Ex-pole vaulter Tim Lobinger (50) has become a grandfather, as he and his daughter Fee confirm in a new interview. "The little one is incredible," Lobinger said happily in an interview with the magazine "Bunte". According to the report, his granddaughter was born just before Christmas and bears the name Fia, derived from Italian, which means something like "the fiery" or "the flame". This name fits "perfectly now," explains Fee. With her daughter, "a little firework came into our lives".

"I always wanted to become a young grandfather," the former athlete continues. Lobinger is proud of Fee and her husband Jonas, who "do everything with such great coolness" that he can "lean back and relax". But he still hasn't been able to meet Fia because "I'm still too weak for long car journeys at the moment".

Lobinger has cancer. He was diagnosed with leukemia in early 2017 and was able to beat the cancer with stem cell therapy, but the disease returned. He also confirmed to the magazine last summer that he could lead his daughter down the aisle. "That day I was just the father of the bride, not Tim who was suffering from cancer. That was really good for me," he explained at the time. Lobinger currently has to go to the University Hospital of Würzburg for regular therapy, the current report goes on to say.

"Of course it would have been nice to hold Fee's hand more often during pregnancy, but it just wasn't possible," explains Lobinger. It's still about "looking ahead and drawing energy from beautiful things". When they are together, they think about "what else we want to experience," says Fee.

Lobinger is currently training so that he can soon visit his daughter, her partner and his grandchild. Until then, he will get new photos or videos from Fia every day - or there will be a video chat, for example.