Sophia Saller Triathlete Olympic & Sprint Distance U23 World Champion 2014 l Silver Medalist European Championships 2014 l German Champion 2014 www.sophiasaller.eu Index “ “ I am a German U23 Elite Triathlete and currently live in the UK studying Mathematics in Oxford. Striving for my best in triathlon and in academics means I am always busy… but I love it! About me ... 3 My key results … 5 My philosophy … 7 Media … 9 Why support me? … 11 Contact … 13 2 About me Name Having been born and raised in Germany, I moved to England in 2008. In 2011, I graduated from the German School London and started my mathematics degree at the University of Oxford. I have a very sporty family - so sport has always played a big role in my life. In particular my mum, a cross-country skiing Olympian and longdistance runner has infused me with the enthusiasm and the spirit you need. Date of birth Place of birth Nationality Current residency Education & Internships After swimming competitively for several years, I got hooked on triathlon in 2010. In 2011 and 2012, I collected experience during junior races in the UK and Germany and got closer to my goal of being a successful triathlete at international level. 2013 was then a very important year for me with winning the German Junior Triathlon Championships and finishing 10th at the Junior World Championships in London. 2014 was my first season as an U23 athlete and it was just like a dream. In June, I won silver at the Elite Women's European Championships in Kitzbühel - my fist olympic distance race ever. End of August, I became U23 World Champion and finished the year by winning the German Elite and U23 Championships early September. In June 2015, I will finish my Master’s degree in Mathematics at the University of Oxford - and we’ll see where life takes me after that. In triathlon, I want to build on my previous successes and want to become a regular face at races of the World Triathlon Series - the first one will be in Abu Dhabi in March. Current Languages Sophia Saller 20 March 1994 Munich, Germany German Oxford & London, UK 2011: Graduation: Allgemeine Hochschulreife (German “Abitur” - average 1.0) 2011-2015: Student, University of Oxford, St. Catherine’s College (Master Mathematics) 2012: Internship QED Analytics Ltd., London 2013: Internship ATASS Sports, Exeter 2014: Bachelor of Science, Mathematics, University of Oxford Student, University of Oxford (Master Mathematics 2015) German (native proficiency), English (bilingual proficiency), French (limited working proficiency) Coach DTU Roland Knoll (GER) Member German National Team “B-Kader U23” Clubs SC Delphin Ingolstadt - Triathlon (GER) Oxford University Triathlon Club (UK) Oxford University Swimming Club (UK) Oxford University Cross Country Club (UK) Kiwami Team TV 1848 Erlangen 1. Triathlon Bundesliga 4 My key results “ “ •  U23 World Champion 2014, ITU World Triathlon Grand Final, Edmonton, Canada •  Silver medal, Elite Women, 2014 European Championships, Kitzbühel, Austria •  Silver medal, Mixed Team Relay, 2014 European Championships, Kitzbühel, Austria •  German Elite & U23 Champion 2014, Hanover, Germany •  10th, 2013 Junior World Championships, London •  German Junior Champion, 2013 There is always a short moment of nervousness just before the start - telling me that I'm ready to go, that I want this. Other Key Achievements, Awards & Nominations Member German National U23 Squad, 2014 & 2015 - “Deutsche Bank” Sports Scholar, 2014 & 2015 - ‪Vincent’s Club Oxford, Vincent’s Award recipient 2014 & 2015‬ - ‬Oxford University Sport, BNY Mellon Award recipient 2014 & 2015 - Oxford University Sports Woman of the year 2014 - Oxford University Sport, BP sporting scholar 2013 & 2014 – “Sportlerin des Jahres, Erlangen 2015 For a comprehensive and regularly updated summary of all my results visit sophiasaller.eu/results 6 Bringing sports and university together day by day is what is keeping me sane and gives me the balance that I need to push myself further. The balance between challenges in sports and in academics is a critical factor for success - in triathlon and in mathematics. “ My degree gives me the space and time to leave triathlon behind every now and then - and stops me from overthinking sessions or the next race. “ My philosophy I don’t know how I would be able to deal with the academic pressure or pressure in sport without having the other to balance it. Triathlon has helped me academically, by giving me the time and space to clear my head, to leave the work behind me and literally - just run away for a bit. On the other hand, my degree gives me the space and time to leave triathlon behind every now and then - and stops me from overthinking sessions or the next race. 8 Media Please find below a selection of recent articles in print media and online media •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  Die Multibegabte – Frankfurter Sonntagszeitung, 28.12.2014 Der Wert der Strapazen: U23 Weltmeisterin, deutsche Meisterin: Triathletin Sophia Saller erlebt eine erstaunliche Saison. Sie könnte am Anfang einer sehr schönen Karriere stehen - Süddeutsche Zeitung, 08.09.2014 Sophia Saller und Steffen Justus Deutsche Triathlon-Meister- DTU online, 06.09.2014 Sophia Saller wins U23 World Title in stunning style – ITU online, 31.08.2014 Triathlon-WM: Saller neue U23 Weltmeisterin – FOCUS online, 01.09.2014 Germany’s Sophia Saller wins world U23 women’s title – 220 Triathlon online, 01.09.2014 Sophia Saller läuft überlegen zum WM-Titel – tri-mag.de, 01.09.2014 Die vielseitige Hochbegabte: Sophia Saller ist Elitestudentin in Oxford - und nebenbei Deutschlands große Triathlon-Hoffnung – Münchner Merkur, 09.08.2014 Aus der Selbstförderung: Sophia Saller bereichert in den Semesterferien das DTU Team – Süddeutsche Zeitung, 14.07.2014 Sophia Saller krönt Debüt mit EM-Silber in Kitzbühel - DTU online, 20.06.2014 Spirig claims fourth European title - European Triathlon Union online, 20.06.2014 Sophia Saller im Kurz-Interview nach ihrem EM-Silber-Rennen – DTU online, 20.06.2014 Deutsche überrascht bei Triathlon-EM - Sportschau.de, 20.06.2014 Saller holt überraschend EM-Silber - sueddeutsche.de, 20.06.2014 EM-Zweite Saller zwischen Triathlon und Studium - welt.de, 21.06.2014 Sophia Saller: Ich hatte nichts zu verlieren – tri-mag.de, 21.06.2014 Vize-Europameistertitel für die deutschen Triathleten – DTU online, 22.06.2014 Frankfurter Sonntagszeitung, 28.12.2014 Sueddeutsche Zeitung, 14.07.2014 For a comprehensive and regularly updated summary of media coverage visit sophiasaller.eu/media 10 My Partners & Sponsors I am very fortunate to have fantastic partners and sponsors and I could not do what I do without them. Website & Social Media www.sophiasaller.eu •  •  www.sophiasaller.eu includes a plenty of information about myself, my latest results, other news as well as my race calendar. It currently has on average about 500 page views per day*. After specific events, the number of page views increases up to >2500 per day. The website includes my blog which is regularly updated with race reports – usually no longer than a few days after the race. These blogs are amongst the mostly viewed sections of the website, also communicated via social media. Twitter •  I am sharing all important news via my Twitter account @sophiasaller, which has a steadily increasing number of followers, currently about 550. Facebook •  Similarly as on twitter, I also use my Facebook fan page to update friends and fans on all important news. I have currently about 660 likes on my Facebook fan page (“Sophia Saller Triathlete”). I am very excited to see what the future will hold for me – and I’m doing my best every day to make it look as bright as possible. The support of my partners and sponsors will help me massively on my way to reaching my full potential. * Source: Google Analytics, www.sophiasaller.eu Status: Jan 2015 12 Contact 4 Upper Park Road Kingston upon Thames KT2 5LD, United Kingdom “ I always tell myself that I can't give up now, just a little bit further and it'll be better - and then a little bit further again... “ Sophia Saller mobile: +44 (0) 7826747647 email: [email protected] www.sophiasaller.eu 14 © Sophia Saller 2015. All rights reserved. Any reproduction of pictures or other parts of this brochure without permission is forbidden.