Fabienne Deprez lives in Mühlheim an der Ruhr and is conquering the world – the world of badminton. She is only 19 years old and has already tasted success in her short sporting career. In 2009, she won bronze in the singles and gold in the team event at the World Junior Championships. Fabienne Deprez trains and prepares for competitions at FC Langenfeld. She is supported by Deutsche Sporthilfe and Ströer. The group sponsors six young talents and Fabienne Deprez is one of them.
How important is sport to you?
Fabienne's answer: I finished high school this year and can now concentrate fully on sport. I have been able to turn my hobby into a career and that makes me really happy. I now have a chance to make a dream I have had since I was a little girl – standing on the top step of the podium at the 2016 Olympic Games – a reality.
Who is your greatest role model? Which athlete or athletes would you love to train with?
I don't have any role models. I think it is important to concentrate on myself, because if you only ever want to be as good as someone else, then it is difficult to find your own way. Of course, you can always look to other athletes for inspiration, but it is important that you always do things your own way.
I am lucky to be able to practice with one of the strongest training groups in Europe when it comes to badminton. One of my greatest wishes is to work together with a fitness trainer because I know that I need to improve a great deal in the area of conditioning.
How nervous are you before a competition?
I need to get a little bit nervous before each game so that I can build up tension inside of me. But being too nervous and having too much respect for your opponent is a problem because then you think far too much about how the game is going.
Benedikt Wagner lives in Rommerskirchen and is conquering the world – the world of fencing. He is 21 years old and has already tasted success in his short sporting career. In 2010, he became World Junior Champion and in 2011 he won silver – both in the team event. Benedikt Wagner trains and prepares for competition at TSV Bayer Dormagen. He is supported by Deutsche Sporthilfe and Ströer. The group sponsors six young talents and Benedikt Wagner is one of them.
How important is sport to you?
Sport is hugely important to me, as fencing has meant that I have had many different positive experiences all over the world. The most important thing for me has been learning how to cope with losing, how to learn from that and then how to set myself new challenges in a new and stronger position. Now I know that it is always worth working towards and fighting for a goal.
WWho is your greatest role model? Which athlete or athletes would you love to train with?
In Nicolas Limbach, I have one of the best fencers, if not THE best, in my training group. I benefit enormously from training with him and have a new challenge on a daily basis which requires me to give all I have. I would love to train with Roger Federer because he is an unbelievably complex and outstanding athlete and there are many parallels between tennis and fencing in terms of athlete requirements.
How nervous are you before a competition?
Before any competition, I always have a pleasant feeling of tension which gets me going and prepares me for what's to come. Everyone must learn separately how to deal with nervousness and understand how to use this tension to their benefit. After all, your opponent is just as nervous as you!
Tom Barth lives in Dippoldiswalde and is conquering the world – the world of biathlon. He is 21 years old and has already tasted success in his short sporting career. In 2011, he became double World Junior Champion in relay and sprint and won bronze in the pursuit event. Parallel to his training to become a police officer, Tom Barth prepares for competition at TuS Dippoldiswalde SVS. He is supported by Deutsche Sporthilfe and Ströer. The group sponsors six young talents and Tom Barth is one of them.
What are your goals in your sport?
Goal for this year: The participation at the European Championships.
And, for next season, to get back in the B team. In the long term, I’d obviously like more.
How often do you train?
In principle, every day but there are always days off as is the case with any other professional.
What other hobbies do you have?
Other hobbies include watching and playing football and windsurfing.
I also like watching athletics, cross-country skiing, swimming and tennis on television,
and biathlon too of course.
Stefan Windscheif lives in Cologne and is conquering the world – the world of beach volleyball. Currently in the army, he is 24 years old and has already tasted success in his short sporting career. In 2006, he became European U-19 Champion and in 2009 European U-23 Champion. Stefan Windscheif trains and prepares for competitions at Hamburger SV. He is supported by Deutsche Sporthilfe and Ströer. The group sponsors six young talents and Stefan Windscheif is one of them.
How did you come to your sport?
As with practically any other young boy, I started playing soccer. But then at the age of 13 I switched to the volleyball section at TuS Iserlohn. That's where I discovered beach volleyball and, after learning my trade in youth tournaments, I am now playing in the world series.
What motivates you?
When training, my motivation is the absolute desire to better myself and to get better even though I may already be good. At tournaments, the atmosphere in the stadium and the fans are my main sources of motivation. There is nothing better than celebrating a victory with the fans in a sold-out stadium.
How does your family support you?
Without my family and my girlfriend, I wouldn't be able to be so successful in the sport. It starts with the little things such as being brought to the airport, but psychological support is also important. There is always someone there to listen to me explain my problems and to show me another point of view.
Charlotte Bauer comes from Stemmwarde near Barsbüttel and is conquering the world – the world of triathlon. She is 20 years old and has already tasted success in her short sporting career. In 2010, she swam, cycled and ran to a silver medal at the World Junior Championships. Charlotte Bauer trains and prepares for competition at FC Voran e.V. in Reinbek while also studying for university. She is supported by Deutsche Sporthilfe and Ströer. The group sponsors six young talents and Charlotte Bauer is one of them.
How did you come to your sport?
I started with triathlon in the autumn of 2007 after being a swimmer since the age of 3 and later reaching a high level. I missed the fresh air that I simply could not get in a stuffy indoor swimming pool. My swimming coach back then discovered my talent for running, which is actually quite unusual for a swimmer. Switching to triathlon motivated me greatly and in my first season I became German under-19 champion.
To what extent Triathlon motivates you?
Thanks to the combination of three different types of sport – swimming, cycling and running – triathlon offers fantastic diversity. It's great fun training outdoors. If you have reached your limits in one of these endurance sports, the next one is just round the corner. It is exciting to pace yourself so that you are in a position to counter-attack your opponent later on in the run, for example. But above all, it is sporting success that motivates me the most.
How does your family support you?
My family supports me first and foremost financially so that I have a chance to take part in this sport. My parents and my two brothers also support me at times when not everything is going as well as I’d like.
Lisa Schmidla comes from Krefeld and is conquering the world – the world of rowing. She is 20 years old and has already tasted success in her short sporting career. In 2009, she won the World Junior Championship and became World U-23 Champion in 2010. Lisa Schmidla trains and prepares for competition at Crefelder FC. She is supported by Deutsche Sporthilfe and Ströer. The group sponsors six young talents and Lisa Schmidla is one of them.
