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Christiane Reppe
The breakthrough to the group of world class swimmers came for Christiane Reppe during the 3rd world championship in Mar del Plata in Argentina in 2002. That's when her team set a new European record in the 400 meters competition and earned the Bronze medal.
Seven months later the German amputee swimmer broke the world record in the 200 meters freestyle and won Gold in Edmonton, Canada. Then came the German Open for swimmers with a disability where she set a new European record in 400 meters freestyle.
In between there have been a number of other international competitions like the Danish Open in March in Esbjerg and the British Open in Sheffield in May. Christiane has done very well in all of them.
So, what's next? On May 30, 2004 Christiane Reppe was officially nominated for the German Paralympic Team and she is obviously training hard to be well prepared for Athens. But there is now also the question on how to sustain her successful career in swimming thereafter.
With - in her own words - her family being her (only) one big sponsor, there are limits for a professional athlete of her class. With a weekly training of 6 units in swimming and 3 units in athletics every financial support from outside is highly appreciated.
The question is now on where to look and whom to approach. With the German state just in a mood of financial cutbacks, the hope to find support in that direction is limited. So Christiane is also looking for private sponsors, who see her big potential and want to contribute to the success of disability sport in general.
As our website is celebrating its fifth year on the Net in the end of August, once again we encourage our visitors to keep supporting athletes with a disability. Christiane Reppe can be reached via her swim club Universitäts-Sport-Vereinigung TU Dresden e.V.
Address: Freiberger Straße 31, D-01067 Dresden
Email: KONTAKT@SCHWIMMEN-DRESDEN.DE
Tel: (+49)- 351- 4965810
Fax: (+49)- 351- 4965818
© 2004 Steffen Berk
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