sentences:  In 1999 Buschbaum became the German pole vault champion, later that year setting the German record for pole vault with a height of 4.42 m, beating his previous junior world record of 4.37 m. His personal best is 4.70 metres, achieved in June 2003 in Ulm.On 21 November 2007 Buschbaum announced his retirement from the sport due to a persistent injury and the desire to begin gender reassignment.In January 2008, Buschbaum announced that his new first name was "Balian", after the blacksmith in the movie "Kingdom of Heaven", and that he would undergo gender affirming surgery later that year.