The master with a big goal in mind

Created: 06/10/2022, 08:00

By: Armin Rösl

"Role model with great courage and ambition": Lenni Volkert (l.) was honored by Mayor Michael Stolze for his special sporting successes.

© Dziemballa

Visually impaired athlete Lennart Volkert honored for extraordinary achievements.

Markt Schwaben – Michael Stolze was visibly emotional when he presented Lennart Volkert with the certificate at the Markt Schwaben town hall meeting: On behalf of the market town, the mayor honored the visually impaired 18-year-old for his extraordinary and exceptional sporting achievements.

Lennart "Lenni" Volkert became Bavarian champion in para-cross-country skiing in 2019 and won the German championship in the para athletics half-marathon in Berlin on April 3, 2022.

In a heart-stopping final, the Markt Schwabener crossed the finish line with a time of 1:27.54, one second ahead of the runner-up.

Already an ace in football years ago

"You are a role model with your great courage and ambition," said Stolze when he presented the certificate to Lenni Volkert to great applause from around 80 visitors at the town hall meeting.

Shortly before, the mayor had announced "an extraordinary sports honor".

The laudatory speech was held by Johannes Piller, who was Volkert's football coach in 2016 when he was twelve.

“You have fulfilled your role as captain superbly.

We coaches could delegate responsibility to you with a clear conscience – the team could always rely on you.

You're hard to beat on the pitch as a central defender, that gives the team enormous support.” That was the written summary of the season that Piller drew together with his former coaching colleague Wolfgang Kirmaier and that Piller now quoted at the town hall meeting.

Despite the visual impairment, we continue undeterred

But even in this flagship season, an eye disease restricted twelve-year-old Lenni Volkert.

She progressed faster, the young footballer had to end his career.

But he didn't stop with the sport, Johannes Piller looked back in the laudatory speech: "Despite these big hurdles, he stuck to the sport: In order to burn off energy, he started jogging through the Markt Schwabener Moos - he knew the routes and five percent vision was enough for him to orient himself.”

And Lenni Volkert used the cycle path to Anzing to train for his great passion, cross-country skiing and biathlon.

The Markt Schwabener is now part of the Bavarian state squad in the Nordic Combined para-ski team.

His big goal: to take part in the Paralympics in winter 2026. "Lenni has shown us with his life so far that you can do anything," said his former soccer coach in his speech.

"We shouldn't think about what isn't possible.

We should always test what we are actually capable of.” Lennart Volkert is not just an example of the fact that much more is possible than one might think, but a role model.