Franziska van Almsick

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Franziska van Almsick
van Almsick in 2019
Personal information
Nationality Germany
Born (1978-04-05) 5 April 1978
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
World Championships (SC) 0 1 0
European Championships (LC) 18 3 0
European Championships (SC) 4 1 0
Total 24 11 8
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place1992 Barcelona200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place1992 Barcelona4 × 100 m medley
Silver medal – second place1996 Atlanta200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place1996 Atlanta4 × 200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place1992 Barcelona100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place1992 Barcelona4 × 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place1996 Atlanta4 × 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place2000 Sydney4 × 200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place2004 Athens4 × 100 m medley
Bronze medal – third place2004 Athens4 × 200 m freestyle
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place1994 Rome200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place1998 Perth4 × 200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place1994 Rome4 × 200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place1998 Perth4 × 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place1994 Rome100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place1994 Rome4 × 100 m freestyle
World Championships (SC)
Silver medal – second place1993 Rio4 × 100 m freestyle
European Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place1993 Sheffield50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place1993 Sheffield100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place1993 Sheffield200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place1993 Sheffield4 × 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place1993 Sheffield4 × 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place1993 Sheffield4 × 100 m medley
Gold medal – first place1995 Vienna100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place1995 Vienna400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place1995 Vienna4 × 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place1995 Vienna4 × 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place1995 Vienna4 × 100 m medley
Gold medal – first place1999 Istanbul4 × 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place1999 Istanbul4 × 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place2002 Berlin100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place2002 Berlin200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place2002 Berlin4 × 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place2002 Berlin4 × 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place2002 Berlin4 × 100 m medley
Silver medal – second place1993 Sheffield100 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place1995 Vienna50 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place1999 Istanbul4 × 100 m medley
European Championships (SC)
Gold medal – first place1992 Espoo50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place1992 Espoo4 × 50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place1992 Espoo4 × 50 m medley
Gold medal – first place1998 Sheffield4 × 50 m medley
Silver medal – second place1998 Sheffield200 m freestyle

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

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 for the German swimming team.[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

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

References

  1. "Zeiten der Liebe : Textarchiv : Berliner Zeitung". BerlinOnline.de (in German). Archived from the original on 11 January 2005. Retrieved 30 November 2007.
  2. "Franziska van Almsick". Olympics.com.
  3. "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.