Katharina Bauer born in Wiesbaden, Germany. She is an athlete specializing in the pole vault. She represented her country at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. In addition, she twice reached the final at the European Indoor Championships. Her personal bests in the event are 4.65 meters outdoors (Beckum, Germany) and 4.60 meters indoors (Leverkusen 2015).
Having problems with abnormally fast heartbeat since her youth, she competes with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) in her chest. She is coached by Leszek Klima. She is also as a speaker on mindset and health communication. Despite suffering from heart disease and an implanted defibrillator, she swung as a world-class pole vaulter over heights that would make others dizzy and simply breathed away fears.
Women Fitness President Ms. Namita Nayyar catches up with Katharina Bauer is an exceptionally talented German pole vaulter with defibrillator, here she talks about her fitness routine, her diet, and her success story.
Namita Nayyar:
You were born in Wiesbaden, West Germany. Where did you have your early schooling? How and when did you choose Pole Vault as your sport of choice? This later propelled your career to the height where you have been leading women German Pole Vaulters. Tell us more about your professional journey of exceptional hard work, tenacity, and endurance?
Katharina Bauer:
I completed my school education in my hometown of Wiesbaden. After that, I began studying International Management, a distance learning course specifically for top athletes, and successfully completed my Bachelor of Arts in International Management. Sport has always been my passion. I started doing artistic gymnastics at an early age, then athletics at the same time, then a mix of gymnastics and athletics (German 6 -way competition) and finally, at the age of 13, I ended up doing pole vaulting.
The former world-class pole vaulter Carolin Hingst founded a pole vaulting group in Mainz, which I joined. At first I was doubtful, but my mum told me I should just give it a try and, sure enough, I felt a fire of passion blazing up inside me. This enthusiasm has never left me since then. I quickly became very good and jumped 1m higher than my training colleagues in my first competition, which is why the national coach Herbert Czingon took me into his group and led me to my first major success just 2 years later. German Vice Champion Youth with 4.00m. Another change followed to Balian Buschbaum and then I went to Leverkusen to Leszek Klima. I spent 10 years with him and he helped me to my personal best of 4.65m and to various international events and medals.
Professional sport requires a lot of discipline, stamina and endurance. Most spectators who see me jump in a successful competition cannot see behind the scenes. In the glow of success, everything seems like a fairytale, but that is not reality. That is why it is so important to develop a motivational strategy and to pursue it with ambition and full commitment. Tears, injuries and mental turmoil are all part of it. It is then up to you how you deal with it and what you are prepared to give your all for. Ultimately, it is the successful jump, the new personal best and the cheering of people that motivate you to exceed your own expectations. In my opinion, the biggest battle as an individual athlete is with yourself and it is nice to push your own limits and notice how you grow physically, mentally and spiritually through the challenges you face.
Namita Nayyar:
It is a dream for a pole vaulter to compete at European Indoor Championships. You twice reached the final at the European Indoor Championships. Tell us more about this spectacular achievement of yours?
Katharina Bauer:
It was absolutely amazing to take part in international championships. There is always something special in the air. Be it the gathering of the national team, the clothing, the atmosphere, the exchange with other international athletes and the unforgettable atmosphere. For me, the motto for both European Indoor Championships was: “Make the impossible possible”.
In 2013 in Gothenburg, I had a personal best of 4.45m and that was exactly the height required to reach the final. With so many high-class and experienced competitors, it was impossible for me to master this. However, I was able to surprise myself by going into the competition with inner calm and actually improving my personal best by 1 cm to 4.46m and securing my ticket for the final. In 2016 in Prague, it was a similar situation, only this time it was about the required height of 4.60m, which I had only jumped 2 weeks before. It was the toughest European Indoor Championship qualification that required a final height of 4.60m for several years and I mastered exactly that again. These are two very nice sporting events that I look back on with a smile.
Namita Nayyar:
You had Leszek Klima as your Coach who has been a catalyst that helped you pave the way to rise in your career with discipline and a never stopping attitude. Elaborate about his influence on your professional life?
Katharina Bauer:
Leszek and I are an inseparable team and I value him very much. Even as a teenager, it was always my dream to train with him and improve my performance. This dream came true in 2013 and lasted 10 years until the end of my career in 2023. What I particularly admire about him is that he finds and paves his own path to success for every athlete. He has a strong vision and is a good driver and motivator. Training demands everything from you and you need that one person who helps you to overcome your fears and grow beyond yourself.
The coach is the biggest reference person throughout your entire career and you see him more than your own family and friends. Daily training, every competition, every training camp. That’s why it’s so important to have a good basis of trust and to form a team. That’s exactly what I found in Leszek – a companion who never left my side and mastered every up and down with me. I am therefore infinitely grateful to him.
Full Interview is Continued on Next Page
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President of womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2025 Women Fitness
Disclaimer
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
