On paper, a match-up between Germany and Poland is perhaps not the most anticipated of theย European Championships 2017 this June. But for Germanย Thomas Bohme, the chance to play one-on-one against Polish club teammate Piotr Luszynski excites him.

โ€œItโ€™s going to be fun,โ€ the 25-year-old said laughing. โ€œI think Iโ€™m just a bit quicker, so I can use my speed. But when heโ€™s near the basket… youโ€™re screwed. Heโ€™ll make the shot, so you have to keep him away from the basket, as far as you can.โ€

The teammates play for the German-based RSV Lahn-Dill club, although a clash between the two at the Championships in Tenerife, Spain, is not guaranteed โ€“ Germany and Poland are in different group. However, a possible meeting with Bohmeโ€™s British teammate Joe Bestwick could happen, if Bestwick is selected for GB.

โ€œIโ€™ve trained with them the whole year, play with them in matches and in the finals, and suddenly theyโ€™re your opponents. Itโ€™s always a fun experience,โ€ said Bohme.

Training forย wheelchair basketballย games is treated like a full-time job at Bohmeโ€™s Bundesliga club. They have eight to nine sessions each week and matches on weekends. The outcome: numerous titles, as Lahn-Dill are the most successful club side in Germany; they won their 13th title in April.

Such opportunities offered byย wheelchair basketballย are beyond what a 10-year-old Bohme expected when he watched his first live game. โ€œI was into sports when I was growing up; I watched football. I wanted to do sports by myself, but I wanted to be in a sports club and play sports. I had nothing to do with basketball before, to be honest. Like, I knew that we had a team but I wasnโ€™t very interested in basketball,โ€ he recalled.

โ€œI started to go to the games, and I was like โ€˜thatโ€™s cool, I want to try it.โ€™โ€

Born with spina bifida, the 25-year-old developed strong wheelchair skills at an early age and his talent with a basketball was recognised; he debuted in the top flight German league at just 14.

Since then, he has represented Germany at two Paralympics and has European Championship silver and bronze medals.

โ€œI didnโ€™t know anything about wheelchair sports,โ€ Bohme said. โ€œBut then when I started to play and I got to know more and more, like there are the Paralympics, and thought it would be awesome to be part of it one day. But it was always like a dream. And now that dream came true. When I was young I never thought Iโ€™d be here.โ€

The last time Germany won a Paralympic medal was in 1992 and they have never won a World Championship title. But they are on the rise, looking to first prove themselves on the regional level and perhaps pull a similar surprise as what Spain did atย Rio 2016ย โ€“ when they took silver, their first ever Paralympic medal.

The irony is that the Spaniards beat the Germans on their way to the gold medal playoff, in a game that Bohme recalled well.

โ€œWe were up the whole game and lost it in the last few minutes,โ€ he said. โ€œSo it was disappointing. But I think weโ€™ll have some young players and grow. We saw it. We can play with the best teams.โ€

After a pause, he continued with a laugh: โ€œMaybe not the US [reigning Paralympic champs]. They destroyed us [at Rio.]

โ€œNo one had a chance in the tournament. They were better than any other team, but the other teams we could compete [against]. We have to put more work in.โ€

Germany will gain automatic qualification for next yearโ€™s World Championships as hosts, relieving some pressure when they play in Juneโ€™s Euro tournament, where teams get to qualify for Hamburg 2018.

On Germanyโ€™s goals there, Bohme said: โ€œTop five for the European Championship; we have a young team [and] some good young players coming up.โ€

Bohme knows that between now and 2020, his responsibilities on the national team would change.

โ€œI was always the young guy, the little guy. Now itโ€™s a new experience for me to be one of the more experienced guys [whom] young players look up to. Itโ€™s a nice feeling. You are like a role model. You have to act like it, be like motivating the young players. Train harder than any the others, to push the others, to be in that situation.โ€

โ€œThereโ€™s still the big dream to win a Paralympic medal, no matter what colour it is. Gold, silver, bronze. Itโ€™s a big dream.โ€

European Championships 2017 will be held from 21 June โ€“ 30 June –ย http://eurowb2017.com/

* Article from paralympics.org