Suddenly she stood there on the starting block, in Berlin. Nicole Goos, 32 years old, from the Netherlands dives from that block straight into the pool at the Special Olympics, the largest multi-sport event for athletes with intellectual disabilities. At first sight that seems nothing special. She’s a swimmer, right? But Nicole is only 1 meter 33 tall and she had never dived off the starting block in a competition. “I thought it was very high. But it was great fun and I also was a little bit scared.”
By Walter Tempelman
In the indoor pool in Prenzlauer Berg, a trendy district in Berlin, the athletes compete against each other at their Olympic Games. But it’s much more than that. It’s not just about a gold medal. It’s about personal growth, about motivation, about showing that you can do something that you’re not sure you can do. In Nicole’s case, it is about that starting block. Coach Martijn Oosterveld of the club Stichting De Brug Midden-Groningen gets emotional when he speaks about that moment. “If I talk about it too much, tears will run down my cheeks again. The starting block is just about the same size that she is. She has to be helped on it and if you overcome your fears in such a different environment with a lot of people in the stands. That is very special.”
Normally Nicole jumps into the water next to the starting block, from the wall, or she has already gone into the water by the steps and is ready at the block. She enjoyed her race, the 25-meter freestyle, and all the cheers from the public. “It seems like all the attention is on me. Awesome!” Due to her short height, she will never be the first to reach the other side. Nicole knows that and she accepts it. “It’s too bad, but that’s the way it is. I can’t change anything anymore. But I am proud to be here.”
Dream
Her swimming colleague Patrick Brokschmidt, also part of the Dutch team, is proud to be in Berlin as well. From the moment the now 39-year-old swimmer first dived into the water, he has been dreaming of this moment. “I really wanted to go abroad to swim in such a big tournament. And now it’s finally here! This pool is so different, so much bigger, the pool at my club really can’t compete with that!”
Brokschmidt doesn’t just want to participate. He is fast and he develops his style really well. Partly by watching YouTube videos of Dutch Olympic legend Ranomi Kromowidjojo, his great idol. “She simply is the best, her techniques are amazing. I search for those videos on the internet and then try to imitate that by practicing it over and over again.” Coach Oosterveld also sees the progression. “Four years ago, this guy had no diplomas. He dived into the water and immediately showed what he could do. I’ve been through a lot as a trainer in 15 years, but I’ve never seen anything like this. So much progress.” And so Brokschmidt actually wants to win. “I’m really going for the gold medal, but actually I already have it. I’m participating in this tournament and nobody can take that away from me anymore.”
