Anni Friesinger-Postma

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Anna ("Anni") Christine Friesinger-Postma (born 11 January 1977) is a German former speed skater. Her father Georg Friesinger, of Germany, and mother Janina ("Jana") Korowicka, of Poland, were both skaters; Jana was on the Polish team at the 1976 Winter Olympics. Her brother Jan is also a speed skater. Her sister Agnes is a former speed skater. In July 2010, Friesinger retired from her active sports career when she had to be treated for severe cartilage damage in her right knee joint.[1]

Anni Friesinger-Postma
Anni Friesinger at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Personal information
NationalityGerman
Born (1977-01-11) 11 January 1977 (age 47)
Bad Reichenhall, West Germany
Height1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight64 kg (141 lb)
SpouseIds Postma (2009)
Sport
CountryGermany
SportSpeed skating
Turned pro1993
Coached byGianni Romme
Retired2010
Medal record
Women's speed skating
Representing  Germany
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2002 Salt Lake City 1500 m
Gold medal – first place 2006 Turin Team pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2010 Vancouver Team pursuit
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Turin 1000 m
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Nagano 3000 m
World Allround Championships
Gold medal – first place 2001 Budapest Allround
Gold medal – first place 2002 Heerenveen Allround
Gold medal – first place 2005 Moscow Allround
Silver medal – second place 2007 Heerenveen Allround
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Heerenveen Allround
World Sprint Championships
Gold medal – first place 2007 Hamar Sprint
Silver medal – second place 2004 Nagano Sprint
Silver medal – second place 2008 Heerenveen Sprint
World Single Distance Championships
Gold medal – first place 1998 Calgary 1500 m
Gold medal – first place 2001 Salt Lake City 1500 m
Gold medal – first place 2003 Berlin 1000 m
Gold medal – first place 2003 Berlin 1500 m
Gold medal – first place 2003 Berlin 3000 m
Gold medal – first place 2004 Seoul 1000 m
Gold medal – first place 2004 Seoul 1500 m
Gold medal – first place 2005 Inzell 5000 m
Gold medal – first place 2005 Inzell Team pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2008 Nagano 1000 m
Gold medal – first place 2008 Nagano 1500 m
Gold medal – first place 2009 Vancouver 1500 m
Silver medal – second place 1997 Warsaw 1500 m
Silver medal – second place 1997 Warsaw 3000 m
Silver medal – second place 2000 Nagano 1500 m
Silver medal – second place 2001 Salt Lake City 3000 m
Silver medal – second place 2004 Seoul 3000 m
Silver medal – second place 2005 Inzell 1000 m
Silver medal – second place 2005 Inzell 1500 m
Silver medal – second place 2007 Salt Lake City 1000 m
Silver medal – second place 2009 Vancouver 1000 m
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Calgary 3000 m

On 11 August 2009 Friesinger married former Dutch skater Ids Postma, her long-term boyfriend, at Schloss Mirabell. The celebration took place at Schloss Aigen.[2] As of November 2013,[3] Friesinger lives in Salzburg, Austria, and is planning to move to the Netherlands to live with Postma on his farm in Dearsum. In August 2011 she gave birth to a daughter.[4] In May 2014, her second daughter was born.

Sports merits

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Championships

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Friesinger has won five Olympic medals; gold at the 1500 m in the 2002 Winter Olympics and the team pursuit in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics as well as bronze at the 3000 m in the 1998 Winter Olympics and the 1000 m in the 2006 Winter Olympics. She managed to qualify for the German speed skating team in five events at the 2006 Winter Olympics: the team pursuit and the individual races at 1000 m, 1500 m, 3000 m, and 5000 meters. However, she failed to win gold in any individual events. In the team pursuit semifinal against the United States at the 2010 Olympics, she fell behind her team members and ended up sliding across the finish line on her belly, but Germany still succeeded in advancing to the final.[5]

As well as being a five-time European Allround Champion and three time, World Allround Champion, Friesinger has won numerous titles in the World Single Distance Championships. Although she originally specialized in the longer distances, she also won the World Sprint Championships in 2007. In this, Friesinger became the fifth skater in history to be a World Champion in both Allround and Sprint disciplines (along with Sylvia Burka, CAN (1976 and 1977); Eric Heiden, U.S. (1977 and 1977); Natalya Petrusyova, URS (1980 and 1982); and Karin Kania-Enke, GDR (1980 and 1982)).

Records

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Personal records

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Friesinger has set the world record at the 1500 m distance four times during her career, but the record has since been superseded by Canadian competitor Cindy Klassen.

Personal records
Distance Time (min:sec.dec) Event Place Date
500 m 38.09 2nd World Cup meet 2005–06 Salt Lake City – Kearns 18 November 2005
1000 m 1:13.49 2nd World Cup meet 2007–08 Calgary 18 November 2007
1500 m 1:53.19 2nd World Cup meet 2005–06 Salt Lake City – Kearns 20 November 2005
3000 m 3:58.52  1st World Cup meet 2005–06 Calgary 12 November 2005
5000 m 6:58.39 2002 Winter Olympics Salt Lake City – Kearns 23 February 2002

Source: SpeedskatingResults.com[6]

She is currently in 9th position in the adelskalender.[7]

World records

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Event Time Date Venue
1500 m 1:56.95 29 March 1998 Calgary
1500 m 1:54.38 4 March 2001 Calgary
1500 m 1:54.02 20 February 2002 Salt Lake City
1500 m 1:53.22 6 November 2005 Calgary

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[8]

Non-sport activities

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Friesinger has done some modeling work as a sideline, and she has appeared as a swimsuit model in several publications.[citation needed] She is also known for her particularly powerful thighs,[9] as befits a champion speed skater.

Autobiography

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  • Mein Leben, mein Sport, meine besten Fitness-Tipps ("My Life, My Sport, My Best Fitness Tips"). March 2004, Goldmann. ISBN 3-442-39059-1 (in German).

References

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  1. ^ "Eisschnelllauf-Star beendet Karriere: Anni Friesinger hört auf [Speed skating star ends her career: Anni Friesinger quits]". Bild-Zeitung (in German). 14 July 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  2. ^ Seit heute heißt Anni Friesinger auch Postma In: Die Welt dated 11 August 2009.
  3. ^ "Anni Friesinger opnieuw zwanger" (in Dutch). RTL Nederland. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  4. ^ "Eisschnellläuferin Anni Friesinger-Postma bekommt Baby in Meppen". 14 August 2011. Archived from the original on 16 August 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  5. ^ "With a belly flop, German skater ends with gold"[dead link], by RAF CASERT, The Associated Press, Sunday, 28 February 2010.
  6. ^ "Anni Friesinger". SpeedskatingResults.com. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  7. ^ "Adelskalendern". evertstenlund.se. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  8. ^ "Anni Friesinger-Postma". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  9. ^ Radio 538 In Zwoele Zomernachten: Ids Postma in a radio interview, July 2008.
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Awards
Preceded by Oscar Mathisen Award
2003
Succeeded by