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Katja Franzen

Germany

SportSpeed Skating
NOCGermany
Born12 Jan 1990 in  Kempen
GenderWomen
FamilyPartner Herjan van den Heuvel
ResidenceEindhoven, NED
OccupationAthlete, Translator
LanguagesDutch, English, French, German, Spanish
Higher educationPhysiotherapy - HAN University of Applied Sciences: Nijmegen, NED
Personal Bests
EventRecordDateLocation 
Personal Bests
  Event RecordDateLocation 
    500m 39.56 28 Feb 2015 Inzell  
    1000m 1:18.04 22 Nov 2020 Inzell  
    1500m 2:06.95 16 Mar 2008 Calgary  
    3000m 4:12.83 02 Nov 2019 Inzell  
Social Media
Social Media
www.facebook.com/katja.franzen  
www.katjafranzen.de  
twitter.com/KatjaFranzen  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Name of coachAndreas Kraus [club], GER  
Coach from which country?Netherlands  
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."  
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.  
Club / TeamDEC Inzell: Germany  
General Interest
General Interest
Hero / IdolCanadian speed skater Jeremy Wotherspoon. (Athlete, 18 Jan 2021)  
HobbiesMaking coffee, drinking coffee with friends, hiking, cooking, baking. (Athlete, 18 Jan 2021)  
InjuriesIn 2014 she sustained a costovertebral joint injury [joints connecting the ribs to the vertebral column]. It took one year for the injury to be diagnosed, and she returned to training in 2018. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)

She sustained 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)  
Famous relativesHer partner Herjan van den Heuvel has competed in speed skating at international level. (Athlete, 18 Jan 2021; speedskatingnews.info, 23 Feb 2019)  
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 runs her a company called 'Taalspiel Duitse Vertalingen' that provides translations from Dutch to German. (Facebook profile, 28 Oct 2021; katjafranzen.de, 17 Jan 2021)

FURTHER EDUCATION
She has studied philosophy and theatre at the University of Hildesheim in Germany, and philosophy at Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019; LinkedIn profile, 01 Jan 2018)		  
Most influential person in careerCoach Marc Otter, physio Peter Eemers. (Athlete, 18 Jan 2021)  
AmbitionsTo compete at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (chiemgau24.de, 03 Jun 2020)  
Championships results
Year Competition Event Rank  
Championships results
    2021/2022 European Single Distances Championships Team Sprint4  
    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 500m19  
    2020/2021 World Cup 1000m21  
    2019/2020 World Cup 500m38  
    2019/2020 World Cup 1000m38  
    2013/2014 World Cup 1000m48