Who is Alexandra Burghardt and how she made it to two Olympics in six months?


Who is Alexandra Burghardt and how she made it to two Olympics in six months?

Alexandra Burghardt

One of the fastest woman racers out there in the world, Alexandra Burghardt is an Olympian and two-time German champion. The 27-year-old had to face multiple injuries in her career of late which stalled her progress after a highly successful junior stint as a sprinter as well as a bobsledder.

ADVERTISEMENT

During her early days, the German won two European Championships gold medals (2011 and 2015 in Estonia) and silver (2012 in Spain) at the World Championships for her country. However, since finding the perfect medical team, she has recovered and rediscovered her winning ways at some of the top global events. In 2021, she made her Olympic debut and claimed two national titles to announce an ‘another’ beginning of her phenomenal journey.

Two Olympics in Six months – An incredible journey!

Alexandra Burghardt and Mariama Jamanka won silver for Germany at 2022 Beijing Olympiad
Alexandra Burghardt and Mariama Jamanka won silver for Germany at 2022 Beijing Olympiad

Burghardt competed in the 4*100 metres event at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games where she finished fifth with a timing of 42:12. The Mühldorf am Inn native also ran in the women’s 100m race but finished far away from the podium at 11th while clocking 11:07.

However, she went on to register one of the finest stories in the history of the Games within weeks of competing in Tokyo. After a decent outing last year, the German sprinter was considered an Olympic favourite in a winter sport she had never tried! In Beijing 2022, she and teammate Mariama Jamanka won the bobsled silver medal to register her career-best performance thus far.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Sometimes I feel like a double agent,” she said during an interaction with The New York Times on Saturday. “Two lives to handle.”

Also Read | Ten million viewers tune in to watch skater Kamila Valieva falter at Beijing Olympics