Svenja Mayer

Started: She began the sport in 2015. (wiesbadener-kurier.de, 19 Oct 2019) Reason: "After my car accident I spent a year in a rehabilitation clinic. They want to prepare their patients for their new life and one of the things they do is organise sport. I found wheelchair basketball interesting and fascinating. I was also keen on horseback riding. Equestrian sport was my everything before my accident. I owned two horses and, with a lot of fighting spirit, I was able to practise horse riding as well after the accident." (wiesbadener-kurier.de, 19 Oct 2019) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 27 Feb 2024) Awards: She was part of the women's wheelchair basketball team that was named 2021 Para Team of the Year by the German Disabled Sports Association [DBS]. (dbs-npc.de, 27 Nov 2021) Additional Info: EARLY INSPIRATION Within a year of starting wheelchair basketball she was invited to a training camp with a regional side. There, she met two German national team players, Laura Furst and Johanna Welin. "They really became role models for me. They told me how much they travel around the world with the national team and what great experiences they have. I was just at the beginning and they showed me that you can reach your goals even with a wheelchair. I then decided that I would also like to join the national team." (bento.de, 27 Jul 2019; teamdeutschland-paralympics.de, 28 Jun 2019)

Sporting Relatives: Her partner Andre Hopp has played club wheelchair basketball in Germany, and has also served as head coach of the Rhine River Rhinos and RSV Bayreuth teams in Germany. (rbb-bayreuth.de, 24 Apr 2024; rhine-river-rhinos.de, 20 Feb 2021; bento.de, 27 Jul 2019)