BERLIN — German Paralympian Markus Rehm is calling for a new scientific study to determine whether his carbon-fiber prosthesis gives him an unfair advantage.
Rehm, who won the long jump at the German nationals last year but wasn’t nominated for the European Athletics Championships because of his prosthesis, tells Sport Bild "the investigation last year didn’t take enough factors into account. Only the potential advantages were considered. But the disadvantages that I have through the prosthesis have to be included in the results."
German athletics federation president Clemens Prokop had said there was a "significant difference" between jumps with a blade-like prosthesis and natural jumps in the run-up and liftoff, and that Rehm’s artificial limb might give him an unfair "catapult effect."
Rehm says he doesn’t believe he gets any advantage from the prosthesis.
