'Blade Jumper' poised to soar further than the Olympic long jump champion to shatter glass ceiling
Updated . First published at
Markus Rehm is poised to make Paralympics history when he sizes up the Stade de France long jump sandpit on Thursday (AEST).
Known as 'The Blade Jumper,' Rehm's dream is to clear the mythical 9m mark in the T64 long jump.
The German's right leg was amputated under the knee after suffering a wakeboarding injury when he was 14.
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Mike Powell of the United States making his world record leap in 1991. Getty
Rehm has dominated the event for more than a decade and his world record is only 23cm shy of Mike Powell's able bodied record of 8.95m set way back in 1991.
"Potentially he will jump further than the Olympic long jump champion," Australia's six-time gold medallist Heath Francis told Stan Sport's Paralympics Daily.
"Just a few weeks ago, (Miltiadis) Tentoglou from Greece jumped 8.48m, Markus Rehm's world record is 8.72m.
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Markus Rehm of Germany during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Getty
"So we may be seeing a Paralympic athlete jump further than an Olympic athlete for the first time."
Rehm is going for his fourth consecutive gold medal and jumped 8.49m on his last visit to Paris for the world championships last year.
The 36-year-old's day job is as a prosthetist and he is renowned for his attention to detail and scientific approach to the sport.
Markus Rehm of Germany competes at Stade Charlety in Paris. Getty
Rehm's carbon fibre prosthesis has been upgraded several times as he searches for crucial gains.
"Markus actually isn't allowed to compete against able bodied athletes," Francis said.
"They do deem that the blade might give an advantage over the long jump. But seeing a guy soar 8.72m in the air, to jump that distance, is just incredible. It's 20cm shy of the world record for able bods.
Markus Rehm of Germany jumps during a filming session at Stade Charlety in 2023 in Paris. Getty
"It is absolutely incredible."
Added Paralympic tennis champion David Hall: "It's like Bob Beamon territory!"
Rehm told Olympics.com that his mobile phone wallpaper was a big '9' to serve as constant motivation.
American long jumper Bob Beamon breaks the world record at the 1968 Olympics. Getty
"I'm dreaming of this magic mark," Rehm said.
"8.95m still stands for Mike Powell. And for me, it's always so far out of reach and slowly we're getting closer.
"To be very honest, yeah, that's the goal."
Rehm hoped to compete at the Rio Olympics in 2016 but his application was rejected as it was deemed his prosthesis could give him an unfair advantage.
"I think together we are just better," Rehm told Olympics.com.
"Why separate each other so much because we love the same thing?
"We do the same thing and with or without a prosthetic leg, I think it doesn't make a big difference. Also, for the people that enjoy watching long jumping, I think it's great because it is interesting.
"It's new, it's different. And at the end of the day, we want to deliver a show. We also want to entertain people and show our performances, and I think together we can do it way better than on our own."
The men's T64 long jump begins at 3am on Thursday (AEST) with the final scheduled for 4.29am.
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