Anton Brehme, German national team and Jastrzębski Węgiel middle blocker, shares his battle with facial paralysis and Olympic comeback. A story of resilience and success.
Anton Brehme’s journey has been anything but ordinary. One morning, he woke up to discover half of his face was paralyzed. Nothing had felt off the night before, but suddenly his reflection was unfamiliar.
Doctors later diagnosed him with facial trigeminal neuritis—an unexpected and unexplained condition. The struggle began far from home, during a volleyball tournament in Manila. The trip to the hospital was grueling, made worse by the trauma of witnessing events he can’t forget. The world around him changed, too. Simple sounds on the court—his teammates’ shouts, the strike of the ball—became unbearably loud, as if someone turned the volume up sixfold.
Determined to fight back, Brehme now trains daily in front of a mirror to strengthen his facial muscles. The possibility of a relapse lingers, but quitting was never an option. He continued pushing forward, even as his condition tested him physically and mentally.
His perseverance didn’t go unnoticed. Despite fierce competition and his ongoing recovery, the German national team’s coach trusted him to return. That belief proved to be a turning point. Brehme not only made his way back to the court but also marked a successful Olympic debut in Paris, a moment he had long dreamed of achieving.
This wasn’t the first time he had to overcome adversity. A major knee injury in 2022 had already kept him sidelined for almost a year, leaving him on the verge of retirement. But the support of his family and his inner resolve pulled him through then, just as it does now.
Joining Jastrzębski Węgiel in Poland became another milestone for Brehme. In contrast to earlier experiences where barriers left him feeling isolated, the move to PlusLiga offered a fresh start and a sense of belonging.
Through every challenge—whether physical, emotional, or mental—Anton Brehme’s story is one of persistence. His return to the volleyball court is not just a testament to his strength as an athlete, but to his unwavering fight to reclaim what he loves most.
The full interview was originally published by Edyta Kowalczyk on the Polish portal Przegląd Sportowy Onet, and the story was also shared by Volleyball Insider.
