The Indian men’s able-bodied national record stands at 8.42m. It may not be an apt comparison considering that the biomechanical difference between an able-bodied athlete and the one using a prosthetic can be immense — Rehm’ coach Steffi Nerius says the claims of advantage are unproven, but it gives a fair overview of the 37-year-old’s prowess.

For Rehm though, his current best is only a springboard to his larger goal. It’s something he is not shy of stating loud and clear, for it’s the “reason I get out of bed every morning”.

“I want to be the first man to jump 9 metres,” he declared after winning gold. It has been Rehm’s quest for many years, and it’s what has fuelled his passion for 16 gruelling years on the circuit.

“Of course, it is possible. I know the world record for able-bodied athletes is Mike Powell’s 8.95m, and I believe I can get past it,” he said. Rehm’s phone has number 9 as its wallpaper, in case he needs a constant reminder of his pursuit.

“It reminds me of what I want to do,” he said. Before every major meet, Rehm browses videos of his long jump idols Powell and Carl Lewis to get into the zone.

“I know I belong. There are no limits to dreams. I think 9m is a magic number for all long jumpers and it’s a mark I am chasing. I will probably never achieve it, but I don’t want to look back in 20-30 years and feel I didn’t go for it.”

T64 classification is for athletes with single leg amputation or limb deficiency that affects their lower leg. Rehm lost his right leg aged 14 in a wakeboarding accident when he slipped off his board and found his leg trapped in the motor of an oncoming boat. (In wakeboarding, participants on a board resembling the surfboard perform manoeuvres while being towed by a motor boat).

An amputation was needed to prevent the spread of infection, and within a day, “the sporty boy from Donzdorf who could run fast and jump long” was left with just one leg.

“It was one hell of a crazy day. My mother told me I will lose my leg. It took me a while to process everything. I had not seen anyone with a prosthetic leg,” he recalled.

Young Rehm coped well. Two years after his amputation, he was back on the wakeboard for the German junior national championships. Competing with able-bodied athletes, Rehm finished second and knew in an instant that he was meant for special things.

His success at that wakeboarding competition began murmurs of him having an unfair advantage. “I want to win clean. I understand nobody wants to lose to a guy with one leg,” he said.

“Funny thing is, it’s the same today with some Olympic athletes. Most of the athletes are quite chill now. But when I started beating Olympic athletes, they absolutely didn’t like it,” Rehm added.

They can’t really be blamed. Watching Rehm accelerate on the synthetic track and execute his jump is a reminder of the depth of human grit and resilience.

And 10 World Championships titles — eight in long jump — are a testament to his perseverance. A five-time Paralympics gold medallist, he has rewritten the world record 14 times. The respect he craved for at that wakeboarding competition all those years ago is finally his. What’s more, Donzdorf now has an athletics training facility named after him.

“I have a very good rapport with a lot of Olympic athletes. I am known as The Blade Jumper, which is quite cool. It’s also more palatable to the able-bodied jumpers who lose to me…no one wants to lose to a disabled man, but losing to a blade jumper is alright. I am fine as long as I keep winning.”

And he is winning medals and hearts. For his last jump in New Delhi, he wore a bandana that said ‘Thank you Steffi’ to honour the contribution of his coach. The 2004 Athens Olympics javelin silver medallist and a four-time Worlds medallist, Nerius, 53, is drawing curtains on her coaching career after this World Championships.

“I couldn’t have achieved anything without her. I was young, raw, and clueless when I came to her. She deserves a happy retirement,” Rehm said.

“He always had the right fundamentals, an exceptional athlete and extremely good technically,” Nerius gave her assessment.

Rehm has shattered every record in his sport, becoming the first para long jumper to go past 7m, 7.5m, 8m, and eventually 8.72m. The 9m mark is still a tease.

“It still excites me. It gives me an emotional high like none other. It is my drug,” he said.