Martin Schulz again European champion: Triumph despite calf problems!

Martin Schulz again European champion: Triumph despite calf problems!

Another great success for para-triathlete Martin Schulz: Today, June 14, 2025, the 35-year-old once again won the title of European champion in Besançon, France. This brings his already impressive collection to a whopping twelve European Championship titles. Creative and fast as usual, Schulz finished in a time of 1:02:52 hours and this time he had to struggle with calf problems that had bothered him in the weeks before the competition. But the athlete didn't let that deter him and demonstrated his outstanding form at the crucial moment. Second place went to the Portuguese athlete Filipe Marques, who finished with a time of 1:03:43 hours, followed by Tom Williamson from Ireland, who stopped the clock at 1:05:31 hours. The competition was certainly strong, but Schulz showed once again that he is in a class of his own in his starting class PTS5.

But it wasn't just Schulz who won medals at the European Championships: Max Gelhaar secured silver in his starting class, while Neele Ludwig also achieved second place in her class. A real team effort, so to speak, for the German para-triathletes, as Schulz and Schulz won a total of four medals. This is also reported by the Germany Paralympics team, which highlights the positive trend among German athletes.

Competitive conditions and changes

However, the competition had its pitfalls, as due to poor weather conditions and the water quality in Besançon, the triathlon was quickly converted into a duathlon. The athletes first had to run 2.5 kilometers, followed by 20 kilometers on the bike and finally run another 5 kilometers. This was not the first time such a transformation had occurred; National coach Tom Kosmehl remembered a similar incident last year. Despite the challenges, the German team showed a remarkable performance, which Kosmehl summed up with a clear “We performed well”.

In addition to Schulz, several other athletes also achieved their best performances: Elke van Engelen achieved second place in her category with a time of 1:18:36 hours. Here she was trumped by the Spaniard Marta Francés Gómez, who completed the route in 1:15:16 hours. Neele Ludwig could also be proud of herself: In her third international race, she secured her first international medal with 1:33:15 hours, while she had to relegate Cécile Saboureau from France to first place with 1:23:07 hours.

Looking into the future

National coach Kosmehl is optimistic for the coming months. Preparations for the Paralympics are underway and the athletes appear to be in good shape. This makes the further development of the German para-trisathlon team exciting to watch. Schulz and Co. have reason to be happy at the moment, but the next challenge is just around the corner - and as always: the form has to be right!

For more information about the successes of Martin Schulz and other athletes, those interested can click on the detailed reports diesachsen.de and teamdeutschland-paralympics.de access.