Franziska van Almsick

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Franziska van Almsick
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Biography

• Franziska grew up in a quite normal family.
  Before the German reunification she lived in a
  cosy East Berlin apartment close to the wall,
  together with her father Bernd van Almsick, a
  civil engineer, her mother Jutta and her elder
  brother Sebastian. Her parents and her brother
  have always given her support and protection.

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• Following her brother's example, Franziska
  started swimming about the age of five. It didn't
  take long until she outperformed him. Her
  outstanding talent was discovered and
  systematically promoted - a common practice in
  East Germany. She was sent to a training center
  and attended a youth sports college. Her father
  once gave her a sticker with the inscription
  "Barcelona 1992". When she read that she decided
  that she wanted to go there. Whenever Franziska
  aimed at a goal, she pursued it with devotion,
  even as a child. She never did things by halves.
  Consequently life became hard for the young
  school girl.

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• At the age of 11 she reached 9 first places at
  the East German "Spartakiade" 1989.
• The rise of Franziska van Almsick as a swimmer
  is inseparably linked to the name of Dieter
  Lindemann, who coached her from 1990 until
  shortly after the Olympic Games of 1996. It is
  quite typical of Franziska that through all
  accusations she remained loyal to her coach, whom
  she owed a lot and who certainly was a kind of
  father-figure for her.

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Successes

• Franziska van Almsick won 18 gold medals in
  European Championships and 2 titles of Worldcup.
  On the whole she won 37 medals
• - 8 Bronze
• - 9 Silver
• - 20 Gold

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Awards

• 1992 Bambi
• 1993 female athlete of the year in
• Germany,Europe and in the world
• 1995 female athlete of the year in
  Germany
• 2002 female athlete of the year in Germany
• 2002 Bambi
• 2002 Maxim-Woman of the year (Sport)?
• 2003 Order of Merit of Berlin

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