[3] Kersten won a bronze medal on the vault at the 1985 European Championships, where she also finished fifth in the all-around and sixth on the balance beam.

She also made all four apparatus finals, winning silver on bars behind GDR teammate Gabriele Fahnrich, and a bronze on the vault.

After German reunification, Kersten moved to Stuttgart and worked at the Swabian Gymnastics Federation.

Later she worked as a speaker of the Lower Saxony Gymnastics Federation and a coach for an acrobatic show, which included her daughter Alina.

[5] In 2022, Kersten launched a podcast about her experience as a gymnast called Ausgeturnt – Noch Lange Nicht!