DTU sports director Holger was impressed by the setup and facilities during the visit ©DTU

German Taekwondo Union (DTU) sports director Holger Wunderlich has said he is impressed by the setup and facilities following a visit to the elite school of sport that has been established at the Gymnasium am Rotenbühl in Saarbrücken.

Accompanied by national junior coach Marco Scheiterbauer, Wunderlich was led on the tour by the national trainer based at the school, Axel Müller.

Wunderlich, who has coached junior and senior athletes to global and continental medals for more than 20 years, described the visit as "an all-round successful event with very good discussions and an informative insight into the infrastructure of the base".

"You can clearly feel the commitment of everyone involved in the project," he said.

"Another high-performance location for competitive taekwondo sport is developing here in Germany.”

Holger Wunderlich met with athletes and discussed the potential expansion of the facility ©DTU
Holger Wunderlich met with athletes and discussed the potential expansion of the facility ©DTU

Among those based at a facility that includes a boarding school are federal and state squad athletes such as Lilly Ettelbrück, Simon Laubhold, Paul Radtke and Vadim Durlescu, many of whom are working under the direction of assistant coach Manuel Hütel.

The visitors were shown around the compact facility at which all sports activity centres are easily accessible.

School lessons take place directly at the Hermann-Neuberger Sports School on the premises, and students can easily walk to the university campus.

A meeting then took place with officials from the state sport association to discuss the future expansion of the Saarland base.