The first time I got in touch with sports was when I was seven. I started playing handball which I continued until 2009. I have been playing in the 1st men´s team of “SG Oberlichtenau” regularly. In between I tried other sports like gymnastics, table tennis and lifeguard-swimming which I liked more or less.

At the age of 14 my two elder brothers Christian (seven years older) and Patrick (eight years older) motivated me to accompany them in jogging. I well remember their words: ?“Come on fat boy, that´ll be good for you”. This was, of course, enough motivation for me as older brothers always are important in shaping ones interests. We mapped out a route of 5km through the mountains and two months later I already felt a huge difference concerning my fitness and motivation. Promptly my aims have changed and I wanted to win within my age group at our local races (Oberlichtenauer Summer and New Year Eve’s Run). However, I did not take the training too serious rather just for fun as I was very young. But still sports have changed my life since I was little.

When I was 16 my brothers again have made a big impression on me: they bought themselves racing bikes, so I did too. Together we took part at our first triathlon, the so-called “KnappenMan”, but at that time just in the beginners relay team. Since that day we were obsessed with triathlon. One year later distances over 10km became part of my training and at the age of 18 (2002) as well in competition. Straight away I managed the 10km in 36 minutes at the “Dresden Marathon”.?Also the cycling sessions with my brothers were bearing fruit. Furthermore we founded the department “Triathlon” at the “OSSV Kamenz” with Guido Müller. Now a solid foundation has been laid for swimming. Since my time as a lifeguard I was good at breaststroke but never made experiences at free-style. Gradually my swimming got better and I frequently took part in all disciplines own my own now.