In a Women’s Pool: Synchronized Swimmer Frithjof Seidel

DW (English)

Frithjof Seidel is Germany’s only male synchronized swimmer on an internationally competitive level. The sport has long been reserved exclusively for women.

Transcript

00:00Synchronized swimming is a sport of elegance and grace, and until now, a female domain.

00:07In the upcoming Olympic Games, for the first time, male swimmers are allowed.

00:11But even after winning gold in the European Championship, the German team didn't qualify.

00:17Frithjof Seidel from Berlin is the only man on Germany's national team. What is that like for him?

00:24I feel incredibly good together with the girls. They've been very accepting.

00:29I've taken on the big brother role. I'm the oldest by about three or four years,

00:34but we compliment one another well and we're always laughing together.

00:39Here, Frithjof practices with the national squad for the European Championship in Belgrade.

00:44He's in the water with his teammates for up to eight hours a day.

00:48They rehearse acrobatic elements such as lifts.

00:53The years in the water made me realize what a beautiful medium it is.

01:01I feel good in it, being completely enveloped in water, in particular when diving.

01:06To me, that's a feeling of freedom.

01:11Frithjof began swimming at age six and moved on to high diving.

01:15His parents recognized his athletic talent early on.

01:19At age 10, he enrolled in a sports boarding school in Berlin and competed in European Youth Championships.

01:25At 18, he took part in his first international competitions.

01:29In 2021, through high diving, he came to synchronized swimming.

01:34Frithjof is openly gay. He came out at age 18 and found his first boyfriend.

01:39And now he's the first man to break into a traditionally female sport.

01:43Did that mean diving into prejudices and discrimination?

01:48It's true that at first you think, okay, homosexuality and competitive sports could be a sensitive topic.

01:55But I say you can hear remarks at every turn. It might hurt at first.

02:00But once you've dealt with it a few times, you can rise above it.

02:07Along with competitive sports, Frithjof is studying for his master's in engineering sciences at the Technische Universität Berlin.

02:15He sees many parallels between the movements of synchronized swimming and the laws of physics.

02:22Physics always have a place in sports.

02:25Of course, synchronized swimming has a lot to do with buoyancy.

02:29We always have to push ourselves out of the water when we're swimming as a team.

02:33That's when we're doing the lifts.

02:37Frithjof also has time for a hobby.

02:39A few years ago on Instagram, he discovered crocheting and knitting.

02:43It helps him relax and regain composure.

02:46Along with socks, scarves and gloves, he likes to make little figures.

02:52That really helps with the stress.

02:54I take half an hour in the evening and sit with my knitting and crocheting.

02:57What jogging does for other people, knitting does for me.

03:00You can just tune out that way.

03:05Back at the swimming pool, Frithjof joins his home Berlin club SC Wedding for the German championship in Berlin.

03:12Eleven teams compete against one another.

03:15This time too, Frithjof is the only man on the team.

03:26One routine in the acrobatic routine category takes about three minutes.

03:30The higher the degree of difficulty, the more points they can score.

03:34The routine was a success with a few small errors.

03:38The athletes of SC Wedding are glad to have Frithjof as a permanent member of the team.

03:49It's quite normal, just like before.

03:53We didn't even notice any difference, really none.

03:56He integrated into the team brilliantly.

03:59We've always had lots of fun with him, so we really like it.

04:02He's like one of the family.

04:05At the end, once more, tensions are running high.

04:09The jury awards its points and the result is an impressive second place for Frithjof and the SC Wedding.

04:18I definitely see myself as a role model.

04:21And I think this sport profits from men and women getting together.

04:25In this sense, it's my dream to be able to motivate men and boys just to give it a try.

04:30Model, pioneer and, in a way, the only rooster in the yard.

04:35Frithjof will keep fighting for synchronized success and equality in sports.

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