Katarina Witt
Figure skater
Katarina Witt was born on 3 December 1965 in Staaken near Berlin.
She started figure skating at the age of five in the junior group of SC Karl-Marx-Stadt. Her talent was recognised and actively encouraged there. After attending the children's and youth sports school, Katarina Witt was able to devote herself intensively to competitive sport and became GDR champion for the first time in 1981.
Trained by Jutta Müller, the most successful figure skating coach in the world, she made sporting history with eight GDR, six European and four world championship titles as well as two Olympic gold medals. Finally, in 1999, she was voted figure skater of the 20th century.
After 1988, Katarina Witt began an impressive career in ice revue and show business when she switched from amateur to professional skating. Her international breakthrough came with the revue "Holiday on Ice" and the leading role in the film "Carmen on Ice". After 1990, Katarina Witt became very active in the USA as a professional skater, became an entrepreneur there, worked for several television stations as a presenter and was also successful in marketing.
With her participation in the 1994 Winter Olympics, where she achieved a remarkable seventh place, she once again demonstrated her exceptional skills in figure skating.
Katarina Witt has been honoured with numerous awards and prizes for her life's work in sport. On 22 December 1988, she was made an honorary citizen of the city of Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz again since 1990).