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Franziska van Almsick

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Franziska van Almsick
Personal information
Nationality Germany
Born (1978-04-05) 5 April 1978 (age 46)
East Berlin, East Germany
Height1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight66 kg (146 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubSG Neukölln
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing  Germany
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 0 4 6
World Championships (LC) 2 2 2
European Championships (LC) 18 3 0
European Championships (SC) 4 1 0
Total 24 10 8
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1992 Barcelona 200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1992 Barcelona 4 × 100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta 200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta 4 × 200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Barcelona 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Barcelona 4 × 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta 4 × 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney 4 × 200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens 4 × 100 m medley
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens 4 × 200 m freestyle
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 1994 Rome 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1998 Perth 4 × 200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1994 Rome 4 × 200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1998 Perth 4 × 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1994 Rome 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1994 Rome 4 × 100 m freestyle
European Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 1993 Sheffield 50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1993 Sheffield 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1993 Sheffield 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1993 Sheffield 4 × 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1993 Sheffield 4 × 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1993 Sheffield 4 × 100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 1995 Vienna 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1995 Vienna 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1995 Vienna 4 × 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1995 Vienna 4 × 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1995 Vienna 4 × 100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 1999 Istanbul 4 × 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1999 Istanbul 4 × 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2002 Berlin 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2002 Berlin 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2002 Berlin 4 × 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2002 Berlin 4 × 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2002 Berlin 4 × 100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1993 Sheffield 100 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place 1995 Vienna 50 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1999 Istanbul 4 × 100 m medley
European Championships (SC)
Gold medal – first place 1992 Espoo 50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1992 Espoo 4 × 50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1992 Espoo 4 × 50 m medley
Gold medal – first place 1998 Sheffield 4 × 50 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1998 Sheffield 200 m freestyle

Franziska van Almsick (German pronunciation: [fʁanˈt͡sɪska fan ˈalmsɪk] ⓘ; born 5 April 1978) is a retired German swimmer, former world record holder. She was multiple World and European champion, in both Long and Short Course Championships.

Career

[edit]
Jörg Hoffmann and van Almsick (11 years old) at the Children's and Youth Spartakiad in July 1989

Her career began at the SC Dynamo Berlin in East Germany.[1] Franziska van Almsick won 2 gold medals at the World Championships, 18 gold medals at the European championships and 4 gold medals at the European championships (SC).

At the World Championships in 1994, her teammate Dagmar Hase qualified for the 200 metre freestyle final as the eight best swimmer, leaving Franziska only with the ninth best qualification time. Therefore, Hase abandoned her start place and offered it to van Almsick, who then won the gold medal in the final bettering the world record.[2]

Franziska won her first Olympic medals in 1992 at the Barcelona Olympic Games aged only 14. She won a Silver and Bronze respectively in 200 m freestyle and 100 m freestyle. In other team events, she won a Silver and Bronze respectively in 4x100 m medley relay and 4x100 m freestyle relay.[2]

She has the distinction of having the most career Olympic medals, ten, without ever winning a gold medal. She ended her career at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004.

In 1993, she was named by Swimming World magazine as the Female World Swimmer of the Year.

In 1995, she was described by the New York Times as "the swimmer who united a nation", due to her status as "the first big star of German reunification".[3]

Personal life

[edit]

She has two sons, born in 2006 and 2013. Her family resides in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

In 1993, evidence revealed that her mother Jutta, a sports coach, had been a Stasi informer, though Jutta disputed this.[3][4]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Zeiten der Liebe : Textarchiv : Berliner Zeitung". Archived from the original on 11 January 2005. Retrieved 30 November 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Franziska van Almsick". Olympics.
  3. ^ a b "OLYMPICS;The Swimmer Who United a Nation". The New York Times. 15 July 1996. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  4. ^ Hersh, Philip (12 July 1996). "MAKING A VERY BIG SPLASH". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
[edit]
Records
Preceded by Women's 200 metre freestyle
world record holder (long course)
6 September 1994 – 27 March 2007 		Succeeded by
Awards
Preceded by German Sportswoman of the Year
1993 		Succeeded by
Preceded by German Sportswoman of the Year
1995 		Succeeded by
Preceded by German Sportswoman of the Year
2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by World Swimmer of the Year
1993 		Succeeded by
Preceded by European Swimmer of the Year
1993–1994 		Succeeded by
Preceded by European Swimmer of the Year
2002 		Succeeded by
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