Olympic star Franziska van Almsick
“There was a time when I thought I was drowning”
November 9, 2025 – 10:29 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
She sparked enthusiasm in Germany and made swimming popular: Franziska van Almsick. But the success also had its downsides.
She won medal after medal: Franziska van Almsick. The German swimming star won four Olympic medals at the age of 14. Two gold and two silver medals were won in Barcelona in 1992. Just two years later, the Berlin native was crowned world champion in the 200 meter freestyle. But their success also had its downsides.
Looking back, the German swimming star emphasizes: “I had no strength left.” The fact that she broke her wrist back then was “perhaps a sign of fate and at the same time a protection”. The break occurred in a motorcycle accident in 1997, in which the former swimmer was not at fault. At the time, van Almsick said of her supervisor: “Above all, it hurts.”
But it was probably better that way. Why? Because Franziska van Almsick was able to relax back then. “I was able to withdraw. Without anyone asking what was really going on,” the two-time world champion now told “Bild”.
The eighteen-time European champion explained: “At some point all the attention became a burden because there was no longer a moment that was solely mine. I always wanted to be an Olympic champion. Being rich and famous was not on my agenda.” But her environment supported her.
Regarding her parents, Van Almsick emphasized: “They always brought me back down to earth at the right moment.” To this day, she is someone who works on herself – every day. “Every day I get a little better than yesterday,” said the mother of two sons.