Franziska van Almsick
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Expand German Template:Infobox swimmer
Franziska van Almsick (Template:IPA; born 5 April 1978) is a retired German swimmer, former world record holder in 200 metres freestyle. She was multiple World and European champion, in both Long and Short Course Championships.
Career
Her career began at the SC Dynamo Berlin in East Germany.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
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 for the German swimming team.<ref name=":0" />
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".<ref name="q268"/>
Personal life
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.<ref name="q268">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="z208">Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
- List of German records in swimming
- List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists
- List of multiple Olympic medalists at a single Games
- World record progression 50 metres freestyle
- World record progression 100 metres freestyle
- World record progression 200 metres freestyle
- Sport in Berlin
References
External links
Template:S-start Template:S-ach Template:Succession box Template:S-ach Template:Succession box Template:Succession box Template:Succession box Template:Succession box Template:Succession box Template:Succession box Template:S-end
Template:Footer World LC Champions 200m Freestyle Women Template:Footer World LC Champions 4x200m Freestyle Women Template:Footer European Champions 50m Freestyle Women Template:Footer European Champions 100m Freestyle Women Template:Footer European Champions 200m Freestyle Women Template:Footer European Champions 400m Freestyle Women Template:Footer European Champions 4x100m Freestyle Women Template:Footer European Champions 4x200m Freestyle Women Template:Footer European Champions 4x100m Medley Women Template:Footer European SC Champions 50m Freestyle Women Template:Authority control
- 1978 births
- Living people
- Swimmers from East Berlin
- German female medley swimmers
- German female freestyle swimmers
- Olympic swimmers for Germany
- Swimmers at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Swimmers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- World record setters in swimming
- Olympic silver medalists for Germany
- Olympic bronze medalists for Germany
- Olympic bronze medalists in swimming
- German female butterfly swimmers
- World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
- Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)
- European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
- Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Olympic silver medalists in swimming
- Recipients of the Order of Merit of Berlin
- 20th-century German sportswomen
- 21st-century German sportswomen