Rick Hellmann
German para-badminton player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rick Cornell Hellmann (born 26 January 1988) is a German para-badminton player who is affiliated with the RSC Berlin Sports Club.[1][2][3] Partnered with Thomas Wandschneider, the two were world champions in the men's doubles WH1–WH2 event at the 2022 BWF Para-Badminton World Championships.[4][5]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Rick Cornell Hellmann | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 26 January 1988 Berlin, East Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Badminton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Jens Janisch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Men’s singles WH2 Men's doubles WH1–WH2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 3 (MS 22 August 2023) 2 (MD with Thomas Wandschneider 12 July 2022) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | 7 (MS) 5 (MD with Thomas Wandschneider) (8 October 2024) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BWF profile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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He made his Paralympic debut at the 2024 Summer Paralympics where he competed in the men's singles WH2 event and the men's doubles WH1–WH2 event.[6]
Biography
Hellmann was born in Berlin to a German mother and a Congolese father. As a child, he was a competitive swimmer until he suffered paraplegia at the age of eleven, when it was discovered that an additional vein had grown from his heart directly into his spinal cord.[7] He later discovered wheelchair fencing and became a runner-up in the foil event at the German National Wheelchair Fencing Championships.[8][9]
He was introduced to para-badminton in 2014 when members of the RSC Berlin Sports Club approached him and invited him to train with other players.
Hellmann is currently a doctoral student in the Department of Experimental Neurology at the Charité– Berlin University of Medicine.[10]
Achievements
World Championships
Men's doubles WH1–WH2
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan |
 Thomas Wandschneider |
 Noor Azwan Noorlan Muhammad Ikhwan Ramli |
21–11, 21–15 |  Gold |
European Para Championships
Men's singles WH1
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands |  Luca Olgiati |
21–11, 15–21, 21–13 | Gold |
Men's doubles WH1–WH2
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands |
Thomas Wandschneider |
 Thomas Jakobs David Toupé |
21–19, 21–18 | Gold |
European Championships
Men's singles WH1
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Amphitheatre Gymnasium, Rodez, France |  Martin Rooke |
14–21, 9–21 |  Bronze |
Men's doubles WH1–WH2
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Amphitheatre Gymnasium, Rodez, France |
Young-chin Mi |
Martin Rooke Thomas Wandschneider |
14–21, 19–21 | Bronze |
BWF Para Badminton World Circuit (1 title, 4 runners-up)
The BWF Para Badminton World Circuit – Grade 2, Level 1, 2 and 3 tournaments has been sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation from 2022.[11][12]
Men's singles WH2
| Year | Tournament | Level | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Spanish Para-Badminton International | Level 1 |  Daiki Kajiwara |
9–21, 11–21 |  Runner-up |
Men's doubles WH1–WH2
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Spanish Para-Badminton International II | Level 2 | Thomas Wandschneider |
Noor Azwan Noorlan Muhammad Ikhwan Ramli |
21–14, 21–14 |  Winner |
| 2022 | Bahrain Para-Badminton International | Level 2 | Thomas Wandschneider |
 Choi Jung-man Kim Jung-jun |
21–12, 10–21, 11–21 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | 4 Nations Para-Badminton International | Level 1 | Thomas Wandschneider |
Noor Azwan Noorlan Muhammad Ikhwan Ramli |
22–20, 17–21, 11–21 | Runner-up |
| 2024 | Spanish Para-Badminton International I | Level 1 | Thomas Wandschneider |
Jeong Jae-gun Yu Soo-young |
14–21, 12–21 | Runner-up |
International tournaments (2011–2021) (1 title, 2 runners-up)
Men's singles WH2
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Denmark Para-Badminton International | Daiki Kajiwara |
9–21, 9–21 | Runner-up |
| 2021 | Dubai Para-Badminton International | Noor Azwan Noorlan |
21–18, 18–21, 12–21 | Runner-up |
Men's doubles WH1–WH2
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Uganda Para-Badminton International | Thomas Wandschneider |
 Prem Kumar Ale Abu Hubaida |
21–13, 21–13 | Winner |