Olympic Games
From Athlete to Photographer
For as long as I can remember, the Olympic Games carried a certain kind of magic. It was Barcelona 1992 that first brought me to the sport that would shape a large part of my life. Watching swimming on television as a child, I knew only one thing: I wanted to learn how to swim. What started with a swimming course eventually led me all the way to the German national open water team.
Like many athletes, I once dreamed of competing at the Olympic Games myself. While that dream never became reality, the Games remained a constant part of my journey. In 2012, I experienced my first Olympic Games in London as a spectator while still pursuing my own athletic career, only months before a shoulder surgery that would significantly change its direction.
Rio 2016 brought a different perspective. Alongside experiencing the Games, I photographed the triathlon competition on assignment and began to see the Olympics through a lens rather than from the stands. What started as a small assignment gradually became a much bigger ambition: to one day return to the Olympic Games as a photographer.
That ambition would take years to become reality. Paris 2024 eventually became the first Olympic Games I covered as an accredited photographer, working with a specialist accreditation for aquatics events.
The magic is still there. It simply looks different when viewed through a camera.
01
Before the races, the medals and the headlines, there is a moment when the Olympic Games become real. For me, Paris was filled with those moments. The Olympic Flame moving through the city, spectators gathering around landmarks that suddenly became part of sporting history and venues transformed into stages watched by millions around the world.
Growing up with the Olympic Games on television, these scenes had always felt distant. In Paris, they became part of everyday life. Walking through the city before sunrise, watching preparations unfold and witnessing the scale of the event from behind the scenes created a perspective that no broadcast could ever fully capture.
Long before the first start signal, the Games had already begun.
02
The Olympic aquatics programme brought together some of the world's best athletes across swimming, diving and open water competition. While every discipline offered its own visual language, the challenge remained the same: finding moments that go beyond results and capture the intensity, pressure and emotion of Olympic sport.
Among all disciplines, open water swimming carried a unique story in Paris. For months, uncertainty surrounded the Seine and whether competition would even be possible. In the end, the river became one of the most iconic backdrops of the Games. The early mornings, long before the city fully woke up, rewarded those willing to get out of bed with golden light reflecting across the water and a perspective of Paris that felt almost unreal.
Swimming
Olympic swimming is often defined by medals, records and fractions of a second. Yet some of the most memorable moments happen long before the starting signal or long after the race has ended.
Between celebrations, preparation, family moments and the pressure of performing on the biggest stage in sport, the stories behind the results often become just as memorable as the races themselves.
Open Water
Few Olympic events carried as much uncertainty before Paris 2024 as open water swimming. For months, discussions about water quality in the Seine dominated headlines and raised questions about whether competition would even take place.
In the end, the river became one of the defining stages of the Games. Long before sunrise, athletes, photographers and organisers gathered along the riverbanks while Paris slowly woke up around them.
The combination of iconic city scenery, golden morning light and world-class competition created a setting unlike any previous Olympic open water venue.
Diving
Olympic diving combines technical precision with visual elegance unlike any other discipline at the Games. Every movement is measured, every detail matters and success is often decided within fractions of a point.
Behind the performances lies years of preparation, concentration and the constant pursuit of perfection. From moments of complete focus to the emotions that follow a final dive, Paris offered a glimpse into both sides of the sport.
03
Beyond the Competition
The Olympic Games extend far beyond competition venues and medal ceremonies. Media appearances, interviews, celebrations and events at the German House create a second layer of stories that unfolds alongside the sporting action.
Athletes move directly from competition into television studios, press conferences and public appearances. Between interviews, celebrations and quiet moments away from the cameras, a different side of the Games begins to emerge.
Some of these moments last only seconds. Yet they often reveal more about the Olympic experience than any result sheet ever could.
04
A City Living the Games
Every Olympic Games leaves its mark on the host city. In Paris, the Games seemed to extend far beyond the competition venues.
From early mornings along the Seine to crowded streets gathering around the Olympic Flame, the city embraced the event in a way that felt impossible to ignore. Olympic moments appeared everywhere — on historic bridges, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in cafés, restaurants and public squares.
For a few weeks, sport became part of everyday life. The result was not only an Olympic Games, but a city that seemed to live and breathe the event from sunrise until long after dark.
The Olympic Games continue to inspire generations of athletes, spectators and storytellers. Paris 2024 reminded me why.