© Rom Hankes
Diekirch athlete Katrin Kohl is gearing up for her first Paralympic Games, focusing on wheelchair racing and aiming for personal bests while advocating for greater visibility for Paralympic sports.
Katrin Kohl has qualified for the Paralympic Games, so RTL spoke with the athlete about her ambitions and passion for the sport. Kohl regularly trains at the athletics stadium in Diekirch where we met her during one of her sessions.
Before getting into the racing wheelchair, the muscles need to be properly warmed up, says the 28-year-old athlete. A typical session lasts about 90 minutes. "I do wheelchair racing, more specifically sprinting. This means that in competition, I do 100 to 800 metres, but I specialise in the 100 metres. It's now about building strength in the sessions, adding explosiveness, and also improving technique."
A late bloomer to sports
Kohl suffers from spina bifida, a birth defect where the spine and spinal cord do not form properly. She has been in a wheelchair since childhood. Her passion for sports came relatively late; initially, she played basketball and danced.
"I did all three activities for a few years simultaneously, meaning each once a week. Then COVID-19 happened, which unfortunately put an end to group sports, and I started focusing more on wheelchair racing because I could still practice it. The weather was good, and I trained alone."
The woman from Diekirch then wanted to excel in one discipline and specialised in the short distances (100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m).
Preparations for Paris
The athlete will follow the Olympic Games in Paris, although her current focus is on preparation. This week, she will attend a training camp in Switzerland to fine-tune her form. Balancing work and sports is not always easy, Kohl explains, who works at the water syndicate Sidero and is also a member of the municipal council in Diekirch.
"When I started working, I immediately said that I would only work 75 percent so that I could dedicate the remaining time to sports. This means that I have those two hours a day when I'm not working to train."
Overall, the athlete regrets that the Paralympics receive less attention from the public and the media. Luxembourg still lags far behind when it comes to sports for people with disabilities, she notes: "Paralympic sports have so much to offer. They need to gain more visibility in society, in the media, everywhere, so that people see what is possible."
Dare to do
As a message to young people, she says that they should simply try things out and stay curious. She herself had not expected to end up in an individual sport: "You only develop a feeling once you really try it. And you don't have to do it at a competitive level, just for fun, just to be among people. It is absolutely essential in life."
© Rom Hankes
Ambitions for Paris
The goal for Paris is to perform better than in her recent competitions, where things did not always go as planned. Best case scenario, a new personal best time would be achieved: "That is definitely already a minor goal. I know that most of the athletes participating qualified directly and not through a wild card. That means they are much better than me."
The Paralympic Games take place from 28 August to 8 September, the first Games for Kohl. Whether it will be the highlight of her career and also the conclusion, she cannot say for the moment: "How things will continue afterward, I really don't know yet. We'll have to see."
