ADLER Anja

Classification
KL2, VL3 (ICF, 01 Jun 2021)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (anjaadler-kanu.de, 17 Apr 2021)

Impairment Details
In 2015 she fell 15 metres into a mine shaft during an expedition for her doctorate research in geology. The accident resulted in paraplegia. (anjaadler-kanu.de, 17 Apr 2021; teamdeutschland-paralympics.de, 21 Aug 2017)

General
FURTHER EDUCATION
She has studied for a doctorate in geology in Germany. She switched courses from practical to theoretical geology due to the accident she had on an expedition in 2015 that resulted in her impairment. She has also studied for a master's degree in meteorology at the University of Leipzig. "I had an accident on an expedition as part of my doctorate in a disused mine and have been incompletely paraplegic ever since. Now [speaking in 2017] I'm in theoretical geology instead of climbing in the caves." (teamdeutschland-paralympics.de, 08 Jun 2021; anjaadler-kanu.de, 17 Apr 2021; mz.de, 12 Jul 2019; wochenspiegel-web.de, 29 Nov 2018; teamdeutschland-paralympics.de, 21 Aug 2017)

SPORTSWOMAN
She took part in a number of sports while she was growing up, and competed in race walking at an elite level before she sustained her impairment. "As a child I tried out various sports, including rhythmic gymnastics, until I ended up in athletics. I specialised in race walking, which I enjoyed until 2015, with a short break. It was always fascinating for me to exceed my own limits in the endurance area, always a bit longer, faster, or in the fight with a very friendly competition. In the short break I went 'foreign' from the endurance discipline and did ski jumping for two years. In rehab I also tried out various sports - wheelchair basketball, wheelchair table tennis, wheelchair rugby, Para badminton. But I settled on Para canoe. That was exactly the sport that bore many similarities to my beloved race walking. You are out in nature, you feel the freedom, you are challenged in the endurance area." (anjaadler-kanu.de, 17 Apr 2021)