The famous German biathlete Henkel Andrea was born on December 10, 1977 in the city of Ilmenau. Most likely, several factors had a huge impact on her future career in sports. Firstly, near the place of residence Andrea was a ski and biathlon center. And secondly, it was Manuel's elder sister - the famous German skier and Olympic gold winner at the Salt Lake City Games - who led her to skiing. However, the female biathlon was closer in spirit to Andrea, and after the inclusion of this sport in the Olympic program in 1988, she decided to completely switch to a combination of skiing and shooting.
First steps in biathlon
At first, Andrea Henkel did not shine with success in biathlon, and victory was difficult for her. Participating in the sprint race at the German children’s championship, the athlete managed to knock out only one target out of 10. However, her high ski training and excellent speed allowed Andrea to finish in third place and win a bronze medal. In parallel, the young athlete studied at the Oberhof sports gymnasium in 1991-1996.
World Cup debut
Already in 1994, at the age of 16, Henkel Andrea began to participate in competitions among juniors. Following the results of the debut season, she placed in an honorable fourth place, having managed to win at the stages of the medal of different samples. Thanks to this success, the young athlete was opened the road to the World Cup. Andrea Henkel began to take part in the prestigious competition constantly from the 1998/1999 season. As a beginner, a biathlete from Germany took a high fourteenth position in the final standings. In parallel, she made her debut in the world championship, where she also showed herself well. In subsequent seasons, Andrea Henkel began to perform even more successfully.
Triumph at Salt Lake City at the Olympics
On the eve of the 2002 Winter Olympics , which was supposed to be held in the United States, Andrea Henkel showed excellent results at the World Cup. However, due to a cold, the girl had to skip several stages on the eve of a crucial event in Salt Lake City. But the German athlete showed persistence on the way to achieving the goal and triumphantly performed at the Olympic Games. The speed of Andrea Henkel left no chance for her rivals. She had no equal in the individual race, where only one mistake was made, and the gap from the nearest rival was about 8 seconds. She also helped the German team take the gold in the relay. Thus, Andrea Henkel, whose photo you see in the article, became a two-time Olympic champion.
After the 2002 Olympics, the German athlete had health problems for three seasons, which negatively affected her individual results in the competitions. Andrea Henkel began to get the best shape only at the beginning of the next Olympic Games. However, in Turin, its results, compared with the triumph of 2002, were not near. In the individual race, the German made 2 misses and ended up behind the podium, taking fourth position. The silver medal won in the relay became a bright spot for participation in the Olympics.
World Cup Victory
After the Olympics, Andrea Henkel had a brilliant season. After the start stages, she widened the gap between the pursuers in the standings and, despite the break due to the disease, managed to win the World Cup for the first time in her career. The climax of the prestigious tournament took place during the last race, before which the German athlete had 5 points overweight in second place. After five mistakes, Andrea practically lost all chances for a final victory. But thanks to her notorious perseverance and high speed, she managed to finish two positions higher than her competitor for the right to own the World Cup. Thus, Andrea Henkel for the first time managed to conquer a large crystal globe.
The last Olympics for a German athlete in Vancouver did not work out very well. Together with the national team, she won only the bronze medal in the relay. Andrea Henkel completed her career in biathlon as an athlete after the 2013/2014 season. It is worth noting that she became the only woman who managed to win gold medals in biathlon in all four disciplines. After completing his sports career, Andrea plans to become a professional fitness trainer.
Personal life
On October 25, 2014, Andrea Henkel married American biathlete Tim Burke. The ceremony took place in the Adirondack Mountains, which are located in the United States, and the honeymoon for the couple took place only in April 2015 in connection with Tim's sports activities. Subsequently, the former German biathlon star decided to move permanently to her husband's place in Lake Placid and began to issue a green card. There were rumors that Andrea Henkel was pregnant. But they have not been confirmed. She still has everything ahead. Let us wish good luck to this wonderful woman!