Athlete ambassadors

Otto Bock’s has three spokes-athletes. These mobility ambassadors work with Otto Bock promoting the importance of an active lifestyle for all persons with a disability and show-casing the Otto Bock technology that they use in daily life and to compete in high-performance sport.

Heinrich Popow

Since 2007, Otto Bock has worked with track and field athlete Heinrich Popow, a triple bronze medalist from the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games and a silver medalist from the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Heinrich has worked alongside technicians testing prototypes of prosthetic legs for both sport and daily life, providing a valuable source of insight for the Otto Bock research and development teams.  Not only does Heinrich rely on Otto Bock on the track, his C-Leg enables him to play football and lead an active and independent lifestyle. Supported by Otto Bock, Heinrich raises awareness of disability by visiting schools, communities groups and amputees in his community as well as making public appearances and speeches around the world.

Kelly Cartwright

The 2011 World Champion in the 100m and long jump, Australian Kelly Cartwright became an Otto Bock Mobility Ambassador in July 2011. In 2009 she climbed Kilimanjaro using an Otto Bock C-Leg, describing the experience as “...the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, mentally and physically, but it was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had in my life.”  The only think that can top that for Kelly is winning gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and she will have Otto Bock technology and service behind her for that too. After working with Otto Bock technicians in Germany, she is now back in Australia training and competing on an Otto Bock leg.