Annika Zeyen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Annika Zeyen

Annika Zeyen-Giles – German Paracyclist and former wheelchair basketball player
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Anni
Nationality	German
Born	(1985-02-17) 17 February 1985 (age 40)
Sport
Country	Germany
Sport	Wheelchair basketball (1999–2016) Wheelchair racing (2016–2019) Paracycling (2019–present)
Disability class	Wheelchair basketball 1.5 Wheelchair racing T54 Paracycling H3
Event(s)	Women's team
College team	University of Alabama
Coached by	Wheelchair Basketball Brent Hardin – University of Alabama Holger Glinicki German National Team/ BG Baskets Hamburg Wheelchair Racing Alois Gmeiner Paracycling Alois Gmeiner Oliver J Quittmann
Achievements and titles
Paralympic finals	2008 Paralympics, 2012 Paralympics, 2016 Paralympics
Personal best(s)	800 m: 1:52.63 (2017, Nottwil, Switzerland NR) 1500 m: 3:28.64 (2017, Arbon, Switzerland NR) 5000 m: 12:10.31 (2018, Nottwil, Switzerland NR)
Medal record Wheelchair basketball Paralympic Games Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team Gold 2012 London Team Silver 2008 Beijing Team IWBF World Championship Silver 2014 Toronto Team Silver 2010 Birmingham Team Bronze 2006 Amsterdam Team IWBF European Championships Gold 2015 Worcester Team Silver 2013 Frankfurt Team Gold 2011 Nazareth Team Gold 2009 Stoke Mandeville Team Gold 2007 Wetzlar Team Gold 2005 Villeneuve d'Ascq Team} Gold 2003 Hamburg Team Hand-biking Paralympic Games Gold 2020 Tokyo Time trial H1–3 Silver 2020 Tokyo Road Race H1–4 Bronze 2024 Paris Road race H1–4 Bronze 2024 Paris Time trial H1–3 Road World Championships Gold 2019 Emmen Road race H3 Gold 2021 Cascais Road race H3 Gold 2022 Baie-Comeau Road race H3 Gold 2023 Glasgow Road race H3 Gold 2022 Baie-Comeau Time Trial H3 Gold 2024 Zurich Time trial H3 Silver 2021 Cascais Time Trial H3 Silver 2023 Glasgow Time Trial H3 Silver 2023 Glasgow Mixed Relay Silver 2024 Zurich Road race H3 Bronze 2019 Emmen Mixed Relay Bronze 2021 Cascais Mixed Relay UCI Paracycling World Cup Gold 2022 Ostende Road Race H3 Gold 2022 Ostende Time Trial H3 Gold 2022 Quebec City Time Trial H3 Gold 2022 Elzach Road Race H3 Gold 2022 Quebec City Road Race H3 Gold 2023 Huntsville Road Race H3 Gold 2023 Ostende Road Race H3 Gold 2023 Maniago Time Trial H3 Silver 2019 Baie-Comeau Road Race H3 Silver 2022 Elzach Time Trial H3 Silver 2023 Maniago Road Race H3 Bronze 2022 Ostende Time Trial H3 Bronze 2022 Elzach Mixed Relay Bronze 2023 Maniago Mixed Relay UEC Paracycling European Championships Gold 2022 Upper Austria Road Race H3 Gold 2022 Upper Austria Time Trial H3 Gold 2023 Rotterdam Time Trial H3 Silver 2023 Rotterdam Road Race H3 Bronze 2022 Upper Austria Mixed Relay Bronze 2023 Rotterdam Mixed Relay German National Championships Gold 2022 Cologne Road race H3 Gold 2022 Cologne Time trial H1-H5

Annika Zeyen-Giles (born Annika Zeyen on 17 February 1985) is a German athlete. She is famous for playing wheelchair basketball and later for her success in Paracycling (hand-biking). Annika has won many medals for Germany. These include gold at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London for wheelchair basketball. She also won gold at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo for hand-biking.

After the 2016 Paralympic Games, Annika stopped playing wheelchair basketball. She wanted to try new sports as an individual athlete.

Biography

Annika Zeyen was born on 17 February 1985. Her nickname is "Anni". When she was 14, Annika had an accident that meant she would use a wheelchair. During her recovery, she learned about wheelchair basketball. She loved the sport and looked for a club to join.

Wheelchair Basketball

Annika started playing wheelchair basketball with ASV Bonn. She played for the youth team, then the second team, and finally the main team. In 2001, she played in the German Championships for Women. She was even named the most valuable young player.

In 2004, Annika joined RSV Lahn-Dill. With this team, she won several German championships. She was invited to join the national team's development squad. She competed in her first Paralympic Games in Athens in 2004.

Annika helped the German national team win the European championships many times. They won in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2011.

Paralympic Success

In September 2008, Annika played at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing. Germany won a silver medal after losing to the United States in the final. The German team was named the national "Team of the Year". They received the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf). This is Germany's highest sporting honor.

In 2009, Annika went to the University of Alabama in the United States. She studied advertising and graphic design. Her university team won three titles in five years. She was also named an Academic All-American in 2012 and 2013.

In June 2012, Annika was part of the team for the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. In the gold medal match, Germany played against Australia. Germany won 58–44 in front of a huge crowd. This was Germany's first gold medal in women's wheelchair basketball in 28 years! The team received the Silver Laurel Leaf again and was named Team of the Year for 2012.

In 2013, Germany lost the European Championship to the Netherlands by just one point. It was a very close game. In April 2014, Annika's club team, BG Baskets Hamburg, won its first international title. They won the Euro League Challenge Cup.

The German national team won silver at the 2014 Women's World Wheelchair Basketball Championship. They also beat the Netherlands in the 2015 European Championships. At the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio, they won silver again. Annika was chosen to carry the German flag at the closing ceremony.

Wheelchair Athletics

After the 2016 Paralympics, Annika decided to stop playing wheelchair basketball. She wanted to try wheelchair racing. She quickly became very good at it. In May 2017, she won every race at the German national championships. She set new national records in the 800m, 1,500m, and 5,000m. She qualified for the 2017 World Championships after only six months in the sport.

Handbiking

In January 2019, Annika switched her focus to hand-biking. This is a type of cycling where you use your arms to pedal. She is classified as an H3 athlete, which is a specific category for paracyclists.

In her first year, she finished second in a World Cup Road Race in Canada. She ended the season ranked 4th in the world. Annika was then chosen for the German National team. She competed at the 2019 Para-cycling Road World Championships in the Netherlands.

World and Paralympic Medals

Annika competed in the individual time trial and road race. She also joined the mixed relay team. The team won a bronze medal, which helped Germany get a spot in the relay at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo.

On 15 September 2019, Annika competed in the Women's H3 Road Race at the World Championships. She won the gold medal and became a World Champion on her first try! She finished the 51.8 km race in 1 hour, 37 minutes, and 41 seconds.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no races in 2020. Annika returned to competition in June 2021 at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Portugal. She won a bronze medal in the mixed team relay. She also took a silver medal in the H3W Time Trial. Two days later, Annika won the gold medal in the Women's H3 Road Race, keeping her title as World Champion.

At the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo (held in 2021), Annika won a gold medal in the Time Trial H1-3 event. She also won a silver medal in the Road Race H1-4. She continued her success at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, winning two bronze medals.

Achievements

Wheelchair Basketball

• 2005: Gold at European championships (Villeneuve d'Ascq, France)
• 2006: Bronze at World Championships (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
• 2007: Gold at European championships (Wetzlar, Germany)
• 2008: Silver at the Paralympic Games (Beijing, China)
• 2009: Gold at the European Championships (Stoke Mandeville, England)
• 2010: Silver at the World Championships
• 2011: Gold at the European Championships (Nazareth, Israel)
• 2012: Gold at the Paralympic Games (London, England)
• 2013: Silver at the European Championships (Frankfurt, Germany)
• 2014: Silver at the World Championships (Toronto, Canada)
• 2015: Gold at the European Championships (Worcester, England)
• 2016: Silver at the Paralympic Games (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Hand-biking

• 2019: Gold – UCI Paracycling World Road Championships – H3 Women Road Race (Emmen, Netherlands)
• 2019: Silver – UCI Paracycling World Cup Road Race – H3 Women (Baie-Comeau, Canada)
• 2019: Bronze – UCI Paracycling World Road Championships – Mixed Relay (Emmen, Netherlands)
• 2021: Gold – UCI Paracycling World Road Championships – H3 Women Road Race (Cascais, Portugal)
• 2021: Silver – UCI Paracycling World Road Championships – H3 Women Time Trial (Cascais, Portugal)
• 2021: Bronze – UCI Paracycling World Road Championships – Mixed Relay (Cascais, Portugal)
• 2021: Gold – Paralympic Games – H3 Women Time Trial (Tokyo, Japan)

Awards and recognition

• 2008: Team of the Year
• 2008: Silver Laurel Leaf
• 2012: Team of the Year
• 2012: Silver Laurel Leaf

On 7 January 2020, Annika was invited to sign the City of Bonn 'Golden Book'. This book records important people who have made a big impact on the city. Signing it is a very high honor. Annika's signature is now alongside famous people like Pope John Paul II and Queen Elizabeth II. She is the first Paralympian to sign the book.