The doctor was one of the world’s best in swimming: Helge Meeuw won gold at the 2006 European Championships, and three years later he became runner-up in the world championship. That’s how he feels today.
Interview: Sabine Hoffmann
You are now an internist. Do you still have time to go swimming regularly?
No. To be honest, I don’t really like swimming anymore. It still works well, but I’m very fixated on numbers and can’t stop looking at the clock as an old habit. Every time I do this, I realize how much my pace has dropped compared to before. This is frustrating. That’s why I’d rather go jogging today.
Her parents Folkert Meeuw and Jutta Weber were both also very successful swimmers and Olympians. At what age did you realize you were faster than everyone else?
Like every little boy, I wanted to be a footballer, but I just wasn’t good enough. I also went to swimming training once a week. Without much preparation, I became national champion in my age group at the age of eleven. When I was 15, I won the German Championships in my year three times, and in the next two years I won seven gold medals each.
Did your parents force this, put pressure on you?