Alhassane Balde

Placing sixth in the T54 1500m at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (Athlete, 18 Jul 2017)

His uncle, who adopted him in Germany. (halbekatoffl.de, 19 Aug 2019; Athlete, 18 Jul 2017)

US basketball player Michael Jordan, French footballer Zinedine Zidane, South African politician Nelson Mandela. (halbekatoffl.de, 19 Aug 2019)

In 2018 he suffered from several infections. (general-anzeiger-bonn.de, 04 Jun 2018)

"Obstacles are choices." (Athlete, 18 Jul 2017)

In September 2017 he was named an honorary member of German sports club SFF Bonn. (ssfbonn.de, 09 Sep 2017)

In 2010 he was named Sportsman of the Decade in Ahaus, Germany. He had been previously named Sportsman of the Year in Ahaus on four occasions between 2001 and 2005. (alhassane-balde.de, 2010)

He was named the 2006 Junior Sportsman of the Year in Germany. (alhassane-balde.de, 2010)

To win a medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (Sparhandy YouTube channel, 07 Nov 2019)

He has paraplegia due to a medical error at birth. Doctors in Guinea did not realise that he was the second of twins and while pulling him out of the womb in breech position, his spine was injured. (alhassane-balde.de, 04 Sep 2015)

NEW RACING CHAIR
In 2019 a car manufacturer designed and built a new racing chair for him, worth more than 100,000 euros. He was unable to use it at the 2019 World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as there was a problem with the steering, but he expected it to be ready for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. "The carbon chassis felt good going forward and I was able to achieve a higher top speed. But there was a problem with the steering, which in turn created a problem going around corners. But there is enough time to solve the problem and get it ready for Tokyo." (general-anzeiger-bonn.de, 07 Nov 2019; general-anzeiger-bonn.de, 14 Dec 2018)

CONFIDENCE THROUGH SPORT
Participating in sport has built his confidence in dealing with everyday challenges both as a person with an impairment, and as a person with mixed heritage. "My father is from Guinea and my mother is from Munster, and has blond hair. This caused some issues. Growing up with this experience and knowledge, and feeling the stares of people, that sharpened my senses. Sport has had a huge influence on how I developed, because as an impaired person, I have always looked for chances to join in. I've tried to have a life and participate in society. Through sport I have built up my confidence and learned to define new goals, and that's something fundamental in my life." (dw.com, 30 Oct 2020)

FROM GUINEA TO GERMANY
Born in Guinea as the second of twin brothers, at age nine months he went to Dusseldorf, Germany, to receive medical treatment. He stayed with his uncle and his aunt. German doctors believed his chances of surviving in Guinea were less than in Germany, so at age five he was adopted by his uncle, and moved to Dusseldorf. He has travelled to Guinea several times and his twin brother has visited him in Germany. "Even though we grew up so differently, we are in direct contact with each other. As a person in a wheelchair I would not have survived in Guinea. I've gone through everything here [Germany] and got all the support. I feel like a German, but with Guinean roots." (dw.com, 30 Oct 2020; Sparhandy YouTube channel, 07 Nov 2019; halbekatoffl.de, 15 Aug 2019; alhassane-balde.de, 2010)