Born on 7th November 1970 in Nettetal, Germany, Stefan met with an accident on 10th December 1987, with a scooter. He became paralyzed because of the accident. Till date, Stefan has spent over three years in hospitals undergoing 64 surgical operations.

Since 2002, he started hand cycling and took part in many races around the world – most of them in marathon distances of 42 kms. He won the German Championship in Para triathlon in 2010, stood 7th at the New York Marathon in 2006 and came 4th twice at Beirut Marathon in 2009 & 2010. Since 2005, he has also been the Executive Director of Somedi Nettetal, a German NGO.