Occupation
Athlete, Student
Education
Economics - SRH Fernhochschule [The Mobile University]: Riedlingen, GER
Spoken languages
English, German
Club
TZ DSHS Koln: Germany
Coach
Shanna Poljakova [club]; Gerben Wiersma [national], NED
Injuries
An injury to her left ankle led her to withdraw from the 2023 National Championships in Dusseldorf, Germany. (rp-online.de, 23 Aug 2023)
She suffered a right calf injury in August 2022, which caused her to miss the 2022 World Championships in Liverpool, England. (dtb.de, 02 Oct 2022, 28 Sep 2022)
In August 2019 she suffered a foot strain and was out for a month. (gymmedia.de, 07 Sep 2019; swr.de, 24 Aug 2019; dtb.de, 21 Aug 2019)
Start sporting career
She took up gymnastics at age five in Wetzlar, Germany.
Reason for taking up the sport
Her mother noticed that she had talent from a young age and took her to children's gymnastics training.
Ambitions
To compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (rp-online.de, 23 Aug 2023)
Most memorable sporting achievement
Winning bronze in the team event at the 2022 European Championships in Munich, Germany. (Instagram profile, 13 Aug 2023)
Hero / Idol
US artistic gymnasts Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, and Simone Biles. (sportstiftung-nrw.de, 13 Feb 2020)
Awards
She received the Special Award at the 2021 Fair Play Prize of German Sports awards. The award was in recognition of her decision to compete in a full-body suit at the 2021 European Championships in Basel, Switzerland. (dosb.de, 30 Aug 2022)
She was named the 2019 Newcomer of the Year by the State Sports Association of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. (sportstiftung-nrw.de, 14 Dec 2019; wdr.de, 13 Dec 2019)
Additional information
FULL-BODY SUIT
She and fellow German gymnasts Kim Bui and Elisabeth Seitz wore full-body suits to compete at the 2021 European Championships in Basel, Switzerland, instead of a standard leotard. "It does not say that everyone should do it, it just says that everyone can do whatever they want. For me, it doesn't say I have to wear a long leotard in the future every time. It depends on how I am feeling and how I'd like to perform. Every time you don't feel safe, it's distracting you from how you want to perform. I think that feeling safe and not thinking about what other people can or cannot see is quite a relief when you can compete like that. Some girls quit this beautiful sport [because of having to wear leotards] so that is why this is a great option for everyone to stay in the sport they love and not have to think about their body - just about their performance. We hope gymnasts who feel uncomfortable in the usual outfits will feel emboldened to follow our example." (bbc.co.uk, 28 Apr 2021, 23 Apr 2021; Instagram profile, 22 Apr 2021; reuters.com, 22 Apr 2021; Deutscher Turner-Bund Twitter profile, 21 Apr 2021)
DOCUMENTARY
She has appeared alongside other German athletes in a short documentary film called 'Olympic Women'. (LKS Archive Vimeo profile, 11 Jul 2022)
Last update : 2023-09-22
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