From A for attempt to D for discipline and Z for zeal. For Mona Brückmann, competitive athlete and master's student at TUM, these are not empty words, but important components of her active everyday life. The rower is delighted to have been awarded one of the top sports scholarships from Heilbronn's universities in fall 2025. She is thrilled about the recognition, the financial support that comes with it, and the individual support in sporting and organizational matters that helps her overcome many hurdles. “The whole team works so hard to give me the opportunity to continue my sport alongside my studies – that's a very important support for me.”
From the Cross-country Ski Trail to the Boat
Mona Brückmann has been active as a biathlete for 15 years: “very intensively, very successfully.” German championships and participation in the Junior World Championships are on the student's agenda – and titles are not far behind. Between graduating from high school in Engelskirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, in 2019 and starting her business studies in Düsseldorf, competitive sports were briefly put on hold. With a heavy heart, she said goodbye to biathlon as she embarked on a new stage in her life, took up jogging, and joined a gym—but something crucial was missing: competitive sports, her great passion. “I spent my childhood in sports; it's part of my personality,” says the petite 5'6" woman. Then, through an acquaintance, came the turning point – she sparked her interest in the university rowing club. As a career changer, she tried out the new sport in Düsseldorf's Media Harbor. “I knew right away that this was it. It was love at first sight.”
The biathlete's transformation into rower Mona is a breeze. Ambition and drive, classic characteristics of a competitive athlete, help her along the way. Biathlon and rowing are both strength and endurance sports that complement each other very well. The daughter of a biathlete only started the new sport at the end of 2021, and by 2025 she had already returned from her first competitive season with a ticket to the European University Rowing Championships in Croatia in August 2026. In Breisach, she became state runner-up in the women's lightweight single sculls. “I love competitions. You have a training goal, and the anticipation grows with each passing day.”
Competitive Advantages at TUM
Mona Brückmann gives the TUM Heilbronn Campus high marks. The brand-new buildings, the “top-quality” equipment, the renowned professors, and the proximity to research are all plus points. Sitting in a lecture with 20 people instead of hundreds feels more like a private university than a public university to her.
She raves about her club, the Heilbronner Ruderschwaben. There is a four-kilometer rowing course, sheltered from the wind and therefore usable even in winter. Then there is the boathouse with its wow factor.