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Katja Franzen

Germany

SportSpeed Skating
FederationIDSSGER21201199001
NOCGermany
Born12 Jan 1990 in  Kempen
GenderWomen
ResidenceEindhoven, NED
Higher educationPhysiotherapy - HAN University of Applied Sciences: Nijmegen, NED
OccupationAthlete, Translator
LanguagesDutch, English, French, German, Spanish
Personal Bests
EventRecordDateLocation 
Personal Bests
  Event RecordDateLocation 
    500m 38.76 30 Jan 2021 Heerenveen  
    1000m 1:17.30 16 Jan 2021 Heerenveen  
    1500m 2:06.95 16 Mar 2008 Calgary  
    3000m 4:12.83 02 Nov 2019 Inzell  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Club / TeamDEC Inzell: Germany  
General Interest
General Interest
Hero / IdolCanadian speed skater Jeremy Wotherspoon. (Athlete, 18 Jan 2021)  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Name of coachAndreas Kraus [club], GER  
Coach from which country?Netherlands  
Social Media
Social Media
www.facebook.com/katja.franzen  
General Interest
General Interest
HobbiesCoffee, cooking, baking, spending time outdoors, hiking, philosophy. (Instagram profile, 10 Oct 2023; desg.de, 01 Jan 2023; Athlete, 18 Jan 2021)  
InjuriesAn illness prevented her from qualifying for any World Cup events in 2021/22. As a result, she did not have the chance to qualify for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Instagram profile, 21 Jan 2022)

In 2014 she sustained a costovertebral joint injury [where the ribs join to the vertebral column]. It took one year for the injury to be diagnosed, and she did not return to training until 2018. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)

She suffered a knee injury in 2012. (katjafranzen.de, 17 Jan 2021)
 
Memorable sporting achievementWinning a gold medal in the 500m at the 2008 Junior World Cup event in Inzell, Germany. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Reason for choosing this sport"I had to choose between all the sports I did at the time and speed skating was the most fascinating one."  
General Interest
General Interest
Most influential person in careerCoach Marc Otter, physio Peter Eemers. (Athlete, 18 Jan 2021)  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Training RegimeShe trains twice a day for a total of 20 hours per week.  
When and where did you begin this sport?She began speed skating in 1998 in Grefrath, Germany.  
General Interest
General Interest
Sporting philosophy / motto"I am not into motivational quotes, but 'hard work will pay off' might be a good way to put it. It's important to know what you love to do and then put everything you have into it. You won't regret it. Work hard and make it happen." (Athlete, 18 Jan 2021)  
Other informationOCCUPATION
She owns a translation company called Taalspiel, through which she translates texts from Dutch to German. "In the past it was a financial necessity for me [to have another job]. I have smaller sponsors and supporters who have partially financed my training, equipment and accommodation. Nevertheless, there are of course still many costs, which I was able to partially cover with my work as a translator. I will definitely be able to benefit from this experience in the future. There is still life after sport." (Facebook profile, 10 Oct 2023; LinkedIn profile, 04 Oct 2023; katjafranzen.de, 09 Jan 2022; chiemgau24.de, 03 Jun 2020)

CAREER BREAKS
She has taken a number of breaks from speed skating during her career due to injuries and study commitments. "After a study and injury break from 2009 to 2012, I got back into competitive sports in 2014. I decided to focus on sports again and to train for qualifying for the Winter Olympics. After my recovery from a knee injury in 2012, I started training again and qualified for my first senior World Cup in 2014." She took another lengthy break from the sport after sustaining a costovertebral joint injury in 2014. After the injury took one year to be correctly diagnosed, she returned to training in 2018 and re-joined the national team ahead of the 2019/20 season. (desg.de, 01 Jan 2023; katjafranzen.de, 09 Jan 2022; speedskatingstats.com, 01 Jan 2021; dec-inzell.de, 01 Jan 2021; Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)

FURTHER EDUCATION
She has also studied philosophy and theatre at the University of Hildesheim in Germany, and philosophy at Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands. (LinkedIn profile, 04 Oct 2023; Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)
 
Social Media
Social Media
www.katjafranzen.de  
twitter.com/KatjaFranzen  
Championships results
Year Competition Event Rank  
Championships results
    2021/2022 European Single Distances Championships Team Sprint4  
    2022/2023 World Single Distances Championships Team Sprint7  
    2020/2021 European Sprint Championships Overall10  
    2021/2022 European Single Distances Championships 500m12  
    2021/2022 European Single Distances Championships 1000m12  
    2019/2020 European Single Distances Championships 500m15  
    2020/2021 World Single Distances Championships 500m16  
    2020/2021 World Single Distances Championships 1000m19  
    2019/2020 World Sprint Championships Overall23  
World Cups
Year Competition Event Rank  
World Cups
    2020/2021 World Cup Classification 500m19  
    2020/2021 World Cup Classification 1000m21  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification 500m35  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification 500m38  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification 1000m38  
    2013/2014 World Cup Classification 1000m48