German Para Athlete Maximilian Wears Lotus Headband in Tribute to India
Maximilian’s saffron inscribed “Kabhi Haar Mat Mano” headband symbolizes gratitude, resilience, and cultural connection during his 400m T47 victory.
At the World Para Athletics Championships at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, German sprinter Max Maximilian captured hearts as well as gold in the men’s 400m T47 event, honoring India in a unique and heartfelt way.
During his final race, Maximilian wore a white headband featuring the Hindi phrase “Kabhi Haar Mat Mano” (Never Give Up) in saffron letters. The headband also displayed a lotus flower, which the athlete said symbolizes purity, resilience, and his cultural connection to Buddhism.
For Maximilian, the gesture was more than a lucky charm it was a token of gratitude to India for its warm hospitality. After narrowly defeating Japan’s Ryota Fukunaga and Botswana’s Bose Mokgwathi, he said, “We athletes are welcomed here with great warmth. Wearing words in Hindi on my forehead was a way to show respect and gratitude. Wherever we compete, we try to express our feelings for the host country in this way.”
The idea came from his and German long jumper Markus Rehm’s coach, Olympic javelin medallist Steffi Nerius, who has a tradition of writing host-country words as a mark of courtesy. Maximilian embraced the tradition in Delhi and made it his own.
The lotus symbol held deeper meaning for the 29 year old, representing resilience and grace qualities that mirrored his personal journey of recovery from injury. “In Buddhism, grace and resilience are important. It’s about moving forward unscathed through adversity. For me, it was the perfect symbol,” he said.
The headband also inspired his mindset during the race. Trailing Fukunaga in the final stretch, Maximilian drew motivation from the words on his forehead, pushing him to victory by just three hundredths of a second. “I had knee pain and couldn’t train properly for weeks. This medal was completely unexpected. But the headband reminded me never give up,” he admitted.
Maximilian’s headband became an instant talking point after the race. For him, the moment was about more than just the medal it was a celebration of the cultural connection athletes feel with a gracious host nation.
“In sports, respect matters just as much as performance. Tonight, I just wanted to show that respect to India. And I’m happy that India gave me a gold medal in tough times for that, I’ll always be grateful,” Maximilian said.
