Team Lëtzebuerg at the Paralympic Games Paris 2024
The Paralympic sporting event of the year is coming! The Paralympic Games Paris 2024 will take place from 28th August to 8th September. On this occasion, two athletes from the Paralympic Team Lëtzebuerg will be competing in two para athletics disciplines: Tom Habscheid in shot put and Katrin Kohl in wheelchair racing. Find out more about the athletes and the development of para sport in the Grand Duchy thanks to the Luxembourg Paralympic Committee.
Paralympic Team Lëtzebuerg: the Luxembourgish athletes in Paris 2024
Tom Habscheid
Sport: para athletics
Discipline: shot put
Para athletic classification: F63
Date of birth: 11.08.1986 (38 years old)
Athletics was not Tom Habscheid's first choice of sport. He played football as a youngster but had to give it up because of a congenitally shortened leg. The Paralympic Games London 2012 proved a real source of inspiration for the athlete. He gained experience in various throwing disciplines, such as shot put and discus.
For the past 10 years or more, Tom Habscheid has regularly been amongst the medals in international competitions: F63 discus throw world runner-up (2017), F63 shot put world runner-up (2019), F63 discus throw European runner-up (2014, 2016 and 2018) and F63 shot put European runner-up (2018 and 2021). After taking part in the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, he arrives in Paris with the F63 shot put world record under his belt, throwing a distance of 15.10m.
You can follow his exploits on his Facebook or Instagram accounts.
Katrin Kohl
Sport: para athletics
Discipline: 100m wheelchair racing
Para athletic classification: T54
Date of birth: 17.01.1996 (28 years old)
Katrin Kohl has been competing in para athletics since 2017 and joined the world circuit when she took part in the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in 2021. She suffers from spina bifida, a congenital malformation of the spinal column. She regularly competes in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m events in a wheelchair.
Her best sprinting performances include: 19''13 in 100m, 36''73 in 200m, 1'08''37 in 400m and 2'26''26 in 800m. She was selected thanks to a wild card awarded by the International Paralympic Committee, enabling her to participate in her favourite discipline, the 100m. Paris 2024 will be her first paralympic games.
You can follow her exploits on her Facebook or Instagram accounts.
All you need to know about para athletics
Para athletics is open to all categories of physical, visual and mental impairments. Athletes can compete in wheelchairs, with prostheses or from a throwing seat, depending on the type of sport. Visually impaired athletes may be accompanied by a guide for the races or be supported by a coach for throwing and jumping events, depending on the degree of their impairment.
Impairments are classified using one letter and two numbers:
- Letter: "T" for track or "F" for field.
- Numbers:
- The first number indicates the type of impairment: 1 = visual impairment; 2 = intellectual impairment; 3 = co-ordination impairment; 4 = short stature, amputation or similar; 5 = wheelchair; 6 = lower limb impairment competing with prosthesis.
- The second number indicates the degree of impairment: 1 being the highest degree and 8 the lowest.
You can find more information on the official website of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Luxembourg Paralympic Committee: developing para sports in the Grand Duchy
The Luxembourg Paralympic Committee is part of the Luxembourg Olympic and Sports Committee. It is the sports federation responsible for competitive and popular sports for people with impairments. The federation's objective is to facilitate access to sport for people with impairments as well as to promote a greater acceptance of these differences in society.
At the end of May 2024, the Committee presented the first official Paralympic rankings in its history. A total of five athletes were assigned to the Elite category and four to the Promotion category:
- Elite category
- Joël Adams: para cycling
- Tom Habscheid: para athletics - shot put
- Katrin Kohl: para athletics - wheelchair racing
- Joé Kurt: para triathlon
- Steve Nothum: para shooting/para trap
- Promotion category
- Philippe Hein: para table tennis
- Roberto Lomba: para judo
- Massimo Saputo: para athletics - sprint
- Matteo Scuto: para table tennis
The Luxembourg Paralympic Committee organises annual Paralympics Days. The event is open to everyone, young and old, big or small, with or without disabilities. The aim is to learn about Paralympic sports from sports experts and athletes from the Committee. During the 2023 edition, a total of 14 Paralympic sports were presented as part of an extensive programme. We can't wait for the 2024 edition, which will take place on 9th and 10th November!
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