Chemnitz wheelchair user Til (15) is taking part in the first German paraskate world championships, from 30/08 to 01/09/19.

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” is how Til Augustin describes his approach to life. The 15-year-old Chemnitzer is wheelchair-bound due to a congenital regression syndrome, a complex malformation of the lower spine – and has undergone numerous operations. Each operation is a new first for the doctors, because Til’s body is a biological one-off. However, this does not keep him from participating in sport: he acknowledges no limits, he simply gets on with it. He sails, skis and now he skates as well.

This ambition has already made him German champion twice, although he has only been involved in the sport for around a year. Now he wants to compete against the best in this sport - and is taking part in the first paraskate world championships to be held outside of the US, at the North Brigade in Cologne. He completes the WCMX, short for “WheelchairMX”, in his new, specially-adapted wheelchair. A special wheelchair for skating has a larger wheelbase and good suspension in particular. It was built in Brazil and fitted with a special bucket seat tailored to his size. Such equipment costs several thousand euros, money that Til’s mother, a single parent of eight children, could not afford without donations. “Til is an incredibly pleasant young man who proves that he can get the best out of life with ambition, perseverance and courage,” said Jörg Engelmann, managing director of CAC. “We are delighted that we could support him with a donation and keep our fingers crossed for him in the world championships.”

Get to know Til in his image video

Update (Sep 1st, 2019):
Til is world champion! We congratulate to the victory and to the world champion title in the division 4 (advanced U16). Find out more about WCMX here.