Lifesaving sport on the rise: Anna‑Fiona Volz trains on the Rhine as Olympic bid gains momentum
Anna‑Fiona Volz trains on the Rhine as Germany’s rising lifesaving sport star, chasing world titles while the sport vies for possible inclusion at Brisbane 2032.
Morning training on the Rhine
In the Mainz morning sun Anna‑Fiona Volz knots her hands around a paddle and kneels forward on a rescue board, accelerating into the current with powerful strokes. The 22‑year‑old from Weiterstadt slices past the narrow beach and into a quieter stretch of the Rhine during a routine home session.
Observers who spot Volz practicing on the river often mistake the rescue board and the sport’s equipment for recreational gear, but her movements are precise and practiced. She switches between rescue board and “ski” — a kayak‑like craft in lifesaving sport — to rehearse starts and sprints that mirror competitive demands.
Versatility of disciplines and equipment
Rettungssport, or lifesaving sport, combines a diverse set of events that range from pool rescues to ocean races, and athletes must master multiple tools and techniques. Volz describes the variety as the sport’s attraction: a mixture of speed, endurance and technical skill that “never gets boring.”
In pool events competitors perform rescue simulations with manikins and fins, while ocean formats force athletes to negotiate waves, surf skis, boards and shore sprints. That breadth allows specialists like Volz to compete in sprint and endurance events and to move between “pool” and “ocean” programs with equal facility. (en.wikipedia.org)
Olympic prospect and international campaigning
The International Life Saving Federation and Surf Life Saving Australia have publicly campaigned for beach lifesaving disciplines — including oceanman/oceanwoman formats and mixed relays — to be considered for the Brisbane 2032 programme. The coordinated effort aims to elevate the sport’s global profile and to secure a place on the Olympic stage. (ilsf.org)
Host cities have latitude to propose optional sports for their edition of the Games, and organisers and international federations typically engage in sustained lobbying and logistical planning before a final programme is settled. As the campaign continues, lifesaving proponents argue Olympic inclusion would transform funding, facilities and athlete pathways. (forbes.com)
Race formats that test all skills
One of the most television‑friendly ocean events is Oceanwoman/Oceanman, a compact but varied race that demands swimming, paddling on boards, navigation through surf and beach running. Races of this type produce dramatic starts and physical duels for position, with athletes sometimes competing inches apart in surf and on skis. (en.wikipedia.org)
In the pool programme, marquee events such as Superlifesaver combine freestyle swimming, underwater retrieval of a manikin, a hurried donning of fins and the final tow back to the finish. Volz has specialised in Superlifesaver at domestic level and holds multiple national titles over the more than 200‑metre race that compresses speed, technique and calm decision‑making.
Domestic calendar and international goals
Volz trains with DLRG Nieder‑Olm‑Wörrstadt and uses the KSG Mombach canoe club facilities in Mainz for home sessions. She moved to the Bundeswehr training base in Warendorf in early 2023 to concentrate on sport as a military athlete and is one of just eight German lifesaving athletes receiving dedicated support. These structures have helped her build toward a planned breakout season on the international circuit.
This summer she plans to contest the German ocean titles in Warnemünde, an event that doubles as a qualifier for the world championships. Volz also targets the World Championships in South Africa this December, where athletes will compete over six days across pool and ocean programmes. Her schedule underscores the physical and logistical intensity top competitors must manage in a combined calendar of pool and open‑water events.
Training, family legacy and risks
Volz’s regimen mixes water work on the Rhine with gym sessions and running, and her mother Dörte often accompanies her at home training. The family connection runs deeper: Dörte Volz was a member of the national lifesaving squad in the 1990s and remains active and fit, providing technical guidance and continuity to her daughter’s development.
The sport carries hazards as well as high speed and contact; Volz recounts collision incidents and a former cut from a buoy chain, yet treats those episodes as part of competition life. Her approach is methodical: train broadly, maintain composure in chaotic race scenarios and accept that the sport’s physicality can produce bruises and setbacks.
Volz wants to translate national dominance into an international breakthrough, building on a past World Championships top‑20 finish in ocean events and recent top‑ten placings at European level. Her dual competence in pool and ocean formats positions her as a candidate for both national selection and, should the Olympic bid succeed, for a larger stage.
As the campaign for lifesaving sport’s Olympic future continues, athletes like Volz embody the combination of rescue skills and athleticism proponents say would enrich the Games and expand pathways for surf and water‑safety communities worldwide.
