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.

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. 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.

Career Bruhn competed in her first para swimming competition in 2002.

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. 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.

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

Publications

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