Jurgen Klopp joins the crowd at the Paralympics, cheering on long-time friend playing badminton

PARIS (AP) — Fomer Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp is used to being at the center of attention.

On Thursday he was more than happy to be on the sidelines, cheering for his longtime friend Wojtek Czyz as he competed in badminton at the Paris Paralympics.

“I stood next to Elena, his incredible wife, and we both had tears in our eyes,” Klopp said after watching Czyz lose to Britain’s Daniel Bethell in the men's singles. “I couldn’t be prouder of him. I know sports are all about results, but just seeing him on the court was so touching, and I couldn’t get my head around that.”

Their friendship began about 20 years ago when Czyz, a promising soccer player, suffered a devastating injury in a collision with a goalkeeper that led to the amputation of his lower left leg. During his rehabilitation Czyz met Klopp, who was managing FSV Mainz 05, a second-division German club at the time.

They made an immediate connection that grew deeper over the years. Klopp, who stepped down as Liverpool coach this year after more than eight seasons, often uses Czyz’s story as a source of inspiration for others.

“Wojtek is constantly doing things I’m not brave enough to do,” Klopp said at the La Chapelle Arena in the north of Paris. “Yesterday, he was telling me how easy it is to swim with sharks,” he added, referring to Czyz’s experience as a licensed diving instructor.

Following his injury, Czyz started competing in para athletics, winning gold medals for Germany in the 100 meters, 200 meters and long jump at the 2004 Paralympics. After he quit the sport in 2013 he and his wife Elena Brambilla-Czyz bought a catamaran and sailed around the world, helping amputees living on remote islands to get prosthetics.

They arrived in New Zealand in 2019 where Czyz decided to take up badminton. After just a few years, he got so skilled at the the sport that he earned a spot at the Paris Paralympics, competing for New Zealand.

However, Bethell, the No. 2 seed, proved to difficult for the 44-year-old Czyz in the SL3 category for players who practice standing and have a disability in one or both legs. Bethell won in straight sets 21-5, 21-2.

Still, Czyz said Klopp's support meant a lot.

“Jürgen is family to me,” Czyz said. “It was great having him in my corner, despite the tough loss today. We need people like Jürgen putting the spotlight on us.”

It was a special movement also for Bethell who received a thumbs-up and a “Great job, Dan” from Klopp.

“That was surreal, seeing him (Klopp) in the stands,” Bethell said.

Despite the loss, Czyz’s journey in Paris is not over. He will face Ukraine’s Oleksandr Chyrkov in a decisive second group stage match.

Will he invite Klopp to watch again?

“Given my performance today, I’ll have to think about it,” Czyz joked.

___ Jack Leo, a student in the undergraduate certificate program at the Carmical Sports Media Institute at the University of Georgia, contributed to this report.

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AP Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games