Bianca Merker-Walter

Club / Team

Eislauf-Verein Dresden [EVD]: Germany

Famous relatives

Her mother Skadi Walter represented Germany in speed skating, finishing fifth in the 500m at the 1984 Olympic Winter Games in Sarajevo. Her grandmother was a figure skating coach. (Athlete, 07 Feb 2020; SportsDeskOnline, 08 Jan 2015; speedskatingnews.info, 01 Feb 2010)

Name of coach

Stuart Horsepool [national], GBR

Memorable sporting achievement

Winning gold in the 3000m relay at the 2010 European Championships in Dresden, Germany, and competing at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (Athlete, 07 Feb 2020)

Reason for choosing this sport

Her mother was a speed skater. "At age three I learned ice skating from my mother, who was a successful speed skater. Since my grandmother was a figure skating coach, my sister and I often had the opportunity to go on the ice. In fact, I tried other things first. It wasn't until the fourth grade that I had the goal of going to sports school and chose short track as a competitive sport."

Most influential person in career	Her mother. (Athlete, 07 Feb 2020)
Hero / Idol	Her mother. (Athlete, 12 Jan 2017)

When and where did you begin this sport?

She took up the sport in 1999 in Dresden, Germany.

Sporting philosophy / motto

"It's not always about being the fastest. Sometimes the more tactically clever, or the one with a bit of luck wins. That is what makes our sport so attractive." (athlet.one, 18 Apr 2020)

www.bianca-walter.de
www.facebook.com/111mHighspeed

Hobbies	Reading, wakeboarding, dogs. (desg.de, 01 Sep 2020)
Ambitions	To compete at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (desg.de, 01 Sep 2020)

Training Regime

She has up to four training sessions a day, six days a week. "A session usually lasts one to two hours or more. In winter we spend about eight hours a day at the ice rink."

Other information	CAREER OUTSIDE OF SPORT She was a member of the German Federal Police sports promotion group from 2011 to 2015. In addition to training as a full-time athlete since then, she has taken on a number of internships and also been a member of the district fire department in Dresden, Germany. However, she has ambitions to rejoin the police force once she has retired from short track. "I have done a number of internships to get to know different professions better. I was able to get a taste of public relations and management, which I really liked. Next I would be interested in combating crime. I think I know my goal is within the police at the end of my sports career." (desg.de, 01 Sep 2020; athlet.one, 18 Apr 2020)
Injuries	She underwent knee surgery in October 2020. (Instagram profile, 13 Oct 2020) In July 2018 she required surgery after twisting her knee during a training camp. An MRI scan had revealed that a mucous membrane fold in her knee had become trapped, resulting in pain and inflammation. (focus.de, 11 Jul 2018)
Nicknames	Bibi (teamdeutschland.de, 12 Apr 2019)