Josia Topf
Paralympic swimming champion, law student, and city councilor; sponsored athlete under Tipico’s Champion Fund initiative.
Josia Topf is a German Paralympic swimmer born with TAR syndrome, which means he has no arms. He learned to swim at age six and began competing in a club soon after. He studies law at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) while training 20–30 hours per week. At the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, he won both a gold and a silver medal. In 2025 he was named “Para Sportler des Jahres” (Para Athlete of the Year). He also serves as a city councilor (Stadtrat) in Erlangen and is an advocate for disability inclusion.
In July 2025, he was selected as a recipient of the Tipico Champion Fund, a tailored financial‑support program for elite athletes run by the sports‑betting operator Tipico in partnership with Germany’s Sporthilfe foundation. This sponsorship relationship is his only connection to the iGaming and gambling industry; he has never been an employee or executive of any gambling company. His career remains focused on competitive swimming, legal studies, and public service.