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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
Further personal information
Sport specific information
International debut
General interest
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)
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 |
|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |