Christa Rothenburger
Encyclopedia
Christa Luding-Rothenburger (born 4 December 1959) is a former speed skater
and track cyclist. She was born in Weißwasser
, East Germany.
in 1990, Luding competed for East Germany – afterwards for Germany
. For more than 10 years, she was one of the world's best sprinters in speed skating. At the World Sprint Championships
in speed skating, she became World Champion twice (in 1985 and 1988), won silver twice (in 1986 and 1989), and won 4 bronze medals (in 1979, 1983, 1987, and 1992). She has also won the 500 m World Cup
3 times (in 1986, 1988, and 1989) and the 1,000 m World Cup once (in 1988).
In 1980, she was convinced by her coach, Ernst Luding (whom she would marry after the 1988 Winter Olympics), to take up cycling during the off-season. Originally, she was told to stick to skating, but finally the president of the East German sports federation gave her permission to enter international cycling competitions. At the 1986 World Cycling Championships
, she won track cycling
gold in the women's sprint and silver the following year. This made her the second woman (after Sheila Young
) to become World Champion in both speed skating and cycling.
In 1988, she earned the distinction of being the only athlete to win Summer and Winter Olympic
medals in the same year. It also made her the first woman, and the third athlete overall, to win a medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. At the Winter Games
in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
she won the gold medal in the 1,000 m speed skating event and silver in the 500 m. Seven months later, she won the silver medal in the (1,000 m) sprint in track cycling at the Summer Games
in Seoul
, South Korea
.
After winning a bronze medal at the 1992 World Sprint Championships (in which she was unable to win any of the 4 distances), Luding-Rothenburger ended her speed skating career.
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
and track cyclist. She was born in Weißwasser
Weißwasser
Weißwasser is a town in Upper Lusatia in eastern Saxony, Germany.Weißwasser is the third largest town in the Görlitz district after Görlitz and Zittau. The town's landmark is its water tower.- History :...
, East Germany.
Short biography
Before the German reunificationGerman reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
in 1990, Luding competed for East Germany – afterwards for Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. For more than 10 years, she was one of the world's best sprinters in speed skating. At the World Sprint Championships
World Sprint Speed Skating Championships
The World Sprint Speed Skating Championships are annual speed skating championships. The championships are held over a two day period, with the skaters racing one 500 m and one 1,000 m each day...
in speed skating, she became World Champion twice (in 1985 and 1988), won silver twice (in 1986 and 1989), and won 4 bronze medals (in 1979, 1983, 1987, and 1992). She has also won the 500 m World Cup
Speed Skating World Cup
The Speed Skating World Cup is a series of international speed skating competitions, organised yearly by the International Skating Union since the winter of 1985–86. Every year during the winter, a number of competitions on a number of different distances are held...
3 times (in 1986, 1988, and 1989) and the 1,000 m World Cup once (in 1988).
In 1980, she was convinced by her coach, Ernst Luding (whom she would marry after the 1988 Winter Olympics), to take up cycling during the off-season. Originally, she was told to stick to skating, but finally the president of the East German sports federation gave her permission to enter international cycling competitions. At the 1986 World Cycling Championships
World Championship of Track Cycling (women)
The women's UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the world championship events for track cycling and are administered by the Union Cycliste Internationale, the governing body for sport cycling worldwide. The world championships are held annually at various locations around the world. Track...
, she won track cycling
Track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....
gold in the women's sprint and silver the following year. This made her the second woman (after Sheila Young
Sheila Young
Sheila Grace Young-Ochowicz is a former speed skater and track cyclist from the United States.-Short biography:...
) to become World Champion in both speed skating and cycling.
In 1988, she earned the distinction of being the only athlete to win Summer and Winter Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
medals in the same year. It also made her the first woman, and the third athlete overall, to win a medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. At the Winter Games
1988 Winter Olympics
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 13 to 28 February 1988. The host was selected in 1981 after having beat Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...
in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
she won the gold medal in the 1,000 m speed skating event and silver in the 500 m. Seven months later, she won the silver medal in the (1,000 m) sprint in track cycling at the Summer Games
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
After winning a bronze medal at the 1992 World Sprint Championships (in which she was unable to win any of the 4 distances), Luding-Rothenburger ended her speed skating career.
Medals
An overview of medals won by Rothenburger at important championships she participated in, listing the years in which she won each:| Championships | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed skating Speed skating Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating... |
|||
| Winter Olympics Speed skating at the Winter Olympics Speed skating has been featured as a sport in the Winter Olympics since the first winter games in 1924. Women's events were added to the Olympic program for the first time in 1960.-History:... |
1984 (500 m) 1988 (1,000 m) |
1988 (500 m) | 1992 (500 m) |
| World Sprint World Sprint Speed Skating Championships The World Sprint Speed Skating Championships are annual speed skating championships. The championships are held over a two day period, with the skaters racing one 500 m and one 1,000 m each day... |
1985 1988 |
1986 1989 |
1979 1983 1987 1992 |
| World Cup Speed Skating World Cup The Speed Skating World Cup is a series of international speed skating competitions, organised yearly by the International Skating Union since the winter of 1985–86. Every year during the winter, a number of competitions on a number of different distances are held... |
1986 (500 m) 1988 (500 m) 1988 (1,000 m) 1989 (500 m) |
1986 (1,000 m) 1989 (500 m) |
|
| German Sprint | 1981 1982 1983 1992 |
1978 1979 1988 |
1977 |
| German Single Distance | 1980 (500 m) 1985 (500 m) 1986 (500 m) 1988 (500 m) 1989 (500 m) 1991 (500 m) 1991 (1,000 m) |
1980 (1,000 m) 1984 (500 m) 1986 (1,000 m) 1988 (1,000 m) 1989 (1,000 m) |
1983 (500 m) 1983 (1,000 m) 1984 (1,000 m) |
| Track cycling Track cycling Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles.... |
|||
| Summer Olympics | 1988 (Sprint) | ||
| World Sprint World Championship of Track Cycling (women) The women's UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the world championship events for track cycling and are administered by the Union Cycliste Internationale, the governing body for sport cycling worldwide. The world championships are held annually at various locations around the world. Track... |
1986 | 1987 | |
World records
Over the course of her career, Rothenburger skated 8 world records:| Distance | Result | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 40.28 | 27 March 1981 | Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
| 1,000 m | 1:20.95 | 27 March 1981 | Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
| 500 m | 40.18 | 28 March 1981 | Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
| Sprint combination Samalog Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion... |
162.275 | 28 March 1981 | Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
| 500 m | 39.69 | 25 March 1983 | Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
| Sprint combination Samalog Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion... |
161.120 | 26 March 1983 | Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
| 500 m | 39.39 | 6 December 1987 | Calgary Olympic Oval The Olympic Oval in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is a covered speed skating oval built for the 1988 Winter Olympics. It is the official designated training center for Speed Skate Canada and the Canadian National Speed Skating team. It is located on the University of Calgary campus... |
| 1,000 m | 1:17.65 | 26 February 1988 | Calgary Olympic Oval The Olympic Oval in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is a covered speed skating oval built for the 1988 Winter Olympics. It is the official designated training center for Speed Skate Canada and the Canadian National Speed Skating team. It is located on the University of Calgary campus... |
Personal records
| Distance | Result | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 39.12 | 22 February 1988 | Calgary Olympic Oval The Olympic Oval in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is a covered speed skating oval built for the 1988 Winter Olympics. It is the official designated training center for Speed Skate Canada and the Canadian National Speed Skating team. It is located on the University of Calgary campus... |
| 1,000 m | 1:17.65 | 26 February 1988 | Calgary Olympic Oval The Olympic Oval in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is a covered speed skating oval built for the 1988 Winter Olympics. It is the official designated training center for Speed Skate Canada and the Canadian National Speed Skating team. It is located on the University of Calgary campus... |
| 1,500 m | 2:05.83 | 16 January 1988 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
| 3,000 m | 4:50.59 | 17 January 2010 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
| Mini combination Samalog Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion... |
176.227 | 17 January 1982 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
| Sprint combination Samalog Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion... |
159.500 | 26 February 1989 | Heerenveen Thialf Thialf is an ice arena in Heerenveen, Netherlands. The stadium is used for long track speed skating, short track speed skating, ice hockey, figure skating, and non-sports events. The outdoor rink was opened in 1967, and the indoor stadium was opened in 1986. Several world records were set in the... |