Jena honors successful Olympian

Michelle Kroppen won the silver medal at the Olympic Games in France. She has now been able to sign the city's Golden Book in Jena's Volkshaus. Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche received the successful archer from SV GutsMuths Jena together with representatives from the Thuringian State Sports Association, the Thuringian Shooting Association, the Jena Sports High School, the sports department of the city administration, the coach and chairman of her club, members of the political groups and sponsors. Michelle Kroppen won the medal in archery in the mixed competition together with Florian Unruh.

"We warmly congratulate Michelle Kroppen on this strong performance," said Mayor Nitzsche. "And we are also proud that the foundations for her success were laid in our city." The athlete, who was born in North Rhine-Westphalia, came to Jena in 2013. Viktor Bachmann, the national coach at the time, discovered her talent and brought her to the Olympic training center, which was still in Jena at the time. In addition to training, she also completed her A-levels here. Kroppen later moved to Berlin, where she was accepted into the sports support group of the federal police. It was a matter of course for her to continue competing for the Jena club, Kroppen emphasized at the reception. It was here that she gained crucial experience that made her the athlete she is today. She warmly thanked her former trailblazers in Jena for their support along the way.

Kroppen made her international breakthrough when she became world indoor team champion with Elena Richter and Lisa Unruh in 2018. In the same year, she finished second at the World Cup in Salt Lake City and third in the European Championships. These successes enabled her to achieve a top 10 position in the world rankings for the first time. Her other successes include team silver at the 2021 European Championships and Olympic bronze in the team, second in the individual at the 2022 European Championships and first in the team, as well as first in the team at the 2023 World Championships and second in the mixed competition.