Nomine Fabian is ready to take on the world. At age 11 she is already a sailing champion and an aspiring para athlete. While she dreams of one day taking part in the Paralympics, Nomi has already gained confidence, determination and an unshakeable will to live every moment from her sporting journey, and proved that a disability cannot hold her back.
00:06I want to help people feel strong, like they can do anything they want to do.
00:15The 11-year-old is already an aspiring para-athlete.
00:20Sport is for every man or woman.
00:24Sport helps Nomini and her family through life's highs and lows.
00:29It makes me so happy whenever I see what she can do despite her disability.
00:36But sport also brings challenges.
00:39Can Nomini handle the pressure of elite competition?
00:46There's no need to hyperventilate, everything's okay.
00:51I've developed my own tricks to get through life.
00:56That makes me proud of little Nomini.
01:07The Helga Cup in Hamburg is the world's biggest women's regatta.
01:11Nomini and her sailing partner Jola are ready to take part in the event's inclusion competition.
01:17What I love most is making it possible for her to take part, sitting in the boat with her and giving it all we've got.
01:32Nomini has also brought some joy to my life as well. Being with her is truly wonderful.
01:38Nomini and Jola won the 2024 edition of the event. They work well together as a team and their many hours spent on the water together have left an impression on Jola.
01:53I've learned that anything is possible, even with a wheelchair. We can make things possible for people who use wheelchairs and we should do whatever is needed to make things happen.
02:11Nomini is in charge of steering the boat and Jola takes care of the ropes. Good communication is essential to their success.
02:20Is the jibe okay?
02:22Yes.
02:26Hi, as high as it goes. Very good, Nomini.
02:30How do we do this? Cool.
02:36In the preliminary races, the boats collect points for the final.
02:45Nomini and Jola's performance today has put them among the frontrunners.
02:49You're totally focused, and as soon as you reach the finish line, you relax, and winning makes it easier.
03:02The win makes it easier.
03:06Team Nomini can start planning for the final. Their goal of retaining their title is in sight.
03:12Having such targets has changed Nomini's life in different ways.
03:16Sports help and motivate Nomini. They show her possibilities that she may not have if she didn't have a disability.
03:26They make her a good person, but also one who can take losing.
03:31She has become more professional, but also a little more tensed.
03:37Last year she said, I will give it a go and see what happens.
03:41Then she won, which was the icing on the cake, with the cherry on top.
03:44This year, her and her selling partner Jola are more ambitious.
03:51Five weeks earlier on the island of Föhr in northern Germany, Normi had her first practice of the year.
04:01Together with her coach Dirk, she started her preparations for the Helga Cup after months away from the boat.
04:07There's our target. You see the red buoy?
04:19Which one?
04:22That one. We'll have the wind coming from the side, and we'll come in towards the other sailboat.
04:31So often people say, no, that won't work, you can't do that, instead of just trying it.
04:38There are too few people who throw themselves into it and say, okay, let's give it a go.
04:43Normi was five when she began sailing with Dirk, whose school caters to people with disabilities.
04:51Normi got her sailing license at eight. Her wheelchair was never an issue, as she can steer the boat without any support.
04:58And she has no fear being out on the water.
05:03There's nothing dangerous out here. There's only one kind of whale in the North Sea, the porpoise.
05:11And it's not dangerous. It just eats little fish and plankton.
05:16Pull on the rudder. Pull. Then you'll circle around me.
05:36It makes me so happy whenever I see what she can do despite her disability.
05:40and how confident and self-assured she is when tackling things.
05:50Should I turn the wheelchair?
05:56It's fine.
06:01Cool.
06:04Then go put some warm clothes on.
06:15I want to help people feel strong, like they can do anything they want to do.
06:23Sport is for every man or woman.
06:29Sailing isn't just for people who can walk.
06:36It's also for people with a disability, who use wheelchairs or have prosthetics.
06:44Normi wasn't born with a disability. An operation when she was two years old resulted in incomplete paraplegia.
06:51The strain of this new reality built up for her and her family, and as they were approaching breaking point in 2022, they made a big decision.
07:02A one-year trip around the globe to break the negative pattern and discover new places.
07:09This changed everything for the young family, and another turning point came as Normi discovered parasports.
07:14My greatest success is managing to get into sports, which is something I was really interested in.
07:24As I said, when I was little, I can do everything except walk.
07:28I've developed my own tricks to get through life.
07:37That makes me proud of little Normi.
07:43It comes down and around like that. Okay, now I know.
07:50Alongside sailing, archery is currently one of Normi's favorite sports.
07:56And she has the perfect teacher in the form of Paralympic athlete Flora.
08:03Go down and relax your fingers at the front.
08:07Normi is a very positive person and she really gets into everything she does.
08:13It's lovely to do things with her because she always has this infectious good mood.
08:20My bow is set up perfectly.
08:22You are generally too far to the right.
08:29But not with politics.
08:32I hope not.
08:35No, really.
08:39Normi proved to be a natural at archery.
08:42She dreams of one day making it to the Paralympics, in this sport or another.
08:46I see talent there.
08:53From the start, you could see that when you tell her something.
08:56She's able to put it into practice.
08:58She doesn't train here often.
09:01It's more about having fun for now.
09:03But if she wants to concentrate on archery, I think she could achieve a lot.
09:06Normi has tried wheelchair racing, sailing, climbing and monoskiing.
09:17A lot of people try something and then think, oh, it's not for me, I should give up. It's too hard.
09:24No, keep going. Just keep going. If you give up every time there's a hiccup, you'll never get anywhere.
09:33Back at the Helga Cup in Hamburg, Normi and Jola are preparing to defend their title in the final.
09:40But the weather conditions are tough. And besides, Normi has put a lot of pressure on herself to win.
09:49I love you. Have fun.
09:52We'll be fine.
09:54We'll be fine.
10:07There's no need to hyperventilate. Everything's okay.
10:12And if we finish second or even third, it doesn't matter.
10:20Normi has to calm her nerves.
10:22The race to decide who will win the Helga Cup is about to get underway.
10:27Cheers.
10:28Let's go.
10:32Hey, Normi.
10:34Ready?
10:36Yes, I hope so.
10:39Let's act like it's a normal race.
10:43Normi and Jola take an early lead.
10:46Everything is going to plan.
10:48You're doing great. All okay?
10:57Yes.
10:59The rain has stopped, but the wind has dropped too.
11:03Suddenly the boats are hardly moving.
11:07And maneuvering them is nearly impossible.
11:09It's nearly impossible.
11:18Have we stopped?
11:20Yes, because there's no wind.
11:21No wind.
11:34We can't even turn.
11:36The boat won't turn.
11:38It just won't move.
11:40It just won't move.
11:44We had a relatively good start, and for the conditions we were going quickly.
11:48And then unfortunately nothing was happening anymore.
11:52Without any wind everything is slow, and at times you can't sail at all.
11:56And so the race was abandoned, fortunately.
12:05They're being told.
12:15The results from qualifying put Normi and Jola in second, meaning they lose their title.
12:20But some things are more important than trophies.
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