Katja Franzen

Club / Team

DEC Inzell: Germany

Hero / Idol

Canadian speed skater Jeremy Wotherspoon. (Athlete, 18 Jan 2021)

Name of coach	Andreas Kraus [club], GER
Coach from which country?	Netherlands

www.facebook.com/katja.franzen

Hobbies	Coffee, cooking, baking, spending time outdoors, hiking, philosophy. (Instagram profile, 10 Oct 2023; desg.de, 01 Jan 2023; Athlete, 18 Jan 2021)
Injuries	An 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 achievement	Winning a gold medal in the 500m at the 2008 Junior World Cup event in Inzell, Germany. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)

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."

Most influential person in career

Coach Marc Otter, physio Peter Eemers. (Athlete, 18 Jan 2021)

Training Regime	She 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.

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 information	OCCUPATION 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)

www.katjafranzen.de
twitter.com/KatjaFranzen