of the Year awards. (VfB Fallersleben Leichtathletik YouTube channel, 22 Jun 2017; vfb-fallersleben.de, 2017) In 2013 and 2014 he was named Young Athlete of the Year at the VfB Fallersleben club in Wolfsburg, Germany. (waz-online.de, 16 Nov 2014; wolfsburger-nachrichten.de, 29 Nov 2013)

Sporting Relatives: His mother Haike has competed in triathlon at club level in Germany, and his father Jurgen has played handball and coached athletics at the VfB Fallersleben club in Germany. (waz-online.de, 07 Oct 2013)