Anna-Maria Wagner: "The most beautiful thing is when I can give something to the athletes"
Anna-Maria Wagner first had to take a shower. The two-time Olympic bronze medalist had just led the warm-up routine before the final competitions of the Special Olympics National Games at the Sports Center Homburg-Erbach in judo. And not only did she lead it, she also actively participated. Forward and backward rolls, small jumps, lateral turns on the ground, back and abdominal strengthening, special judo exercises, and much more made not only the approximately 60 Special Olympics judokas sweat for half an hour, but also the world champion of 2021 and 2024. She explained everything alongside and confidently completed the exercises with the microphone in hand. Besides, it was warm in the hall, especially under the judo suit.
Ambassador with Passion
Anna-Maria Wagner lives her role as an ambassador for Special Olympics with great passion, which is felt in every one of her encounters with athletes. "She immediately said she wanted to be there on all three finals days," said judo competition manager Marina Müller, "she wanted to participate in all the award ceremonies so that no participant would be disappointed. That's so wonderful, I am at a loss for words." In addition to the warm-up program, Wagner was also scheduled to accompany the award ceremonies.
[advertisement placement="medium_rectangle" align="left"]The 30-year-old gladly took on the ambassador role two years ago when she was asked by Special Olympics North Rhine-Westphalia. "The most beautiful thing for me is that I can give something to the athletes," she said, "and it makes me so happy when I can look into enthusiastic faces." Wagner is not only involved in the National Games but also as a coach of the Special Olympics performance group in North Rhine-Westphalia. "They train very well," she said, "the athletes are motivated and very eager. And they improve excellently from training to training. That is really fun."
She also really enjoys the National Games in Saarland. "The atmosphere here is so great, it’s wonderful how everyone comes together for shared meals or at the athletes’ disco. Many already know each other and celebrate their encounters. It’s a huge event. I hadn’t imagined it to be this big," she said in amazement. For example, in the Homburg Sports Center, a large group of schoolchildren loudly created an exuberant atmosphere – sometimes you couldn’t even hear yourself think. At the competition venues, the mood is naturally boosted by the fact that around 100 school classes had already engaged with the topic before the games and are now spread across the venues supporting the athletes. Sport boosts self-confidence
