Tom Habscheid

Started: He got involved in Para athletics in 2012. (Athlete, 19 Nov 2019) Reason: He decided to take up the sport after watching the 2012 Paralympic Games in London on television. He had previously tried football, cycling, basketball, skiing, skateboarding, skating, and swimming, but he was not inspired to pursue any of them. (wort.lu, 18 May 2020; Athlete, 20 Aug 2018; wonsch.lu, 01 Jan 2018) Milestones: He was Luxembourg's only representative in any sport at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (SportsDeskOnline, 14 Aug 2024) Awards: He and fellow athletics competitor Katrin Kohl were Luxembourg's flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (medias.paris2024.org, 28 Aug 2024) He was nominated for the Luxembourg Sportsperson of the Year award in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. (5minutes.rtl.lu, 06 Dec 2018; wonsch.lu, 01 Jan 2018; lessentiel.lu, 14 Nov 2017) He was named the 2015 Male Athlete of the Year by the Cercle Athletique Dudelange club in Luxembourg. (Facebook page, 21 Feb 2016) Additional Info: RETIREMENT AND RETURN Having announced his retirement from Para athletics after competing at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, he returned to the sport in 2024 with a view to competing at the 2024 Games in Paris. He took part in his first competition since the 2020 Games in May 2024 in Leverkusen, Germany, where he achieved the qualifying standard for the 2024 Games in Paris. "I've been really excited over the last few weeks and months. The Paralympic Games are the biggest sporting event for people with disabilities. I noticed that I'm still enthusiastic about this sport and so I decided to try again. The fact that I was able to achieve this distance in the first competition is great." (paralympics.lu, 06 May 2024; wort.lu, 05 Jul 2024) OCCUPATION He works at the National Audiovisual Centre in Dudelange, Luxembourg. (wort.lu, 18 May 2020; lessentiel.lu, 14 Aug 2024) FOOTBALL EXPERIENCE He played football at FC Jeunesse Useldange, training three times a week, but was never allowed to play an official match as he could not get permission to use his prosthesis. "As a child you have dreams that you want to fulfil somehow, and I thought it would not be possible for me. However I watched the Paralympic Games in 2012 in London and they put a lot of emphasis on the athletes. I thought, 'If I cannot play football in Luxembourg because it is difficult to find 11 men with only one leg, then why not try athletics?'" (mental.lu, 17 May 2019) EDUCATION He has undertaken an apprenticeship to become a baker. (mental.lu, 17 May 2019)