For Maren Hammerschmidt it was clear early on that she would later celebrate success as a biathlete.
A world title and one of her career highlights.
Maren Hammerschmidt
first came into contact with biathlon during a taster course in the first school class.
She starts for the
SK Winterberg
and is also part of the customs administration's ski team.
The
biathlete
became
world champion
in 2016
and took part in the Olympic Games two years later.
Maren Hammerschmidt
was born on October 24, 1989 in Frankenberg.
She laid the foundation for her later sporting career at a young age.
In first grade she took part
in a biathlon trial course
with her sister
Janin Hammerschmidt
and was immediately enthusiastic.
After graduating from school, the two moved to Werdenfelser Land so that they could train in Mittenwald.
In 2012, the
biathlete
went to Ruhpolding this time without her sister.
She still lives there and trains in the
Chiemgau Arena
.
Hammerschmidt starts for the SK Winterberg and has also been part of the ski team of the
Federal Customs Administration
since August 2008
.
She had already competed in her first international race a year earlier at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Jaca.
In the pursuit race she secured the bronze medal, in the sprint she finished fifth.
Maren Hammerschmidt's path to world championship title
At the Biathlon Junior World Championships in Ruhpolding in 2008, Maren Hammerschmidt made it to the top and won the sprint title.
In the pursuit, however, due to several shooting errors, she only crossed the finish line ninth and left the victory to her sister Janin.
Both achieved a mutual success in the relay race together with Nicole Wötzel.
The three secured first place.
The
customs officer
contested her first biathlon world championship in
2016 and promptly won a bronze medal.
She succeeded in doing this together with Laura Dahlmeier, Franziska Hildebrand and Franziska Preuss in the
relay
.
The
biathlete was then accepted
into the A-squad of the German Ski Association for the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 seasons.
In 2018, the
world champion
competed at the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.
In the individual over 15 km she made three shooting errors and the
biathlete
landed in 17th place.
As the worst German participant, she did not manage to qualify for the mass start.
Before
Maren Hammerschmidt was
able to prove her skills again at the next World Cup in Kontiolahti, she suffered a ligament injury on her left ankle.
Nevertheless, she finished twelfth in the sprint and fifth in the mass start race.
Maren Hammerschmidt's return to sport and her commitment to animal welfare
In October 2018, the
biathlete
underwent
an operation on her left ankle due to an injury, followed by
rehab
.
She started training again in December.
She will be back at the end of January 2019 and competed in the Chiemgau Team Trophy.
Her list of successes now includes:
2016: Silver medal in the sprint at the German Championships
2016: Bronze medal in the pursuit at the German Championships
2016: Bronze medal in the
relay
at the Biathlon World Cup
2017: Gold medal in the relay at the Biathlon World Cup
2017: Silver medal in the sprint at the German Championships
2020: Silver medal in the short individual at the German Championships
In
addition to sport,
Maren Hammerschmidt
is committed to protecting animals and was therefore part of the
PETA
campaign in
2016:
“Better to be naked than in fur”.
It also offers support to animal shelters in which stray dogs from Romania are housed, as well as
castration organizations
.
By Sophie Neumärker