Annabel Breuer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Annabel Breuer

Annabel Breuer in Sydney, July 2012
Personal information
Nationality	Germany
Born	(1992-10-23) 23 October 1992 (age 32) Biberach, Swabia
Sport
Country	Germany
Sport	Wheelchair basketball
Disability class	1.5
Event(s)	Women's team
Team	SKV Ravensburg Ulm Sabres RSV Lahn-Dill
Achievements and titles
Paralympic finals	2012 Paralympics, 2016 Paralympics
Medal record Women's wheelchair basketball Representing  Germany Paralympic Games Gold 2012 London Team Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team World Championship Silver 2010 Birmingham Team Silver 2014 Toronto Team Bronze 2018 Hamburg Team

Annabel Breuer, born on October 23, 1992, is an amazing athlete from Germany. She is known for playing wheelchair basketball and used to be a wheelchair fencer. Annabel has played for top teams in Germany, like SKV Ravensburg, Sabres Ulm, and RSV Lahn-Dill.

She has also been a key player for the German national team. With her team, she has won two European titles. She was also a runner-up at the 2010 World Championships. A big highlight was winning a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. After the London Games, the German President gave the team a special award called the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf). This is Germany's highest award for sports.

Annabel's Early Life and Journey

Annabel Breuer was born on October 23, 1992. She grew up in Birkenhardt, a small town in Swabia, Germany. She lived there with her three brothers and sisters, her parents, and her dog. When she was a child, Annabel had a car accident. This accident caused her to become a paraplegic, meaning she uses a wheelchair.

Starting with Wheelchair Fencing

Annabel first started playing wheelchair fencing just for fun. She was very good at it! When she was only 13, she won a silver medal. This was at the 2006 Wheelchair Fencing World Cup in Turin, Italy.

However, she could not go to the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing. This was because she needed surgery on her spinal cord. After recovering, she competed again. At the 2009 European Championships in Warsaw, she won a gold medal with her German epee team. She also won a silver and a bronze medal in the individual events.

Because of her success, the German Sports Foundation gave her a special award. They named 16-year-old Annabel as their Junior Sportsman of the Year for 2009 in Disability Sport. She competed in the 2010 World Championships in Paris. There, she finished fifth but did not win a medal. In 2011, she received the Hilde Frey Prize. She said her goal was to compete at the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games in London.

Switching to Wheelchair Basketball

Annabel did go to the Paralympics in London in 2012. But she went as a wheelchair basketball player, not a fencer! A friend introduced her to the sport. Soon, a national coach noticed her talent.

Annabel played for Sabres Ulm. She was the only woman on her team, which was a mixed-gender team. In wheelchair basketball, players are given points based on their disability. Annabel is a 1.5 point player. However, women get a special 1.5 point bonus when playing on a mixed team. This meant she was like a "zero-point" player for her team. Her skill and classification made her a very important player for any team.

Winning Gold at the Paralympics

Annabel was part of the German national team that won gold. This was at the 2011 European Championships in Nazareth, Israel. They beat the Netherlands in the final game, 48–42. In June 2012, she was chosen for the team going to the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games in London.

In the gold medal match, the German team played against the Australia women's national wheelchair basketball team. Australia had beaten them just a few months before. But this time, Germany won 44–58! They won in front of over 12,000 fans at the North Greenwich Arena. This victory earned them the gold medal.

After their win, President Joachim Gauck gave them another Silver Laurel Leaf award. The team was also named "Team of the Year" for 2012. In her hometown of Ulm, Annabel was honored by the Lord Mayor, Ivo Gönner. Her name was even added to the city's Golden Book. In December 2012, it was announced that she would also play for RSV Lahn-Dill. This is a top-division club that has won the Champions League five times.

Continuing Success and Education

As of February 2013, Annabel had not yet finished her final high school exams. This was because her training and competitions often interrupted her studies. Annabel is very smart and speaks English, French, German, and Spanish!

The German team continued to do well. They won a silver medal at the 2014 Women's World Wheelchair Basketball Championship in Toronto, Canada. In 2015, they beat the Netherlands again in the European Championships. This win gave Germany its tenth European title! At the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, Annabel and her team won a silver medal. They lost the final game to the United States.

Annabel's Achievements

• 2006: Silver medal at the Wheelchair Fencing World Cup (Turin, Italy)
• 2009: Gold (team), Silver and Bronze (individual) at the European Championships (Warsaw, Poland)
• 2010: Silver medal at the World Championships (Birmingham, Great Britain)
• 2011: Gold medal at the European Championships (Nazareth, Israel)
• 2012: Gold medal at the Paralympic Games (London, England)
• 2013: Silver medal at the European Championships (Frankfurt, Germany)
• 2014: Silver medal at the World Championships (Toronto, Canada)
• 2015: Gold medal at the European Championships (Worcester, England)
• 2016: Silver medal at the Paralympic Games (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Awards Annabel Has Received

• 2009: Junior Sportsman of the Year in Disability Sport
• 2012: Team of the Year (with the German national wheelchair basketball team)
• 2012: Silver Laurel Leaf (Germany's highest sports honor)
• 2012: Entry in the Golden Book of the city of Ulm

Images for kids

See also

In Spanish: Annabel Breuer para niños