Gilbert Fuchs was a German figure skater

Figure skating

Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...

 and world champion

World Figure Skating Championships

The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...

 in figure skating.

In 1896, he won the first world figure skating championships, held in St. Petersburg, Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. In 1906 he recaptured the title in Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

.

Relations with his constant rival Ulrich Salchow

Ulrich Salchow

Karl Emil Julius Ulrich Salchow was a Swedish figure skater, who dominated the sport in the first decade of the 20th century....

 were strained. In 1906, Salchow did not compete in Munich, Fuchs' hometown, because he expected to be judged unfairly. Likewise, Fuchs did not participate in the 1908 Olympics because he felt the judges favored Salchow.

Only once did Fuchs place higher in a competition than Salchow, the 1901 Europeans

European Figure Skating Championships

The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion...

 in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

. Fuchs however didn't win, coming second to Gustav Hügel

Gustav Hügel

Gustav Hügel was an Austrian figure skater. He was the 1897 & 1899-1900 World Champion and the 1901 European Champion. He won the German national championships in 1894 because, at that time, Austria and Germany held joint championships.-Results:-References:...

 of Austria.)

Fuchs learned figure skating on his own, after learning gymnastics

Gymnastics

Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...

, weightlifting, and stone put

Stone put

The stone put is one of the main Scottish heavy athletic events at modern-day Highland games gatherings. Similar to the shot put, the stone put more frequently uses an ordinary stone or rock instead of a steel ball...

. After finishing secondary school, he served in a cavalry

Cavalry

Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...

 regiment, later studying agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

. Still later, he moved to Munich, Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

, in Germany and studied forestry

Forestry

Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...

. He practiced on Germany's first artificial ice rink, named "Unsöldsche Kunsteisbahn", which opened in 1892 and competed for Munich EV and Germany. He wrote and published: "Theory and Practice of Figure Skating" (German: "Theorie und Praxis des Kunstlaufes am Eise").

Beyond figure skating, Fuchs studied the morphology of the bark beetle

Bark beetle

A bark beetle is one of approximately 220 genera with 6,000 species of beetles in the subfamily Scolytinae. Traditionally, this was considered a distinct family Scolytidae, but now it is understood that bark beetles are in fact very specialized members of the "true weevil" family...

 (German: Borkenkäfer). In 1929, in his late fifties, he wrote his PhD thesis titled “European timber industry after the war” (German: "Europäische Holzwirtschaft der Nachkriegszeit"). ("War" here referred to the First World War.)

Results

Event	1895	1896	1897	1898	1899	1900	1901	1902	1903	1904	1905	1906	1907	1908	1909
World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...		1st	(*)	3rd			2nd					1st	3rd	2nd
European Championships European Figure Skating Championships The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion...	3rd						2nd						2nd		2nd
German Championships German Figure Skating Championships The German Figure Skating Championships are a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of Germany. Skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing....	1st	1st													1st

(*) injured due to a hunting accident in the high mountains

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