German short track champion Anna Seidel (b. 31 March 1998) is also known as Anna Schindler-Pferde. At the ISU World Cup In Kolomna, Russia, last November, Seidel set new personal records in the A category (1500m) by winning the first Olympic gold medal of her career. She is now the Nationality Chair for Germany in skating at the It’s Festival in Dijon, Netherlands. Also at the World Cup, Seidel equaled the best-scorer title by an individual in the U.S.A., set by Billie Jean King in 1996. This meant that Seidel would automatically be eligible for the Olympic team due to her performance in both disciplines.
Anna Seidel has been described as the German answer to British superstar Anna Bond. Although her skating ability and achievements are certainly world class, comparing her with Bond does actually stretch the limits of conventional wisdom. For Bond, the defining moment of her career came at the end of the 1996 season, when her long track career came to an end as a result of a single in the sprint. Anna Seidel achieved a similar feat in her first season back after retirement. It is for these reasons that the comparisons between Anna Seidel and Bond have often been made.
Another point that can be compared is their experience on the international stage. Bond won the gold at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and went on to represent Great Britain in the Sydney Olympics four years later. However, there is no doubt that Seidel has had more success on a national level, winning the German National Championships five times. She has also skated for some of Europe’s best, including Russia and Canada.