German bobsled driver Mariama Jamanka, who won two gold and two silver medals at the Winter Olympics, has officially retired.
The 31-year-old Olympic Champion is stepping away from the sport to continue her academic career in Berlin.
In an Instagram post, she talked about how she experienced the highs and lows during her career as a professional athlete. One of her highs was at the PyeongChang Games in 2018. Jamanka and brakewoman Lisa Buckwitz were able to beat the United States’ team of Elana Meyers Taylor and Lauren Gibbs by .07 seconds in the four-run competition.
It was Germany’s first Olympic gold medal in women’s bobsled since 2006. It also marked the beginning of a new era for the sport following the retirements of previous Olympic champions Sandra Kiriasis and Cathleen Martini.
Jamanka’s coming out party was in 2017, as she won the European Championship with brakewoman Annika Drazek and was also part of Germany’s mixed team gold-winning squad at the IBSF World Championships in Königssee, Germany.
The Beijing 2022 Winter Games turned out to be her last competition as she and her partner Alexandra Burghardt were able to secure the silver medal behind countrywomen Deborah Levi and Laura Nolte.
Born to a Gambian father and German mother, Jamanka took to track and field as a hammer and discus thrower. After a coach suggested she try her hand at bobsled in 2013, she studied YouTube videos to learn the nuances of each international track to get a better understanding of the sport.
Últimas Noticias
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”
