Julius Dietrich's heart beats not only for his part-time job at REWE in Lehrte, but also for tennis. In June, the 22-year-old with Down's syndrome was one of around 4,500 athletes with intellectual or multiple disabilities to take part in the Special Olympics national summer games in Berlin. Together with his sister Marlene, who is two years older and has no disability status, he won gold in the "Double Mixed Level 4" category and in the "Level 4 Singles" category

Julius Dietrich has been playing with her at his local tennis club for ten years. "I'm best at forehands, but I also like playing at the net," he explains. He is also a fit runner. Once a week, he takes part in an inclusive group training session together with two players without disabilities.

As the state competitions for qualifying for the Special Olympics were cancelled due to the coronavirus, Dietrich took part in a tennis day event in Hanover instead, where an assessor noticed him. To prepare for the big competition, he had private lessons where he worked on his fitness and coordination in addition to tennis. "My big role models are Angelique Kerber and Rafael Nadal," he says.

By taking part, the two-time gold medallist can now apply for the Special Olympics World Games, which will also be held in Berlin in June 2023.