Annika Zeyen-Giles

Started: She began competing in Para cycling in 2019. (general-anzeiger-bonn.de, 19 Sep 2019) Awards: She was named as one of the Bundeswehr [German armed forces] Athletes of the Year for 2023. (wehrmed.de, 28 Nov 2023) In 2022 she was named Para Athlete of the Year in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. (ssfbonn.de, 10 Dec 2022) She was named the 2020 Sportswoman of the Year by media outlet General-Anzeiger Bonn in Germany. (ga.de, 31 Jan 2021) In January 2020 she was invited to sign the Golden Book in Bonn, Germany. People who have signed the book include well-known personalities from around the world, as well as people who have represented the city and contributed to its reputation. (paralympic.org, 08 Jan 2020) She was named the 2017 Sportswoman of the Year in the Rhein-Sieg district in Germany. (Twitter profile, 18 Apr 2018) She was flag bearer for Germany at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (zimbio.com, 17 Sep 2016) She received the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt [Silver Laurel Leaf] in Germany in 2008 and 2012. (ksta.de, 22 Aug 2013) She was named the 2008 Sportswoman of the Year of the Mittelhessen region in Germany. (rsvlahndill.de, 27 Jan 2009) Additional Info: BASKETBALL TO ATHLETICS TO CYCLING She competed in wheelchair basketball at four Paralympic Games between 2004 and 2016. After winning silver in wheelchair basketball at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, she took up wheelchair racing and competed at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London, England. In 2019 she switched sports again due to injury, turning her focus to Para cycling. "When I quit basketball after playing 382 games with the national team in 2016, I tried my hand at the athletics discipline of wheelchair racing. Due to bad luck with injuries, I had to stop and switched to the increasingly popular handbike. In this sport I can maintain my muscular strength in my arms and upper body." (SportsDeskOnline, 13 Aug 2021; ga.de, 19 Sep 2019; phoenixreisen.com, 29 Jul 2019) OCCUPATION She has worked as a design project co-ordinator at the International Paralympic Committee [IPC] in Bonn, Germany. (Facebook profile, 18 Dec 2023; paralympic.org, 08 Jan 2020; phoenixreisen.com, 29 Jul 2019) OTHER ACTIVITIES She has served as an ambassador for the German Wheelchair Sports Foundation. (stiftung-deutscher-rollstuhlsport.de, 18 Dec 2016)