Anna Seidel

Club / Team	Eislauf-Verein Dresden [EVD]: Germany
Reason for choosing this sport	"My brother was a figure skater and after his sessions the short track speed skaters started training. It looked cool and my mother asked if I wanted to try it. I liked it a lot and continued."
When and where did you begin this sport?	She initially trained in athletics before taking up short track at age nine in Dresden, Germany. "Athletics was often too boring and I was fascinated by the difference of speed that you have on ice and land."

www.facebook.com/annaseidelshorttrack

Hero / Idol	German biathlete Magdalena Neuner. (Athlete, 05 Dec 2019)
Injuries	In March 2021 she fractured the tibia and fibula in her right leg while training for that month's world championships in Dordrecht, Netherlands. She underwent surgery and had two metal plates inserted above her right ankle. She returned to competition in October 2021. (sportbuzzer.de, 14 Oct 2021; isu.org, 01 Oct 2021) She suffered an avulsion fracture to her fibula after falling during the qualification round of the mixed relay at the 2020 World Cup event in Dresden, Germany. The injury ended her season. (isu.org, 01 Oct 2021; Instagram profile, 10 Feb 2020; saechsische.de, 07 Feb 2020) In June 2016 she broke the 12th vertebra in her back. She required surgery to insert metal screws and more than four months of recovery. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2017) In 2011 she was out for six weeks with a bruised knee. (Athlete, 16 Dec 2015)
Most influential person in career	Her parents. (Athlete, 05 Dec 2019)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"The mental aspect is as important as the physical aspect, maybe even more important. Only when you are sure about yourself and your capabilities, are self confident at the start line and trust yourself to do something, then you will be at the top. It is also the same for your everyday life." (Valeur Magazine, 11 Mar 2019)

Name of coach

Katerina Novotna [national], CZE

Hobbies	Yoga, meditation, photography, travel, meeting friends. (desg.de, 01 Sep 2020; redbull.com, 11 Feb 2020)
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs	She does tasks in preparation for competitions in threes. Before races, she says the mantra, "I can do it, I'll do it, that's my thing." (sporthilfe.de, 19 Mar 2021)
Awards and honours	She was the recipient of the 2020 Sports Award in Dresden, Germany. (dresden.de, 06 Sep 2021)
Other information	CAREER BREAK In September 2023 she announced she would be taking time away from the sport and would not compete in the 2023/24 World Cup season. "After over a decade of intense competition and daily training at the peak of high-performance sport, I realised some time ago that I had reached a point of physical and, above all, mental exhaustion. Therefore, I have decided to step back from skating for the upcoming season. I realised that I need to take the time to get back the spark that has driven me forward over the last few years. I haven't jogged in a year, I do everything on the bike. I would like to have a season in which I can finish and not have any pain." (sport1.de, 06 Sep 2023) TOUGHEST INJURY She has sustained a number of injuries during her career, but says the fractured tibia and fibula she suffered in 2021 was the most challenging to overcome. "At the beginning you ask yourself the questions, 'Why is it me again? Why has it happened again? Could I have maybe done something wrong?' It became the toughest injury so far I've had." She overcame the injury with support from mental health professionals. "The one in Dresden [Germany], I was working a lot with at the beginning. I could go there. It meant I had something to do, especially when I was still on crutches. I think the bad phases would have been much longer [without professional support]. I couldn't have overcome them that fast. It was not a nice summer but I learned a lot and I would say I grew a lot too." (isu.org, 01 Oct 2021)