Katarina Witt, one of the most famous athletes and celebrities to emerge from East Germany, captured the gold medal in women's figure skating at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games. Her beauty and style, on and off the ice, earned her world-wide acclaim, as well as envy and some enmity from her competitors, who complained about Witt's lack of technical proficiency. To Witt and her legion of fans, such complaints were simply sour grapes. Katarina left her competition in the dust in the Olympics, and also won the World Figure Skating Championship on four occasions. Her post-competitive career has been notable as well, from her sold-out photo spread in "Playboy" to her current role, as of May 2011, as bid chairman for Munich's quest to host the Winter Olympics in 2018.
Childhood
Born in 1968 in the the town of Karl-Marx-Stadt, formerly known as Chemnitz, Witt became interested in skating as a five-year-old, when she observed people gliding around the rink at the Kuchwald rink near her house. A young phenom, Witt became the protegee of famed German coach Jutta Muller at the age of 10. Witt became closer to Muller than her parents, an industrial plant manager and a physical therapist. Muller, the trainer of many champions, focused on style and appearance almost as much as technical prowess on the ice. So Katarina's smile, sass and glitz, as well as her hair, makeup and costumes received lots a attention.
Championships
Witt dominated the World Figure Skating Championships in the 1980s, winning in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988. After winning gold at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics at the age of 18, it was uncertain whether she would remain in the sport until the 1988 Calgary Olympics, especially since she had become a worldwide superstar at Sarajevo. But at 22, a relatively old age for a figure skater, Witt defeated American Debi Thomas in a widely-hyped matchup between East and West. In doing so, Witt became the first woman to win two straight gold medals in women's figure skating since Sojia Henie in 1936. As E.M. Swift wrote in "Sports Illustrated," Witt said she would like to be remembered as a good skater who launched an era where skaters "told a story on the ice." Witt's steely nerves and ability to rise to the occasion were sometimes overlooked -- she held up under the immense pressure of favoritism in almost every event from 1983 to 1988.
Second Career
Witt retired from competitive skating after defending her World Figure Skating crown in 1988. She toured and starred in ice shows that attracted full houses, modeled and endorsed products and enjoyed an extremely successful life after competition. Witt, who pioneered a number of slinky costumes during her championship performances, raised even more eyebrows as a cover girl for "Playboy." Witt never tried to defect from East Germany, continuing to live in Germany after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, and she has remained a beloved figure in her home country.
2018 Olympic Bid Chair
As of May 2011, Witt was leading the German delegation in its attempt to convince the International Olympic Committee to name Munich the host site of the 2018 Winter Olympics. The German delegation focused its pitch on an "athlete-centered" games with updated facilities from the 1972 Munich Games, a compact competition area and a green-oriented approach that would stress the principle of environmental sustainability. It would be another feather in Witt's cap if Germany succeeds in luring the Games back to Munich, after the terrorist attack on Israeli athletes ruined the 1972 Summer Olympics.
References
- "Sports Illustrated"; Behold The Shining Star of the G.D.R.; Rick Reilly; January 1986
- "Sports Illustrated"; To Witt, The Victory; March1988; E.M. Swift
- SportsFeatures.com; Munich 2018 Promotes Multi-Use of Olympiapark Venues to Be Eco-Friendly; Laura Walden; May 2011
- SportsFeatures.com; Witt Says Munich Big Team is Feeling 'Very Positive' After IOC Report; Laura Walden; May 2011
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