Verena Schott

Started: She began swimming at age eight in Wurzen, Germany. "I started swimming late and was blown away by it. I went to the swimming pool to learn to swim and then did not want to leave because I learned to love my sport, it was everything to me." She took up Para swimming soon after her accident at age 13. (athlet.one, 08 Mar 2021; Athlete, 15 Aug 2018) Reason: "The first thing I wanted to know when I woke up in hospital was whether I could swim again. When I was released from the hospital and came back to my everyday life, I went back to my old club and they made it possible so that I could slowly start again. And then it developed in such a way that a few years later I went to Leipzig [in Germany], and joined a sports club for the impaired." (athlet.one, 08 Mar 2021) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (swimsportnews.de, 07 Aug 2023) Awards: In November 2021 she received the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt [Silver Laurel Leaf] in Germany in recognition of the three bronze medals she won at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (Instagram profile, 08 Nov 2021) She received the Para Swimmer of the Year award for 2019 at the 2020 German Championships in Berlin. (swimsportnews.de, 19 Oct 2020; bsbrandenburg.de, 19 Oct 2020; sportfrauen.net, 20 Oct 2020) Additional Info: TOKYO REDEMPTION After the disappointment of missing out on a medal at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where she finished fourth in two events, she went on to win bronze medals in the SM6 200m individual medley, SB5 100m breaststroke, and S6 100m backstroke at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. "My first Paralympics [in 2012] was a dream that I could not believe when I received a medal [silver in the SM6 200m individual medley]. And then Rio was completely the opposite, with the fourth places that I took. Rio was really a point that was very difficult for me. When I train today [speaking in 2021], I still think back to Rio and want to get faster so that doesn't happen to me again. Breaststroke is not my favourite stroke at all but it was the best shot I had going into Tokyo Paralympic Games, and the backstroke has been my favourite stroke in the last years since I broke the European record and became European champion 2018 and world champion in 2019." (athlet.one, 08 Mar 2021; SportsDeskOnline, 23 Mar 2021; Instagram profile, 28 Aug 2021; Facebook page, 29 Dec 2021, 30 Dec 2021) MOTHERHOOD She has spoken of the challenges of returning to the sport having had children. "It was very difficult to get back into training after pregnancy. It's like two lives, in the mornings you are the competitive athlete and in the afternoons you have to be a full-time mum. It's not always easy, but you grow with yourself. My children also give me a lot in return. They are totally enthusiastic about what I do and are also proud when I go to big competitions." (athlet.one, 08 Mar 2021) OTHER ACTIVITIES She has served as a spokesperson for swimming at the German National Paralympic Committee [DBS]. "As a team spokesperson, I'm there to ensure that the athletes can turn to me if they have problems, with other athletes, with their coaches, in training camps. In itself, it's not an awful lot of work. As an experienced athlete, it's a normal task for me to be there for the younger athletes and to help the older ones if there are problems." (abteilung-schwimmen.de, 22 Mar 2023; athlet.one, 08 Mar 2021)

Sporting Relatives: Her husband Maik Zeh has been head coach of the Para Swimming Academy in Potsdam, Germany. (Maik Zeh LinkedIn profile, 24 Sep 2023; kreissportbund-prignitz.de, 08 Aug 2023)