Markus Rehm burst across the long‑jump pit in New Delhi on October 4, reaching 8.43 m and taking home his eighth straight world title at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships. His victory was more than a distance—it marked the end of a 16‑year partnership that began and now finishes right where it started, in India.
Rehm’s journey started in 2009. The lanky German long‑jumper lost a right leg in a wake‑boarding accident when he was 14. He found a coach in Steffi Nerius, a former world‑champion javelin thrower, who was then training young athletes in Bangalore. Their first international meet together took place there, and Rehm remembers how nervous he was. “She gave me belief,” he said. “It was the start of a fantastic journey, and it’s fitting that the story ends in India.”
During the years that followed, Nerius helped Rehm rebuild his athletic identity. She taught him more than just technique—she reminded him he still had the fire to run, jump, and compete. As they trained in Leverkusen, she sharpened every detail: the angle of takeoff, the rhythm of the approach, the timing of the leap. Her calm, precise coaching built a family‑like bond between them. “It was more than coach and athlete,” Rehm told reporters.
Together they shattered record after record. When Rehm began, the long‑jump world record for amputees was under 7 m. With Nerius’s guidance, he first crossed 7 m, then 7.5 m, broke the 8‑meter barrier, and in 2023 launched a stunning 8.72 m jump— a distance that could compete with able‑bodied athletes.
Despite the accolades, the duo has always prized each other’s support. Nerius once carried Rehm’s kit bag through an airport after a grueling competition, and she routinely stayed late to replay his jumps on video, hunting for small tweaks that could add centimetres. “She cared about me and not just the jump,” Rehm said.
Now, after the championship, Rehm is joining a Dutch training squad in Amsterdam with world champion Fleur Jong. He still dreams of pushing past his 8.72‑m world record, but he acknowledges the profound impact Steffi has had on his life.
In a field where pressure can fracture coach‑athlete relationships, Rehm and Nerius remained steadfast for 16 years, earning eight world titles and a record that will long stand in para athletics history. Their final day in Delhi was not just a champion’s farewell but the closing chapter of one of sport’s most inspiring partnerships.
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