Annegret Brießmann facts for kids
Annegret Brießmann in Sydney, July 2012
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality |  Germany |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 28 July 1972 Ober-Beerbach, Germany |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 184 centimetres (72 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wheelchair basketball | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability class | 1.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Women's team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Mainhatten Skywheelers | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Holger Glinicki | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paralympic finals | 2012 Paralympics, 2016 Paralympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Annegret Brießmann (born 28 July 1972) is a talented German wheelchair basketball player. She plays for the Mainhatten Skywheelers team in Frankfurt. Annegret was also a key player for the German national team. This team won a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. After their big win, the German President, Joachim Gauck, gave the team Germany's highest sports award, called the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf).
Contents
Annegret's Early Life and Sports
Annegret Brießmann was born in Ober-Beerbach, Germany, on July 28, 1972. She now lives in Einhausen. When she was a teenager, Annegret loved playing sports. She played soccer for SKG Ober-Beerbach Fußball. She also took part in track and field events with TSV Eschollbrücken. For many years, she played basketball with her local team, BSC Einhausen.
A New Path in Sports
In 2005, Annegret had a skiing accident in Austria. This accident caused a serious back injury, which meant she became a paraplegic. This means she uses a wheelchair. After her accident, Annegret returned to track and field. She became very successful in the shot put. She won the German national championship with a throw of 16.70 metres (54.8 ft).
In track and field, athletes are grouped by their disability. Annegret was in the T55 classification. Her shot put throw of 6.10 metres (20.0 ft) ranked her fifth in the world. She was also ranked eighth in discus with 16.7 metres (55 ft). In javelin, she was eleventh with 12.31 metres (40.4 ft). In 2009, her hometown of Einhausen named her their Sportswoman of the Year. However, the T55 events were not part of the track and field program for the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London.
Becoming a Wheelchair Basketball Star
Annegret learned about wheelchair basketball while she was recovering from her accident. She was classified as a 1.0 point player. This classification is for players with the highest level of physical disability in wheelchair basketball. She played for teams in Darmstadt and Aschaffenburg. In 2010, she joined the Mainhatten Skywheelers in Frankfurt.
Playing for Team Hessen, she helped win the women's championships in 2009, 2011, and 2012. Annegret then started training with the German national team. In July 2012, the national coach, Holger Glinicki, chose her for the team going to the London Paralympics.
Winning Gold at the Paralympics
At the 2012 London Paralympics, the German team reached the gold medal match. They played against the Australia women's national wheelchair basketball team. Just a few months before, Australia had beaten Germany in Sydney. The final game was held at the North Greenwich Arena. Over 12,000 people watched the exciting match.
The German team had been undefeated in the tournament. They had won their games against the United States and China by six points. They often played their best in the final minutes of a game. In the gold medal match, Germany defeated Australia 58–44. This win earned them the gold medal. It was the first time Germany had won gold in women's wheelchair basketball at the Paralympics since 1984.
After their victory, President Joachim Gauck honored the team with the Silver Laurel Leaf in November 2012. The team was also named "Team of the Year" for 2012.
Continued Success and Medals
In July 2013, the German team played in the European Championship in Frankfurt. They lost a very close game to the Netherlands, 56–57, and took home the silver medal. In 2014, they won silver again at the 2014 Women's World Wheelchair Basketball Championship in Toronto, Canada.
The team bounced back in 2015, beating the Netherlands to win their tenth European title. At the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the German team won another silver medal. They lost the final game to the United States.
Major Achievements
Annegret Brießmann has achieved many great things in her wheelchair basketball career:
- 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 and Recognition
Annegret and her team have received special awards for their hard work and success:
- 2012: Team of the Year
- 2012: Silver Laurel Leaf
See also
In Spanish: Annegret Brießmann para niños
