Kirsten Bruhn

Kirsten Bruhn (born 3 November 1969 in Eutin) is a former German female Paralympic swimmer. She won several Paralympic medals, including back-to-back gold medals in women's SB5 100m breaststroke at the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Paralympics.

Kirsten Bruhn

Personal information
Born	(1969-11-03) 3 November 1969 (age 55) Eutin, West Germany
Home town	Berlin, Germany
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	61 kg (134 lb)
Sport
Country	Germany
Sport	Paralympic swimming
Disability	Spinal cord injury
Disability class	S7, SB5, SM6
Coached by	Manfred Bruhn (father), Ute Schinkitz
Retired	2014
Medal record Paralympic swimming Representing  Germany Paralympic Games 2004 Athens Women's 100m breaststroke SB5 2008 Beijing Women's 100m breaststroke SB5 2012 London Women's 100m breaststroke SB5 2004 Athens Women's 50m freestyle S7 2004 Athens Women's 100m backstroke S7 2008 Beijing Women's 100m backstroke S7 2012 London Women's 100m backstroke S7 2004 Athens Women's 100m freestyle S7 2008 Beijing Women's 50m freestyle S7 2008 Beijing Women's 100m freestyle S7 2008 Beijing Women's 400m freestyle S7 World Championships (Long Course) 2006 Durban Women's 100m backstroke S7 2006 Durban Women's 100m breaststroke SB5 2010 Eindhoven Women's 100m breaststroke SB5 2010 Eindhoven Women's 100m backstroke S7 2013 Montreal Women's 100m backstroke S7 2013 Montreal Women's 100m breaststroke SB5 2006 Durban Women's 50m freestyle S7 2006 Durban Women's 100m freestyle S7 2006 Durban Women's 400m freestyle S7 2006 Durban Women's 4x100m freestyle relay World Championships (Short Course) 2009 Rio de Janeiro Women's 100m backstroke S7 2009 Rio de Janeiro Women's 100m breaststroke SB7 2009 Rio de Janeiro Women's 100m freestyle S7 2009 Rio de Janeiro Women's 50m freestyle S7 European Championships 2014 Eindhoven Women's 100m breaststroke SB5 2014 Eindhoven Women's 100m backstroke S7 2014 Eindhoven Women's 50m freestyle S7

Early life

Bruhn was born in 1969 in Eutin and was the youngest of five children. She learnt to swim when she was three and began competing at ten.^[1][2] In 1991 when she was 21 years old, Bruhn sustained a spinal cord injury during a motorcycle trip while on holiday on the island of Kos leaving her partially paralysed.^[3]

Career

Bruhn competed in her first para swimming competition in 2002.^[3] She made her Paralympic debut at the 2004 Summer Paralympics and won gold in the women's SB5 100m breaststroke. She also won silver in the 100m backstroke and 50m freestyle, and bronze in the 100m freestyle.^[2] In 2005, she was awarded a Sportplakette des Landes Schleswig-Holstein, an award that recognizes the achievements of sportspeople from Schleswig-Holstein.^[4]

Bruhn also competed at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Paralympics, winning gold in the women's SB5 100m breaststroke both times in addition to other medals.^[3] She was featured in the 2013 film, Gold – You Can Do More Than You Think, alongside para-athletes Henry Wanyoike and Kurt Fearnley.^[5] The film portrayed the everyday lives of disabled athletes and showcased Bruhn, Wanyoike, and Fearnley's journeys to winning gold at the 2012 Paralympics. Film crews followed Bruhn for 18 months to make the film.^[6]

The 2014 European Championships marked Bruhn's final competition.^[7] After retiring from sport, Bruhn worked as an ambassador for rehabilitation, prevention, and sports at Unfallkrankenhauses Berlin (Berlin Accident Hospital).^[8] In 2015, she was elected chairperson of the board of trustees of the German Disabled Sports Association (DBS).^[9] Her autobiography, Mein Leben und wie ich es zurückgewann (My Life and How I Won It Back), was published in 2016.^[10][11] She was appointed to the expert committee of Deutsche Sporthilfe in 2024.^[8]

Publications

• Mein Leben und wie ich es zurückgewann, Neues Leben, Berlin 2016, ISBN 978-3-355-01844-9.