Ariella Käslin (anglicised Kaeslin; born 11 October 1987) is a Swiss former artistic gymnast. She won all five gold medals at the 2007 Swiss National Championships,[1] represented Switzerland at the World Championships in 2007, 2006 and 2005, and was a medalist on the World Cup circuit. Käslin represented Switzerland at the 2008 Olympics, where she placed 18th in the individual all-around final[2] and 5th in the vault event final.[3]
| Ariella Käslin | |
|---|---|
 Käslin at the 2009 World Championships | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Ariella Käslin |
| Born | 11 October 1987 Lucerne, Switzerland |
| Gymnastics career | |
| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics |
| Country represented |  Switzerland |
| Level | Senior International |
| Club | BTV Luzern |
| Head coach(es) | Zoltan Jordanov, Snejana Jordanova |
| Choreographer | Pascale Grossenbacher |
| Retired | 11 July 2011 |
Gymnastics career
editKäslin organized a training boycott in 2007 with three of her teammates due to abusive behavior from the national coach at the time.[4]
In 2008, 2009 and 2010, Käslin was voted by the Swiss public as "Swiss Sportswoman of the Year"; only cyclist Tony Rominger (1992, 1993, 1994) had previously achieved three consecutive "Sportsman of the Year" awards in Switzerland.
In 2009, she became European Champion on the vault, as well as taking home a bronze medal in the all-around final. She then followed up this success with a silver medal on the vault at the 2009 World Championships.
On 11 July 2011, Käslin announced her retirement from competition.[5]
Personal life
editKäslin was one of eight gymnasts quoted by name in the Magglingen Protocols, where she discussed abuse she had experienced as a gymnast.[4]
In April 2021, Käslin came out as a lesbian.[6] Regarding her decision to come out publicly, she remarked: "I then understood that as a public figure, I also had to come out publicly, otherwise I would never be able to live my love for a woman in complete freedom. But I'm also scared."[7]
References
edit- ^ "Käslin Counting Down to Beijing" John Crumlish, International Gymnast, November 12, 2007
- ^ "Results - All Around Women's Individual Final". The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. 2008-08-15. Archived from the original on 18 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ "Vault event final scores". NBC Olympics. 2008-08-17. Archived from the original on 18 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
- ^ a b Gertsch, Christof; Krogerus, Mikael (31 October 2020). "Die Magglingen-Protokolle" [The Magglingen Protocols]. Tages-Anzeiger (in German). Retrieved 2024-11-24.
- ^ "The Leading Source of Gymnastics News".
- ^ Gertsch, Christof (9 April 2021). "Ariella Kaeslin outet sich: "Ich fand Frauen schon immer attraktiv"" [Ariella Kaeslin comes out: "I've always found women attractive"]. Tages-Anzeiger (in German).
- ^ Oberli, Thibaud (11 April 2021). "Ariella Kaeslin: "J'aime une femme"" [Ariella Kaeslin: "I love a woman"]. Tribune de Genève (in French).
External links
edit
- Ariella Käslin homepage
- "Gespräch mit Ariella Käslin" 2013 interview (in German)