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Anna-Lena Forster

German flag
Germany
Alpine Skiing
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2
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Only the very bravest of athletes would try to come in between the long-standing rivalry of two of the world’s best women’s sit alpine skiers.

But that is exactly what Anna-Lena Forster did at Sochi 2014, successfully elbowing her way onto the podium three times alongside multiple Paralympic and world champions Austria’s Claudia Loesch and Germany’s Anna Schaffelhuber.

Forster take another step forward four years later as she topped the podium in the women´s slalom and super-combined sitting events.

Born with her impairment, Forster made her international debut in 2012 having taken up alpine skiing at the age of six.

Forster has multiple World and Europa Cup podiums under her belt and has built herself a formidable reputation of being able to pull out her best performances when it matters most.

The 2015-16 season saw Forster break into the World Cup top three for the first time. Not only did she win the slalom, super-G and downhill globes, the German sent a clear message that she had arrived by claiming the overall women's sitting World Cup.

Forster was able to come between Schaffelhuber and Loesch again at the 2017 World Championships, claiming silver in the slalom to sit between the pair on the podium. She also maintained her World Cup form, finishing in the top three in slalom, giant slalom and super combined and third in the overall women's sitting rankings.

In 2017/2018, Forster ended in second place in the overall World Cup standings.

Biography

Impairment information

Type of Impairment
Limb deficiency
Origin of Impairment
Congenital
Classification
LW12-1

Further personal information

Residence
Freiburg, GER
Occupation
Athlete, Student
Languages
English, French, German, Italian
Higher education
Psychology - Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg: Germany

Sport specific information

When and where did you begin this sport?
She began skiing at age six with VdK Munchen in Germany.
Why this sport?
Her parents and her brother are passionate skiers, and they encouraged her to take up the sport. "When I was born my parents weren't so sure whether the tradition of ski holiday was still possible. It was a coincidence that my hometown of Singen had an event where Para sports were presented. Among other things, we found mono-skiing. I was relatively young, but the ski instructor said we should wait a few more years until I could fit the ski. Then my parents measured me every year. We tried it out when I was age six, with quite a bit of cushion in the seat shell. But at least it worked so far that I could drive. For the next four years, I took a ski course every year. Until the trainer said, 'You don't even have to look any further, I think you have talent'. From then on, I was part of the youth team."
Club / Team
BRSV Radolfzell [GER] / Zoll Ski Team [GER]: Germany
Name of coach
Justus Wolf [national], GER

International debut

Year
2012
Competing for
Germany

General interest

Nicknames
Leni, Lenchen (skiteam-alpin.org, 03 Dec 2012)
Hobbies
Wheelchair basketball, trampolining. (badische-zeitung.de, 11 Mar 2017)
Awards and honours
In 2014 and 2016 she was named Sportswoman of the Year by the Baden Disabled and Rehabilitation Sports Association [BBS] in Germany. (suedkurier.de, 07 Dec 2016)

In 2014 she received the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt [Silver Laurel Leaf] in Germany. (bundespraesident.de, 05 May 2014)

In 2013 she received a gold medal in recognition of her sporting achievements from the town of Radolfzell in Germany. (wochenblatt.net, 17 Apr 2013)
Ambitions
To compete at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. (ring-freiburg.de, 29 Jan 2020)
Impairment
She was born without a right leg and missing bones in her left leg. (badische-zeitung.de, 11 Mar 2017; suedkurier.de, 10 Mar 2010)
Other information
MENTAL STRENGTH
She says a healthy mental state is just as important as the body when it comes to winning. "I went to see a psychologist after the 2015 World Championships. I was very sad about my results there – and I'd been very nervous at the start of the race. It helped a lot. I realised I needed to stay positive and trust my abilities. The 2018 Paralympic Winter Games didn't start well for me. I crashed in the downhill and then in the super-G I finished fourth. That was not the plan. It affected my confidence and I was very stressed. Others had medals, and I'd lost. But then I spoke to family and friends, and they were a big influence. My family got me going again. That's where the positivity came in. They told me I could do it and they cheered me up. They made me strong and got me believing. I began thinking: 'You can do it' ahead of the other events." She ended up winning two gold medals at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (paralympic.org, 09 Jan 2019)

Results

Unit Date Rank
IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships (La Molina, Spain)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Super-G Sitting Race 1 2013-02-21 5
Women's Slalom Sitting Race 1 2013-02-24 2
Women's Super-Combined Sitting Race 1 2013-02-25 4
Women's Giant Slalom Sitting Race 1 2013-02-26 9999
Paralympic Winter Games 2014 (Sochi, Russia)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Downhill Sitting Final Round 2014-03-08 4
Women's Super-G Sitting Final Round 2014-03-10 9999
Women's Slalom Sitting Final Round 2014-03-12 2
Women's Super Combined Sitting Final Round 2014-03-14 2
Women's Giant Slalom Sitting Final Round 2014-03-16 3
2015 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships Panorama (Panorama, Canada)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Super-G Sitting Race 1 2015-03-05 9999
Women's Super-Combined Sitting Race 1 2015-03-07 5
Women's Giant Slalom Sitting Race 1 2015-03-08 4
Women's Slalom Sitting Race 1 2015-03-10 3
2017 IPC Alpine skiing World Championships Tarvisio, ITA (Tarvisio, Italy)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Downhill Sitting Race 1 2017-01-25 4
Women's Super-G Sitting Race 1 2017-01-26 6
Women's Super-Combined Sitting Race 1 2017-01-28 3
Women's Giant Slalom Sitting Race 1 2017-01-30 4
Women's Slalom Sitting Race 1 2017-01-31 2
Pyeongchang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games (Pyeongchang, South Korea)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Downhill Sitting Final 2018-03-10 9999
Women's Super-G Sitting Final 2018-03-11 4
Women's Super Combined Sitting Final 2018-03-13 1
Women's Giant Slalom Sitting Final 2018-03-14 6
Women's Slalom Sitting Final 2018-03-18 1
Kranjska Gora/Sella Nevea 2019 World Para Alpine Skiing Championships (Kranjska Gora/Sella Nevea, Slovenia)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Giant Slalom Sitting Race 1 2019-01-22 3
Women's Slalom Sitting Race 1 2019-01-24 1
Women's Downhill Sitting Race 1 2019-01-30 2
Women's Super-G Sitting Race 1 (from SC) 2019-01-31 4
Women's Super-Combined Sitting Race 1 2019-01-31 3