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Franziska van Almsick (German pronunciation: [fʁanˈt͡sɪska fan ˈalmsɪk] ; 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. 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.
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.
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".
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.
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
- "Zeiten der Liebe : Textarchiv : Berliner Zeitung". Archived from the original on 11 January 2005. Retrieved 30 November 2007.
- ^ "Franziska van Almsick". Olympics.
- ^ "OLYMPICS;The Swimmer Who United a Nation". The New York Times. 15 July 1996. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- Hersh, Philip (12 July 1996). "MAKING A VERY BIG SPLASH". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
External links
- Official website
- Franziska van Almsick at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- Franziska van Almsick at Olympics.com
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byHeike Friedrich | Women's 200 metre freestyle world record holder (long course) 6 September 1994 – 27 March 2007 |
Succeeded byFederica Pellegrini |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded byHeike Henkel | German Sportswoman of the Year 1993 |
Succeeded byKatja Seizinger |
| Preceded byKatja Seizinger | German Sportswoman of the Year 1995 |
Succeeded byKatja Seizinger |
| Preceded byHannah Stockbauer | German Sportswoman of the Year 2002 |
Succeeded byHannah Stockbauer |
| Preceded byKrisztina Egerszegi | World Swimmer of the Year 1993 |
Succeeded bySamantha Riley |
| Preceded byKrisztina Egerszegi | European Swimmer of the Year 1993–1994 |
Succeeded byKrisztina Egerszegi |
| Preceded byInge de Bruijn | European Swimmer of the Year 2002 |
Succeeded byHannah Stockbauer |
| World long-course champions in women's 200 m freestyle | |
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| World long-course champions in women's 4×200 m freestyle relay | |
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| European champions in women's 50 m freestyle | |
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| European champions in women's 100 m freestyle | |
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| European champions in women's 200 m freestyle | |
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| European Champions in Women's 400 m Freestyle | |
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| European champions in women's 4×100 m freestyle relay | |
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| European Champions in Women's 4×200 m Freestyle Relay | |
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1993:  Germany — Franziska van Almsick, Kerstin Kielgass, Manuela Stellmach, Daniela Hunger1995: Germany — Dagmar Hase, Julia Jung, Kerstin Kielgass, Franziska van Almsick 1999: Germany — Franziska van Almsick, Silvia Szalai, Hannah Stockbauer, Kerstin Kielgass2002: Germany — Petra Dallmann, Alessa Ries, Hannah Stockbauer, Franziska van Almsick |
| European champions in women's 4 × 100 m medley relay | |
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| European short course champions in women's 50 m freestyle | |
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- 1978 births
- Living people
- Swimmers from Berlin
- Sportspeople 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