00:00No dream is too big for Nomini Fabian.
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.
12:26Chaka!
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