The Face of Athletes: side by side

Back to back, they stand in the spotlight; their eyes looking forward, full of determination. Nicole Billa and Dorian Rittersbacher are united by their boundless passion for sport. The fact that one of the duo has one leg stood on a running blade makes no difference. Nicole Simon has shot the pair side by side for an inclusive photo project: "The Face of Athletes" is a charity campaign organised with the "Anpfiff ins Leben" (kick-off into life) association.

"It's passion that defines an athlete. Whether thousands of fans chant their name or no one knows them, how talented they are and where they come from - none of that matters. Not even whether they have one or two legs," says the Mannheim-born photographer. The result is 15 individual and couple portraits, which are available to view on the website www.faceofathletes.de. All proceeds will go to "Anpfiff ins Leben". The 16 professional, youth and amputee athletes pictured are all closely linked to the association. "Dorian has had to overcome some real adversity, but you wouldn't know it from looking at him. And Nici is also an absolute fighter, a powerful woman," says Simon.

''It's passion that defines an athlete''

Rittersbacher was diagnosed with cancer in the summer of 2019. A tumour on his right heel turned out to be malignant after an operation. The Weinheim native spoke to oncologists, who wanted to preserve the foot. However, this would have required a lot of tissue to be removed in another operation and skin to be transplanted from the calf. A necessary radiation treatment could also have affected the tendons. "Nobody could guarantee me that I would ever be able to jog again after this operation," the 30-year-old runner explains. Sports orthopaedists told him that by amputating his lower leg, he could be fit and play sports again faster. "It was a relatively easy decision for me."

"It was a tough move, but it was certainly the right one for him," says TSG striker Nicole Billa. As soon as Christoph Holzenkamp from "Anpfiff ins Leben" contacted her, she knew she wanted to take part in the photo project. "I have often watched the amputee footballers at the SAP Cup and I am always fascinated by the way they kick with crutches and the speed at which they do it. The amount of energy and passion they put into it is really cool," says the 25-year-old Austrian. Rittersbacher's story also impressed her: "The way he was ready to get up and carry on so soon after such a bad stroke of luck, set himself new goals and then show determination to achieve them - that was inspiring to me.''

Rittersbacher was back on his feet very soon after his amputation. Three months after the operation, he received his prosthesis, and one month later "Anpfiff ins Leben" provided him with a carbon running blade, which he gradually started training with. His motivation was undiminished: "I had thought about working towards the Paralympics. The times of the runners might be achievable, but it takes a lot of training. With Corona, that's pretty difficult at the moment." The running training offered by "Anpfiff ins Leben" cannot be offered at the moment, only strength and conditioning training once a week via video conference.

Rittersbacher currently does one hour of sport a day, running or cycling. More is hardly possible due to his two children and his job at a Swiss bank in Zurich, even if he is not in the office as often at the moment because of Corona. He used to do two or three hours of sport a day: running, climbing, mountaineering, or triathlon. To achieve his Paralympics dream, he would have to ramp up his training again. "I'm not putting any pressure on myself at the moment, but I can imagine it. And when I set myself goals, I'm very dogged and ambitious." This irrepressible will and motivation to go beyond the pain barrier is something he shares with his photo partner Billa.

''The determination to give everything in sport and life is something all athletes have in common''

"The two were in perfect harmony at the shoot," says photographer Simon. "Nici was full of energy and drive. You could really feel her giving everything on the pitch to win with her team. Pure joie de vivre." Rittersbacher also had an incredibly positive aura, he said. He told her his story and that sport was an incentive and crutch for him. "That touched me a lot. His love for life is really contagious, I felt it pass on to me. He left a very special impression through his attitude and outlook on life. After the shoot, I said to myself, 'Nicole, if you whine one more time, shame on you'."

It makes no difference to Simon whether she's photographing legends like Wladimir Klitschko, Lewis Hamilton and Boris Becker or lesser-known athletes with a disability. "The determination to give everything in sport and life is something all athletes have in common. They never give up, always believe in themselves." The photographer came up with the idea for the campaign after conversations with a friend who has a disability but always has a positive attitude - a role model for her, as well as for the protagonists of "The Face of Athletes". "People with disabilities unfortunately still have very big hurdles to overcome, including mental ones. That's why I wanted to do a project under the motto 'cohesion instead of exclusion'."

She pitched her idea to "Anpfiff ins Leben" and together they set about developing and implementing it. The shoots, which involved amputee athletes as well as youth and professional athletes such as Sebastian Rudy, Maximiliane Rall (TSG women) or Patrick Groetzki (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), took place before the pandemic, but everything else had to be postponed. An exhibition in the Mannheim Engelhorn fashion house has been planned, but an exact date has yet to be set due to the uncertain situation.

Just seven months after his amputation, Rittersbacher stood in front of Nicole Simon's camera. With the pictures and his story, he wants to encourage people and show them that it is possible to be active in sports even with an amputation. He found the shoot "enormously exciting and interesting". He had a long conversation with Billa and has been following her career ever since: "All her goals, the victories, new sponsorship contracts. I'm happy when she succeeds," he says. Billa also continues to follow amputee sports: "I would love it if there were more in the media than just the Paralympics. These athletes deserve more coverage." That, she said, was also one reason why she took part in "The Face of Athletes". "It's a small step to help make these impressive athletes a bit better known in the region."