The Olympic flame is already burning in Paris and in a few days the Olympic Games will start there on 26 July. More than 10,000 athletes and 13 million visitors from all over the world are expected in the French metropolis. The German Olympic team also includes six top athletes and students from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU), who have been preparing intensively for their competitions over the past few months and are showing that competitive sport and studying can go hand in hand.

Six HU athletes compete in six disciplines

Leo Köpp studied law at Humboldt-Universität, is now doing his doctorate at HU and is a track and field athlete at LG Nord Berlin in the walking discipline. He will be aiming for a good placing over the 20 km distance on the first day.

Renée Lucht is studying special education and sport with a teaching focus at the HU. The 25-year-old judoka is part of the HU top athlete programme and will represent Germany in the +78kg weight class at the Olympic Games. Lucht has already won a gold medal at the Grand Slam in Tbilisi this year.

Christina Wassen is a water diver with the Berlin TSC and is studying for a bachelor's degree in psychology at the HU. She has already won gold in synchronised diving from the ten-metre tower at the 2023 European Championships and silver in the individual event.

Tabea Schendekehl is studying English and sport at the HU to become a teacher and is a rower for RC Hansa Dortmund. She came 7th in the quadruple sculls at the 2023 World Championships.

Annika Zillekens is a modern pentathlete and is competing in her fourth Olympic Games this year. The 34-year-old is studying sport and biology with a teaching focus at the HU and is part of the HU's study and top-class sport programme.

Martin Zwicker studies sports science at HU and is also part of the elite athlete programme. The 37-year-old plays hockey for the Berlin Hockey Club in the 1st Bundesliga. At the 2023 World Championships, the German national hockey team beat Belgium in the final and Zwicker became world champion. He won bronze at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

We are keeping our fingers crossed for all HU athletes for the upcoming competitions and wish them every success!

‘Study and elite sport’ programme offers a wide range of support for athletes

Top athletes face the great challenge of having to deliver top performances in their sporting career at the same time as preparing for their professional career after sport. In order to achieve this in the best possible way, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin has been successfully supporting athletes for more than twenty years with the ‘Study and top-class sport’ programme to help them combine university studies and competitive sport. The wide range of services offered as part of the programme extends from the development of more flexible models for organising studies to individual counselling and raising awareness of sport-related needs among the university public. Since 2002, more than 400 athletes have already been successfully supported at HU as part of the ‘Study and top-class sport’ programme.

Photos of the Olympic participants