Claudia Pechstein

claudia-pechstein.de/
www.facebook.com/ClaudiPechstein

When and where did you begin this sport?	She began figure skating in 1976. She switched to speed skating in 1982 at Sportforum Hohenschonhausen in Berlin, Germany.
Club / Team	Eisbaren Juniors Berlin: Germany
Reason for choosing this sport	She was encouraged to take up the sport by her parents. "I was a very active child who had trouble sleeping so my mother encouraged to try figure skating at around age four, but I disliked the ballet element. At age nine I switched to speed skating."

Hobbies	Spending time with family. (die-hellersdorfer.berlin, 28 Aug 2018)
Memorable sporting achievement	Winning gold in the 500m event at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer. (die-hellersdorfer.berlin, 28 Aug 2018)
Famous relatives	Her partner Matthias Grosse has served as the interim chairman of the German Speed Skating Association [DESG]. (schaatsen.nl, 27 Jul 2020)
Milestones	At 45 years and 284 days old, she became the oldest speed skater to win a World Cup race by claiming victory in the mass start at the 2017 event in Calgary, AB, Canada. The same year she also became the oldest speed skater to finish on the podium at a world championships, winning silver in the 5000m at the 2017 World Single Distances Championships in Gangneung, Republic of Korea, at 44 years and 355 days old. (SportsDeskOnline, 11 Sep 2017; morgenpost.de, 23 Jul 2017; handelsblatt.com, 11 Feb 2017) Her two medals at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin made her the first speed skater to win medals at five editions of the Olympic Winter Games. In total she has secured nine medals, including five gold, in an Olympic career that began in 1992. (SportsDeskOnline, 11 Sep 2017; sports-reference.com, 31 Jan 2012)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Giving up is not an option." (desg.de, 01 Jan 2020)
Ambitions	To compete at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (die-hellersdorfer.berlin, 28 Aug 2018)
Other sports	She has competed in track cycling. She finished 10th in the 500m time trial at the 2011 National Championships in Berlin, Germany. She has also represented Germany in roller speed skating, and competed in the road marathon event at the 2019 World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. (bmw-berlin-marathon.com, 30 Jul 2017; scc-berlin.de, 17 Jun 2014; SportsDeskOnline, 22 Dec 2020)
Awards and honours	She was named 2017 Berlin Athlete of the Year in Germany. (champions-berlin.de, 09 Dec 2019) She was voted the 2002 Sportswoman of the Year by German television network RTL. (claudia-pechstein.de, 16 Sep 2015) She has received the Golden Ribbon from the German Association of Sports Journalists [VDS]. (claudia-pechstein.de, 2012)
Nicknames	Goldclaudi, Goldstein, Claudi (Facebook page, 18 Feb 2018; claudia-pechstein.de, 2012)
Other information	SUSPENSION AND LONG LEGAL BATTLE The International Skating Union [ISU] banned her for two years after blood samples taken at the 2009 World Allround Championships in Hamar, Norway, showed a high level of immature red blood cells, which doctors later diagnosed as a genetic defect. She appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] and also the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland, but her suspension was upheld. She was the first athlete from any sport to be banned over screenings in her biological passport. In October 2018, after almost 10 years of legal battles, she lost an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, where she had claimed CAS lacked independence and impartiality. However, the European Court of Human Rights did find that she was denied her right to a fair trial by CAS as she was not given a public hearing. She said she would appeal the part of the decision that went against her. (expatica.com, 02 Oct 2018; dw.com, 02 Oct 2018; morgenpost.de, 23 Jul 2017; berliner-kurier.de, 30 Jul 2015; german-times.com, 04 Apr 2014; welt.de, 16 Jan 2014; bbc.co.uk, 25 Nov 2009)
Injuries	She was affected by a back injury in January 2017. (sport1.de, 29 Jan 2017) She has been troubled by back injuries during her career. (focus.de, 25 Jul 2013)