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Many people remember Balian Buschbaum from his recent past, when he was still a girl named Yvonne Buschbaum. In 2008, Yvonne—a remarkable German athlete, a pole vaulter—decided to change her gender. Today, Balian Buschbaum gives public seminars and lectures where he talks openly about himself, his feelings, and thoughts, and certainly compares the male and female natures.

Yvonne Buschbaum was born in 1980 in the German city of Ulm. At the age of 18, she completed basic military training and began her brilliant sports career. Pole vaulting became her main discipline. From 1998 to 2007, she achieved great success in various competitions, including world and European championships as well as the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

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Her honors include third place at the 1998 European Championships and again in 2002; second place at the 2002 European Indoor Championships; and sixth place at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Yvonne’s personal record was 4.70 meters, set in June 2003 in her hometown of Ulm.

In November 2007, Yvonne announced that she was leaving competitive sports due to numerous injuries. However, the real reason for her decision was a completely sensational one: she openly declared herself transgender and decided to change her gender. This came as a great shock to many of her fans and supporters.

After starting hormone therapy, she underwent gender-reassignment surgery in 2008 and officially changed her gender, adopting the name Balian Buschbaum.

On her official website, Balian expresses his heartfelt gratitude to his many fans for their support and the countless letters he has received. He says that it is precisely their emotional support that helped him through this difficult period in his life and that he is now absolutely happy with his new identity.

Balian enjoys posing for photographers; online, one can even find his almost naked photos. Surprisingly, it is quite difficult to tell, even with the most careful look, that this attractive young man was once a girl named Yvonne. He looks entirely masculine and appears calm, friendly, relaxed, and very happy on all his photographs.

“I want everyone to create their own happiness, because every person deserves to be happy and live in harmony with themselves and all external factors,” Balian says.

Today, he gives public lectures and seminars where he talks about himself, his struggles, how he overcame them, and his search for happiness.Balian mentions that after leaving sports, he found a new hobby: motorcycle riding. As a man, he rides much faster than when he was a woman. Moreover, he compares the female and male natures, stating that the feminine side is more compassionate and that Yvonne always tried to help others. He also admits that a woman’s thoughts could easily fill the minds of three men.Today’s Balian is much more confident in himself and independent of others’ opinions, which makes him feel freer.