Monique Werner

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Monique Werner (2016)

Monique Werner (born Monika Ammann on February 4, 1958 in Dielsdorf ZH ) is a Swiss athlete and dancer . She was able to win the world championship in hang gliding seven times . She now lives in Tautenbronn near Pfullendorf in Germany.

Life

Monique Werner grew up in Dielsdorf near Zurich . She has ancestors from Switzerland, France and Israel . Her home town is Matzingen ( Canton Thurgau ). Due to a mistake in the name entry, Monika was entered instead of Monique; however, as Monique, she became known in sports. Monique Werner recorded sporting successes early on, especially in athletics . She intended to take up a sports degree. As a young woman, she ran a fitness studio in St. Moritz and trained prominent guests there.

Career as a dancer

From there she moved to the USA and was the first Swiss dance scholarship recipient to take up training at the Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS) and the Julliard School of Performing Arts. She successfully graduated and danced in Cats on Broadway . She was also selected to dance with Michael Jackson in the Thriller music video .

Career as an athlete

For family reasons, she ended her dance career in the USA and returned to Switzerland. She turned down offers to lead dance groups for film and television, and in 1984 she turned to kite flying, which she subsequently practiced professionally. She was successful in this male-dominated extreme sport for over 27 years. Monique Werner won the world championship title seven times, was multiple European champion and twice German champion. She competed as a Swiss for the German team. Her career as an athlete was endangered several times by serious setbacks: When she fell, she sustained several serious injuries, including a serious accident at the 1999 World Cup in Greece , in which she was in a coma and suffered severe traumatic brain injuries. But after healing and rehabilitation, she continued to compete among the world's best in professional kite sports. In the spring of 2012 there was another serious crash in Slovenia . Due to the consequences, Monique Werner withdrew from competitive sports for the time being.

Awards

For fairness in sport, Monique Werner was the only woman to date to receive the “Pepe Lopes Medal”. She had given up a competition while in the lead to help another female athlete in need. In 2012, the German Federal Minister of the Interior, Hans-Peter Friedrich , awarded the Swiss Monique Werner the silver laurel leaf .

Web links

Commons : Monique Werner  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ailey / Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS)
  2. ^ A b c Siegfried Volk: Honor for a fair sportswoman . Südkurier from June 29, 2012, accessed on October 3, 2016.
personal data
SURNAME Werner, Monique
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ammann, Monika (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss athlete and dancer
DATE OF BIRTH 4th February 1958
PLACE OF BIRTH Dielsdorf ZH