by Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Markus Rehm cut a striking figure at the 2025 Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, arriving with a headband that read "Thank you, Steffi" as he captured his eighth consecutive world long jump title.
The 37-year-old German leapt 8.43 meters to secure gold and to mark the end of a 15-year partnership with coach Steffi Nerius, the 2009 javelin world champion.
"I wanted to honor her efforts and say thank you for the past 15 years," said Rehm. Trying to control his emotions, he added, "What is behind us is unique and can't be put into words."
Together, Rehm and Nerius won 17 major titles since 2011, including his world record of 8.72 meters set in 2023. Ahead of the New Delhi event, the pair agreed to part ways, with Nerius now focusing on her role as head of a sports academy in Leverkusen.
Nerius had prepared a farewell gift for her athlete - a bottle inscribed with "Master of the Skies." The tribute reflected a career that also includes five Paralympic golds, four in the long jump and one in the 4x100-meter relay.
"Not only does his number of medals represent an unprecedented career, but for him as an athlete," said Nerius, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, praising his relentless achievements.
Rehm will now continue under coach Guido Bonsen in Amsterdam.
He lost his right lower leg in a wakeboarding accident at age 14, but rebuilt his life as both a professional athlete and orthopedic technician. His dominance in para sport has drawn comparisons to Carl Lewis, who won four Olympic or Paralympic long jump titles.
Rehm has also pushed for Paralympic athletes to compete in able-bodied events, though debates remain over whether prosthetic technology offers an advantage, according to the German Athletics Association.
In New Delhi, Rehm outjumped Italian Mattia Furlani, who two weeks earlier claimed the world championship title in the able-bodied competition with 8.39 meters.
"Unbelievable, breathtaking, to be unbeaten all these years. This medal is a medal for Steffi," Rehm said in tears, while vowing to aim for even longer jumps. ■
