Further Personal Information |
Higher education |
English, Geography, Language Studies - Spanish - University of Mainz: Germany |
General Interest |
Famous relatives |
Her mother Angelika Kern represented West Germany in gymnastics at the Olympic Games in 1968 and 1972. Her partner Kris Kolanus has represented Poland in high diving, and competed at four consecutive editions of the world championships between 2013 and 2019. (SportsDeskOnline, 19 Mar 2020; swr.de, 25 Jul 2017; morgenweb.de, 06 Feb 2012) |
Sport Specific Information |
Why this sport? |
She was a keen gymnast growing up, so making the transition to diving was natural. |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
She first tried diving at age 13 and began high diving at age 17 in Jamaica. Her first elite high diving competition was the 2005 World High Diving Federation [WHDF] European Championships in Ponte Brolla, Switzerland. |
Further Personal Information |
Languages |
English, German, Spanish |
General Interest |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Keep on learning. If we stop learning, it's time for a change." (ahlanlive.com, 15 Oct 2012) |
Other information |
RETIREMENT
In June 2021 she announced that she would be retiring from competitive high diving after she competed at the 2021 Cliff Diving World Series event in Saint-Raphael, France. "[It was exciting] to finally meet everyone again after such a long time. While I was preparing for the event, however, I came to understand: this is it for me. After 16 years of competing this is going to be the final performance. With gratitude in my heart I'll say, 'Au revoir'." (swr.de, 13 Jun 2021; Instagram profile, 09 Jun 2021)
DOCUMENTARY
She is one of nine women featured in the 2018 documentary film 'She is the Ocean'. All nine women lead lives that are connected to the sea in some way. (deadline.com, 09 Sep 2020)
BUSINESS
She is the co-founder of Mad Hoppers, a company that sells swimwear, clothing, and accessories. They also offer diving courses. "I founded it with [partner] Kris Kolanus to give cliff jumping courses. People love the excitement before a jump." (Instagram profile, 02 Oct 2020; madhoppers.shop, 07 Apr 2019; derstandard.at, 24 Aug 2018) |
Other sports |
She competed in gymnastics at national level until she was age 13. (annabader.com, 20 May 2015) |
Further Personal Information |
Family |
Partner Kris Kolanus, two children including daughter Roksana [2016] |
General Interest |
Injuries |
Her training was disrupted during the 2018 World Series events due to injuries. (redbull.com, 14 Jan 2020) |
