Impressions
"Nothing is impossible for the paracyclist"
Hans-Peter Durst is one of the most successful German para-athletes and, in addition to sport, is committed to the social participation of people with disabilities. The paracyclist's record of achievements in the T2 category (tricycle) fills pages: His greatest success is winning gold and silver at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. Hans-Peter Durst is an eight-time World Champion, 22-time German Paracycling and Paratriathlon Champion and three-time UCI Overall World Cup Paracycling Champion.
His story
The Dortmund native came to his sport in 1994 after a serious road accident through no fault of his own. "Ever since then I have had problems with my balance and cannot walk or run without aids. My reaction time is slowed down, my coordination is limited and my field of vision is incomplete," explains Hans-Peter Durst. At that time, the native of Allgäu was 37 years old, had a wife, two small children – and had to completely rearrange his life. He started training on the tricycle and quickly sensed that, besides athletic talent, he possessed a crucial trait for success: the willingness to torture yourself and constantly push yourself to your limits! Even though things were not always easy to begin with, Hans-Peter Durst fondly remembers his first cycling tour in 1999 on a very heavy tricycle over 145 kilometres from Dortmund to Günne. He says, "For me it was a subconscious signal for starting my second life as a cyclist with a disability."
Second life as a cyclist
To this day, for him it seems the sky is the limit, even after the biggest physical setbacks, he always fights his way back to the top. "You can do more than you think!" and "Nothing is impossible!" are his mottoes, which he brings to the world as an ambassador for disabled sports. That's how he wants to motivate people affected by disability and raise awareness in the media for the achievements of athletes with disabilities.
Discover the helmets
worn by Hans-Peter Durst:
