When his teammates jumped with joy, Felix Rogue very calmly lifted the winner’s trophy with his right hand. The fair boy smiled contentedly. The 32-year-old goalball player said he was not someone who let his emotions run free – not even after winning the title. Roj was the German champion with RGC Hansa. “We did it with confidence,” says the visually impaired blonde with satisfaction.
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“Simply Brilliant”, the championship title in club history followed by head coach Mario Turloff, cheers. And club owner and national player Reno Tiede says: “The titles are in the history books. This is a very good thing.”
A dream come true for Rostock. On 8 January 2014, he was one of the co-founders of RGC Hansa. Today Germany’s first pure goalball club has about 80 members. “We were ambitious from the start,” Tide says.
The Rostockers, moving to Leipzig for the second half of the season, left the competition behind. RGC decided all five matches early. In goalball, games are canceled after a difference of ten goals.
Defending champion Chemnitzer BC But after the success of 17:7, the title was certain. But only after 14:4 did SSG Blista Marburg celebrate.
Rostockers scored 133 goals in ten games of the season – more than any other team – conceded the fewest goals (49) and Felix Rogge was the most successful goalscorer in the Bundesliga. His 58 litters got caught in the net. John Turloff was voted the best young player.
“It’s great that it works after the dirty Paralympics,” says Felix Ross. The pain about the unfortunate qualifying round in Tokyo was deep, says Roge, who comes from Nevrin near Neubrandenburg. He was in solitary confinement for two weeks. “One morning I woke up and said to myself: What’s the matter? Get up, just start again!” says the right-hander, who will return to Chemnitz after the League Cup next weekend.
Coach Turloff regrets the passing of the mighty thrower. “It would be a dream if Felix had settled here.” In the coming season, young players such as John Turloff, Serhi Zholudev and Kylian Kolrep, who turned 16 on Monday, will be challenged more. The trio are aiming to defend their title at the Under-19 Championships in Rovershagen on 20 November.
There is yet another international attraction this year for Rogge und Tiede. Both are part of the squad for the European Championships to be held in Turkey (1 to 13 November).
Ross doesn’t like to talk about his chances of successfully defending his title or about podium places. “First of all, it is important to go through the group stage. Then comes the quarter finals. And if we should make the semi-finals, we will qualify for the World Cup,” says the person who is planning a backpack tour for the end of the year. The disease will be on the road for two months. His travel destinations include Prague, Norway, Brazil and Canada. “Through sports you get to know people everywhere.” It totally doesn’t work without the goalball. “I’ll take the sports bag with me. You will find me in some hall or the other.”
RGC laughed: Felix Roge (58 goals), Reno Tiede (34), Konrad Andrzeuk (29), John Turloff (7), Kylian Kolrep (5), Serhi Zholudev.
