Kristina Vogel Barbie Doll

Cycling Champion, GERMANY - 2019 Barbie Shero

Kristina Vogel was born in Leninskoje, Russia in 1990. As a Russian-German, she moved to Germany when she was six months old. She discovered her enthusiasm for cycling by chance. The E.T. movie poster inspired Kristina to do her first circuits on a road bike in 2000. In 2005, she switched to track cycling. After participating in the first national “scouting race,” she was selected for the German national youth squad. She kept up her speed and won countless national and international titles. In 2009, Kristina suffered her first serious setback when a motorist cut in front of her. She spent two days in a coma and suffered several broken bones, resulting in four weeks in the hospital and three months of rehabilitation. Despite the danger of another crash, Kristina never questioned whether she should continue. She was driven by a dream: the 2012 Games in London. With an iron will, she managed to participate in the Track Cycling World Championships a mere nine months later. From then on, Kristina became unstoppable, winning medals and championships around the world.

On the way to her third Summer Games and becoming the best female track cyclist of all time, Kristina suffered another serious blow. In 2018, she collided with a Dutch junior cyclist and suffered several broken bones and injuries that resulted in paralysis, leading to life in a wheelchair. Three months after the serious crash, Kristina returned to the public eye with an emotional interview in Der Spiegel magazine and a public press conference where she shared, “Since my accident I feel free.”

Kristina continues to persevere and share her story with the public. With her infectious vitality, she is a model for believing in yourself.