Athletes

Anna Schaffelhuber

Germany Para alpine skiing 28 January 1993

Regensburg, Germany

Biography
Stories
Photos
Videos
Rankings

Biography

Human Interest
Data	Value
Impairment Information
Type of Impairment	Spinal Cord Injuries
Origin of Impairment	Congenital
Classification	LW10-2
Further Personal Information
Family	Partner Michael
Residence	Hohenkirchen, GER
Languages	English, French, German
Higher education	Teaching - Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich: Germany
Sport Specific Information
When and where did you begin this sport?	She first tried skiing at age five in Kaunertal, Austria.
Why this sport?	As a child she wanted to be included in all the activities her brothers and her friends were doing, which included skiing. "I wanted to ski like my brothers and I had so much fun. This sport gives me a certain freedom in movement and speed. I feel independent and inspired, and I want to do it for a long time."
International Debut
Year	2010
Competing for	Germany
Location	Abtenau, AUT
General Interest
Nicknames	Anni (annaschaffelhuber.de, 10 Dec 2010)
Hobbies	Sports. (bild.de, 11 Mar 2018)
Memorable sporting achievement	Winning a total of seven gold medals at the Paralympic Winter Games. (sporthilfe.de, 23 Jul 2018)
Most influential person in career	Her family, and German Para alpine skier Martin Braxenthaler. (Athlete, 08 Mar 2014)
Hero / Idol	German Para alpine skier Martin Braxenthaler. (Athlete, 08 Mar 2014)
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs	"My ritual is to do everything the same. I have the same schedule each time I race." (paralympic.org, 14 Jan 2015)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"You have to push the limits." (Beth D. Dixon YouTube channel, 22 Nov 2016)
Awards and honours	In 2018 she received the Jahrhundert-Sportpreis [Century Sports Award] from the state government of Bavaria in Germany. (welt.de, 12 Jul 2018) In 2015 she was named Best Female Athlete by the International Paralympic Committee [IPC]. (IPC, 10 Feb 2018) In 2014 she received the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt [Silver Laurel Leaf] in Germany. (bundespraesident.de, 05 May 2014) She was named the 2014 Para Sportswoman of the Year by BVS Bayern in Germany. (dbs-npc.de, 01 Apr 2014) She was flag bearer for Germany at the closing ceremony of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver. (sport1.de, 2011) She has been named Para Sportswoman of the Year by the German Paralympic Committee on five occasions. (IPC, 10 Feb 2018; dbs-npc.de, 28 Nov 2015, 29 Nov 2014)
Impairment	She was born with incomplete paraplegia. In 2009 her condition developed into complete paraplegia. (IPC, 10 Feb 2018; Beth D. Dixon YouTube channel, 22 Nov 2016)
Other information	RETIREMENT In November 2019 she announced her retirement from Para alpine skiing. "Everything in life has its time. After careful thought, I decided to step down from active competitive sports. After 12 years it's time for me to open a new chapter. I am very grateful that I was able to celebrate great successes during this time, but also defeats have positively shaped my life. Sport also gave me the opportunity to meet many people from all over the world and to have gained exceptional friends. I realise a resignation at 26 years old appears early. Nevertheless, it feels 'complete' and I'm looking forward to new challenges. After my wedding and graduation from my teaching degree, a new phase of life begins." (Facebook page, 11 Nov 2019)

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