AS IRISH DUO Nicole Turner and Róisín Ni Riain contested Paralympic finals in Paris this evening, a certain Jurgen Klopp was watching on.
The former Liverpool manager was among the spectators at La Défense Arena, seated near a big Irish contingent.
📸 Paul McDermott, Sarah Keane, Lisa Clancy taking time to stop and pose for selfies with a super fan at La Défense Arena in Paris 🙌🏻#TheNextLevel | #Paris2024 | #TeamIreland pic.twitter.com/ES5AxgAP40
— Paralympics Ireland (@ParalympicsIRE) August 29, 2024
Klopp is supporting his long-time friend, New Zealand badminton player Wojtek Czyz, at the Games.
He watched Czyz lose his SL3 group game 2-0 to Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell at La Chapelle Arena earlier today.
Czyz is a former professional footballer, who at 21-years-old, sustained an injury that required his left leg to be amputated at the knee.
He went on to become a Paralympic long jump champion for Germany, before spending five years sailing around the world and helping amputees in remote places access prosthetics. His badminton journey began three years ago, at the age of 41.
The Guardian and The New York Times both tell Czyz’s story brilliantly, and detail the pair’s friendship, which stretches back to 2001.
“If I had time in the past, I would have shown up earlier but it is the first time in my life that I can come here,” Klopp said of his Paralympic experience so far.
“A nice part of this is that my good friend Wojtek is part of the Paralympics, so we can combine the two things.
“The stories behind the athletes are always special and my friend here is super special. That’s the only difference really. That’s what I love about sports, that it can change the world. Sometimes only for a moment and sometimes forever.
“In the Paralympic movement, there are obviously more hurdles to overcome [than at the Olympic Games], to show the young people and everyone what is possible. Whatever life has put in the hands for you, it is how you deal with it [that matters]. It’s super inspiring and I’m fully inspired by everything I’ve seen in the past few days.”
Klopp enjoyed watching Czyz play against “one of the best in the world” earlier on Thursday, and said it was an emotional experience.
“I sat next to Elena, his incredible wife, and we both had tears in our eyes. I know sports is always about a result and winning, but there’s much more behind that story. And Wojtek being here is so touching I couldn’t get my head around it.
“It’s the most inspiring story I’ve heard in my life. This story has to be told because it’s not normal. I know a lot of good people and nobody would’ve done it. That’s why it has to be told and that’s why I do it.
“He’s crazy. He is constantly doing things that I’m not brave enough to do. He only told me yesterday how easy it is to dive with sharks. I was like ‘Yes, I’ve heard it now but I still don’t do it’.”
Klopp added that last night’s spectacular opening ceremony at Place de la Concorde was “like a Taylor Swift concert — outstanding, just one-and-a-half hours too long”.
Ní Riain and Turner finished fourth and sixth in their respective finals.
