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On paper, a match-up between Germany Pol is perhaps not the most anticipated of the European Championships 2017 this June. But for German Thomas Bohme, the chance to play one-on-one Polish club teammate Piotr Luszynski excites him.
“It’s going to be fun,” the 25-year-old said laughing. “I think I’m just a bit quicker, so I can use my speed. But when he’s near the basket... you’re screwed. He’ll make the shot, so you have to keep him away from the basket, as far as you can.”
The teammates play for the German-based RSV Lahn-Dill club, although a clash between the two at the Championships in Tenerife, Spain, is not guaranteed – Germany Pol are in different group. However, a possible meeting with Bohme’s British teammate Joe Bestwick could happen, if Bestwick is selected for GB.
“I’ve trained with them the whole year, play with them in matches in the finals, suddenly they’re your opponents. It’s always a fun experience,” said Bohme.
Training for wheelchair basketball games is treated like a full-time job at Bohme’s Bundesliga club. They have eight to nine sessions each week matches on weekends. The outcome: numerous titles, as Lahn-Dill are the most successful club side in Germany; they won their 13th title in April.
Such opportunities offered by wheelchair basketball are beyond what a 10-year-old Bohme expected when he watched his first live game. “I was into sports when I was growing up; I watched football. I wanted to do sports by myself, but I wanted to be in a sports club play sports. I had nothing to do with basketball before, to be honest. Like, I knew that we had a team but I wasn’t very interested in basketball,” he recalled.
“I started to go to the games, I was like ‘that’s cool, I want to try it.’”
Born with spina bifida, the 25-year-old developed strong wheelchair skills at an early age his talent with a basketball was recognised; he debuted in the top flight German league at just 14.
Since then, he has represented Germany at two Paralympics has European Championship silver bronze medals.
“I didn’t know anything about wheelchair sports,” Bohme said. “But then when I started to play I got to know more more, like there are the Paralympics, thought it would be awesome to be part of it one day. But it was always like a dream. And now that dream came true. When I was young I never thought I’d be here.”
The last time Germany won a Paralympic medal was in 1992 they have never won a World Championship title. But they are on the rise, looking to first prove themselves on the regional level perhaps pull a similar surprise as what Spain did at Rio 2016 – when they took silver, their first ever Paralympic medal.
The irony is that the Spaniards beat the Germans on their way to the gold medal playoff, in a game that Bohme recalled well.
“We were up the whole game lost it in the last few minutes,” he said. “So it was disappointing. But I think we’ll have some young players grow. We saw it. We can play with the best teams.”
After a pause, he continued with a laugh: “Maybe not the US . They destroyed us
“No one had a chance in the tournament. They were better than any other team, but the other teams we could compete . We have to put more work in.”
Germany will gain automatic qualification for next year’s World Championships as hosts, relieving some pressure when they play in June’s Euro tournament, where teams get to qualify for Hamburg 2018.
On Germany’s goals there, Bohme said: “Top five for the European Championship; we have a young team some good young players coming up.”
Bohme knows that between now 2020, his responsibilities on the national team would change.
“I was always the young guy, the little guy. Now it’s a new experience for me to be one of the more experienced guys young players look up to. It’s a nice feeling. You are like a role model. You have to act like it, be like motivating the young players. Train harder than any the others, to push the others, to be in that situation.”
“There’s still the big dream to win a Paralympic medal, no matter what colour it is. Gold, silver, bronze. It’s a big dream.”
European Championships 2017 will be held from 21 June – 30 June - http://eurowb2017.com/
* Article from paralympics.org
