Viola Brand facts for kids
Viola Brand doing a handstand in 2019
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| Personal information | |||
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| Born | 28 June 1994 Backnang, Germany |
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| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Artistic cycling | ||
| Role | Single | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Viola Brand is a talented cyclist from Germany. She is famous for her amazing skills in artistic cycling, which is like gymnastics on a bike! Viola has won many big competitions, including national and European championships. She also earned silver medals three times at the World Championships.
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Viola Brand's Early Life and Education
Viola was born in Backnang, Germany. She loved bikes from a very young age. When she was just five years old, she tried to get on a training bike. Her feet couldn't even reach the pedals yet!
Viola's older brother also did artistic cycling. Both of them were coached by their mother. Viola started training in artistic cycling when she was six years old.
Viola also focused on her studies. She went to Hohenheim University in Stuttgart. There, she studied clinical nutrition. She completed her master's degree in this field.
Viola Brand's Amazing Cycling Career
Viola Brand was part of the RSV Unterweissach sports club. This club is located in Weissach im Tal.
She joined the German national sports team when she was 15. In 2012, she won the Junior European Championships. This was a big achievement for her.
Setting World Records
Viola set a world record in her age group in 2011. This happened at the European Junior Championships. She set another world record in 2018 at the regular European Championships. Her highest score ever was 194.71 points. She achieved this at the German Masters in 2019.
Mastering Difficult Stunts
Viola spent many years practicing her routines. She also learned many new and difficult stunts. It took her seven years to learn how to do a handstand on the handlebar. This is the stunt she is most proud of. In June 2019, she also learned a "Maute jump." This is where she jumps from the bike's saddle to the handlebars.
Competing in World Championships
Viola competed in five World Championships. In 2018, she didn't qualify for the championships. This competition was very tough. Each country can only send two cyclists. Viola said that qualifying is often harder than winning a medal!
Viola uses a special belt-driven bicycle. Her bike has a special message on its toothed belt. It says, "You have to love the fight more than the victory."
Retirement from Professional Cycling
Viola's last official competition was in Basel in December 2019. She won a silver medal there. This was her third silver medal at the World Championships. In February 2020, she announced that she was retiring from professional cycling.
Even though she retired, Viola still performs. She does shows and helps promote artistic cycling. She hopes that artistic cycling will one day become an Olympic sport.
Viola Brand's Other Activities
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In 2017, Viola started an Instagram account. A friend suggested it to her. By July 2018, she had over 100,000 followers. Today, she has almost 400,000 followers!
Her Instagram channel caught the attention of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Viola used to watch this show to improve her English. In February 2020, she was a guest on the show. In 2018, she was on the talent show Das Supertalent. She didn't reach the final, but she still performed well. In 2019, she toured Germany with a show called Feuerwerk der Turnkunst. She performed in 22 cities, and her act was highly praised.
After retiring from professional sports in 2020, Viola decided to focus on her shows and social media. In early 2021, she signed a contract with the Golden State Warriors. She performed during their halftime shows. At first, these were virtual performances because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In early 2022, she performed live during several NBA halftime shows. In July 2021, the Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper wrote about her. They featured an underwater photography session with Viola and her bicycle. In May 2022, she was also in a video by famous cyclist Danny MacAskill.
See also
In Spanish: Viola Brand para niños
