The celebrated German Paralympic swimmer had a brilliant 2005 in which she broke nine World 11 European and 15 German records. She received the ‘Silver Laurel’ award from the German President Horst Köhler in Berlin in March as an acknowledgement of her achievements.
Bruhn became semi-paraplegic after a motor cycle accident in 1991 which forced her to use a wheelchair. She began to swim to stay fit and to increase her mobility, but soon began to swim competitively. Trained by her father, she has become a superb competitor, continually producing a succession of amazing times.
In the German Long Course Championships in June 2005, she broke four world records, the 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle (twice) and the 200m freestyle. In the Short Course Championships the following November, she again created four new world records, the 50m, 100m and 200m Freestyle and the 50m Breaststroke. She rounded off her remarkable year with a world record in the 50m Breaststroke in the US Open in Minneapolis in December.
In 2005 she was also named Female Athlete of the Year with a Disability in Germany, Athlete of the Year in Schleswig-Holstein, and is an ambassador for the Vivesco children’s charity and the Aral Charity Walk, a 30-day event which raises funds for disabled sport.
