Katarina Witt
Encyclopedia
Katarina Witt is a German
figure skater
and model. In Germany she was commonly called "Kati" in the past, but today her full name is used more often.
She won two Olympic gold medals for East Germany, first in the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics
and the second in 1988 at the Calgary Olympics
. She won the World Championships
four times (in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988), and six consecutive European Championships
(1983–1988). She won silver medals at both the 1982 and 1986 World Figure Skating Championships. Her competitive record makes her one of the most successful figure skaters of all time.
Witt was born in Staaken
in then East Germany, just outside of West Berlin
, which is today part of Berlin
. She went to school in Karl-Marx-Stadt (which today has reverted to its pre-war name of Chemnitz
). There she attended a special school for athletically talented children named Kinder- und Jugendsportschule. She represented the club SC Karl-Marx-Stadt for the GDR (East Germany). Jutta Müller
began coaching her in 1977.
In 1984, Witt was voted "GDR female athlete of the year" by the readers of the East German newspaper Junge Welt
. She narrowly won the 1984 Olympic title over the favoured contender, reigning World champion Rosalynn Sumners
of the United States. Witt and Sumners held the top two spots heading into the Olympic free skate, which were worth 50% of the total score. Witt landed three triple jumps in her free skate programme, and the judges left room for Sumners to win the event, but Sumners scaled back two of her jumps, and Witt won the long programme by one tenth of a point on one judge's scorecard.
In 1987, Witt recaptured the World Championship title, which she had lost the previous year to Debi Thomas
. Witt only finished fifth in compulsory figures
, which meant that Thomas could finish second in both the short and long programmes and still retain the world title. However, a costly error by Thomas in the short programme put the two skaters on a level playing field heading into the free skate. Witt skated the strongest long programme of her career, landing five triple jumps, including a triple loop jump
. Although Thomas also skated a strong long programme, Witt was ranked first by the majority of the nine judges and thus reclaimed the world title.
In 1988, Witt won her sixth consecutive European Championship, equalling the achievement of Sonja Henie
as the most successful Ladies Skater at the European Championships. While Witt's and Henie's number of European titles have been surpassed since by Irina Slutskaya, she retains the record of most consecutive European titles, sharing it with Henie.
Both Witt and Thomas were favoured contenders in the 1988 Olympic Games. Their rivalry was known as the "Battle of the Carmens
", as each woman had independently elected to skate her long programme to music from Bizet
's opera Carmen
. They held the top two spots after the compulsory figures
and the short programme. Witt skated her long programme well, but not spectacularly, landing four triple jumps and downgrading her planned triple loop jump to a double loop. This left room for Thomas to win the long programme, but Thomas skated poorly, missing three of her planned five triple jumps. Canadian skater Elizabeth Manley
won the long programme, but Witt retained her Olympic title based on her overall scores (she had finished ahead of Manley in both the compulsory figures and the short programme). Witt became only the second woman in figure skating history (after Sonja Henie
) to defend her Olympic title. To honour her and her win in Calgary North Korea issued miniature sheet
s with three large pictures of Witt on the ice.
, also a gold medalist in figure skating. Their show "Witt and Boitano Skating" was so successful that for the first time in ten years, New York's Madison Square Garden
was sold out for an ice show. Later she continued at Holiday on Ice
in the United States and in Western Europe.
Following the dissolution of East Germany, Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (Stasi) files were found to show that the secret police had worked hard to keep Witt from defecting by giving her cars, accommodations, and permitted travel.
She also became an actress in the film Carmen on Ice
(1989), which expanded upon her gold medal freestyle routine at Calgary. In 1990, she received an Emmy Award
for her role in this film.
In 1994, she made a comeback to the competitive skating scene. She was again coached by Jutta Müller
and qualified for the 1994 Winter Olympics
in Lillehammer
, where she finished 7th. This was Witt's first international competition for the reunified country of Germany
, following 11 years competing for East Germany. Much-noted was her free programme to the music “Sag mir wo die Blumen sind” (an arrangement of the Pete Seeger
folksong "Where Have All the Flowers Gone"), considered remarkable for its artistic impression, including a peace message for the people of Sarajevo (the site of her first Olympic victory). She received the Golden Camera
for her Olympic comeback. In the same year she published her autobiography Meine Jahre zwischen Pflicht und Kür (My Years between Compulsories and Freestyle).
In 1995, she was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
.
In 1996, she had a cameo role in the movie Jerry Maguire
. She also starred in a German-language movie called Princess on Ice. Witt provided the vocals for the theme song, "Skate With Me".
Witt appeared as herself in two episodes of the TV comedy series Arli$$
that aired in 1997 and 1998.
In December 1998, Witt posed nude for Playboy
magazine. The issue in which these photos were published was the second ever sold-out issue of the magazine. (The first sold-out issue was the inaugural one including photos of Marilyn Monroe
.) Also in 1998, Witt appeared in the movie Ronin with a small supporting role and several lines of script. Around this time, she also played a villain in an episode of the tongue-in-cheek television series, V.I.P.
Witt has been known for her beauty and sex appeal as well as for her athleticism. Time
magazine called her "the most beautiful face of socialism."
Witt's taste in figure skating costumes sometimes raised eyebrows. At the 1983 European championships she skated her Mozart short programme in knee breeches instead of a skirt. Her blue skirtless feather-trimmed 1988 costume for a showgirl-themed short programme was considered too theatrical and sexy, and led to a change in the ISU regulations which required female skaters to wear more modest clothing, including skirts. In 1994, skating a Robin Hood
-themed programme, she again pushed the boundaries of costume regulations by wearing a short tunic over leggings.
In November 2005, she published a novel
, Only with Passion, in which she offers advice to a fictional young skater based on her many years of skating. Since October 2006, she has her own TV show at the German station ProSieben Stars auf Eis (Stars on Ice).
On 7 July 2007, Witt was a compere at the German segment of Live Earth
.
Witt was invited to Istanbul
as an honoured guest for the skating competition TV show called Buzda Dans (Dance on Ice). The competition took place on February 25, 2007.
Her farewell tour took place in February and March 2008.
Witt was the bid head for Munich's unsuccessful bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2018.
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...
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 model. In Germany she was commonly called "Kati" in the past, but today her full name is used more often.
She won two Olympic gold medals for East Germany, first in the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics
1984 Winter Olympics
The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from 8–19 February 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and Gothenburg, Sweden...
and the second in 1988 at the Calgary Olympics
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...
. She won the 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...
four times (in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988), and six consecutive 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...
(1983–1988). She won silver medals at both the 1982 and 1986 World Figure Skating Championships. Her competitive record makes her one of the most successful figure skaters of all time.
Life and career
Staaken
Staaken is a locality at the western rim of Berlin within the borough of Spandau. In the west it shares border with the Brandenburg municipalities of Falkensee and Dallgow-Döberitz in the Havelland district. Buildings range from small detached houses in the west to larger 1960s and 1970s housing...
in then East Germany, just outside of West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, which is today part of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. She went to school in Karl-Marx-Stadt (which today has reverted to its pre-war name of Chemnitz
Chemnitz
Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle...
). There she attended a special school for athletically talented children named Kinder- und Jugendsportschule. She represented the club SC Karl-Marx-Stadt for the GDR (East Germany). Jutta Müller
Jutta Müller
Jutta Müller, born Jutta Lötzsch is a German former figure skater and one of the most successful figure skating coaches worldwide....
began coaching her in 1977.
In 1984, Witt was voted "GDR female athlete of the year" by the readers of the East German newspaper Junge Welt
Junge Welt
junge Welt is a German daily newspaper published in Berlin. The jW describes itself as a left and Marxist newspaperIt was first published on 12 February 1947 in the Soviet Sector of Berlin. junge Welt became the official newspaper of the Central Council of the Free German Youth on 12 November 1947...
. She narrowly won the 1984 Olympic title over the favoured contender, reigning World champion Rosalynn Sumners
Rosalynn Sumners
Rosalynn Diane Sumners is an American ladies' singles figure skater. She was the World Junior champion in 1980, the U.S...
of the United States. Witt and Sumners held the top two spots heading into the Olympic free skate, which were worth 50% of the total score. Witt landed three triple jumps in her free skate programme, and the judges left room for Sumners to win the event, but Sumners scaled back two of her jumps, and Witt won the long programme by one tenth of a point on one judge's scorecard.
In 1987, Witt recaptured the World Championship title, which she had lost the previous year to Debi Thomas
Debi Thomas
Debra Janine "Debi" Thomas M.D. is an American figure skater and physician. She is the 1986 World champion and 1988 Olympic bronze medalist, having taken part in the Battle of the Carmens at those games.-Personal life:...
. Witt only finished fifth in compulsory figures
Compulsory figures
Compulsory figures or school figures were formerly an aspect of the sport of figure skating, from which the sport derives its name. Carving specific patterns or figures into the ice was the original focus of the sport. The patterns of compulsory figures all derive from the basic figure eight...
, which meant that Thomas could finish second in both the short and long programmes and still retain the world title. However, a costly error by Thomas in the short programme put the two skaters on a level playing field heading into the free skate. Witt skated the strongest long programme of her career, landing five triple jumps, including a triple loop jump
Loop jump
The Loop jump is a figure skating jump that takes off from a back outside edge and lands on the same backwards outside edge. For a jump with counterclockwise rotation, this is the right back outside edge. It is named from its similarity to the loop compulsory figure. The invention is widely...
. Although Thomas also skated a strong long programme, Witt was ranked first by the majority of the nine judges and thus reclaimed the world title.
In 1988, Witt won her sixth consecutive European Championship, equalling the achievement of Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She was a three-time Olympic Champion in Ladies Singles, a ten-time World Champion and a six-time European Champion . Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies figure skater...
as the most successful Ladies Skater at the European Championships. While Witt's and Henie's number of European titles have been surpassed since by Irina Slutskaya, she retains the record of most consecutive European titles, sharing it with Henie.
Both Witt and Thomas were favoured contenders in the 1988 Olympic Games. Their rivalry was known as the "Battle of the Carmens
Battle of the Carmens
The Battle of the Carmens is an informal name given to a figure skating rivalry between East German Katarina Witt and American Debi Thomas during the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. The competition is so named because both Witt and Thomas independently elected to skate to the music of Bizet's...
", as each woman had independently elected to skate her long programme to music from Bizet
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
's opera Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
. They held the top two spots after the compulsory figures
Compulsory figures
Compulsory figures or school figures were formerly an aspect of the sport of figure skating, from which the sport derives its name. Carving specific patterns or figures into the ice was the original focus of the sport. The patterns of compulsory figures all derive from the basic figure eight...
and the short programme. Witt skated her long programme well, but not spectacularly, landing four triple jumps and downgrading her planned triple loop jump to a double loop. This left room for Thomas to win the long programme, but Thomas skated poorly, missing three of her planned five triple jumps. Canadian skater Elizabeth Manley
Elizabeth Manley
Elizabeth Ann Manley, CM is a Canadian figure skater. She is the 1988 Olympic silver medalist, 1988 World silver medalist, and three-time Canadian champion.-Early life and training:...
won the long programme, but Witt retained her Olympic title based on her overall scores (she had finished ahead of Manley in both the compulsory figures and the short programme). Witt became only the second woman in figure skating history (after Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She was a three-time Olympic Champion in Ladies Singles, a ten-time World Champion and a six-time European Champion . Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies figure skater...
) to defend her Olympic title. To honour her and her win in Calgary North Korea issued miniature sheet
Miniature sheet
A souvenir sheet or miniature sheet is a small group of postage stamps still attached to the sheet on which they were printed. They may be either regular issues that just happen to be printed in small groups , or special issues often commemorating some event, such as a national anniversary,...
s with three large pictures of Witt on the ice.
After competing
In 1988, Witt started a professional career, which was unusual for East German athletes. She spent three years on tour in the United States with Brian BoitanoBrian Boitano
Brian Anthony Boitano is an American figure skater from Sunnyvale, California. He is the 1988 Olympic champion, the 1986 and 1988 World Champion, and the 1985-1988 U.S. National Champion. He turned professional following the 1988 season...
, also a gold medalist in figure skating. Their show "Witt and Boitano Skating" was so successful that for the first time in ten years, New York's Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
was sold out for an ice show. Later she continued at Holiday on Ice
Holiday on Ice
Holiday on Ice is an ice show currently produced by Joop van den Ende's Stage Entertainment Group with its headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands...
in the United States and in Western Europe.
She also became an actress in the film Carmen on Ice
Carmen on Ice
Carmen on Ice is a 1990 dance film with a choreography for figure skaters made in Germany. The music is based on the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet in an orchestral version arranged especially for this film...
(1989), which expanded upon her gold medal freestyle routine at Calgary. In 1990, she received an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for her role in this film.
In 1994, she made a comeback to the competitive skating scene. She was again coached by Jutta Müller
Jutta Müller
Jutta Müller, born Jutta Lötzsch is a German former figure skater and one of the most successful figure skating coaches worldwide....
and qualified for the 1994 Winter Olympics
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
in Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
, where she finished 7th. This was Witt's first international competition for the reunified country of 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...
, following 11 years competing for East Germany. Much-noted was her free programme to the music “Sag mir wo die Blumen sind” (an arrangement of the Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
folksong "Where Have All the Flowers Gone"), considered remarkable for its artistic impression, including a peace message for the people of Sarajevo (the site of her first Olympic victory). She received the Golden Camera
Verleihung der Goldenen Kamera
The GOLDENE KAMERA is an annual German film and television award, awarded by the television magazine HÖRZU. The gold-plated silver award model was created by Berlin artist Wolfram Beck...
for her Olympic comeback. In the same year she published her autobiography Meine Jahre zwischen Pflicht und Kür (My Years between Compulsories and Freestyle).
In 1995, she was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame serves as a repository for the sport of figure skating. The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame is where the greatest names in the history of the sport are honored...
.
In 1996, she had a cameo role in the movie Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. It was written, co-produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe...
. She also starred in a German-language movie called Princess on Ice. Witt provided the vocals for the theme song, "Skate With Me".
Witt appeared as herself in two episodes of the TV comedy series Arli$$
Arliss
-Criticism:This show, which ran for seven seasons, is a prime example of how HBO differs from traditional networks due to its nature as a network its viewers specifically pay to be able to watch. Arliss was cited by so many viewers as the sole reason that they paid for the network that its...
that aired in 1997 and 1998.
In December 1998, Witt posed nude for Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine. The issue in which these photos were published was the second ever sold-out issue of the magazine. (The first sold-out issue was the inaugural one including photos of Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
.) Also in 1998, Witt appeared in the movie Ronin with a small supporting role and several lines of script. Around this time, she also played a villain in an episode of the tongue-in-cheek television series, V.I.P.
V.I.P. (TV series)
V.I.P. is an American action/comedy-drama series starring Pamela Anderson. Created by J. F...
Witt has been known for her beauty and sex appeal as well as for her athleticism. Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine called her "the most beautiful face of socialism."
Witt's taste in figure skating costumes sometimes raised eyebrows. At the 1983 European championships she skated her Mozart short programme in knee breeches instead of a skirt. Her blue skirtless feather-trimmed 1988 costume for a showgirl-themed short programme was considered too theatrical and sexy, and led to a change in the ISU regulations which required female skaters to wear more modest clothing, including skirts. In 1994, skating a Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
-themed programme, she again pushed the boundaries of costume regulations by wearing a short tunic over leggings.
In November 2005, she published a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, Only with Passion, in which she offers advice to a fictional young skater based on her many years of skating. Since October 2006, she has her own TV show at the German station ProSieben Stars auf Eis (Stars on Ice).
On 7 July 2007, Witt was a compere at the German segment of Live Earth
Live Earth concert, Hamburg
The Live Earth concert in Germany was held at HSH Nordbank Arena, Hamburg on 7 July 2007.-Running order:In order of appearance:*Shakira - "Don't Bother", "Inevitable", "Dia Especial" with Gustavo Cerati, "Hips Don't Lie"...
.
Witt was invited to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
as an honoured guest for the skating competition TV show called Buzda Dans (Dance on Ice). The competition took place on February 25, 2007.
Her farewell tour took place in February and March 2008.
Witt was the bid head for Munich's unsuccessful bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2018.
Results
| Event | 1978–79 | 1979–80 | 1980–81 | 1981–82 | 1982–83 | 1983–84 | 1984–85 | 1985–86 | 1986–87 | 1987–88 | 1993–94 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating... |
1st | 1st | 7th | ||||||||
| 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... |
10th | 5th | 2nd | 4th | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 1st | ||
| 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... |
14th | 13th | 5th | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 8th |
| East German Championships East German Figure Skating Championships The National Championships of the German Democratic Republic in Figure Skating were the figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of the German Democratic Republic, often referred to as East Germany... |
3rd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |
| 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.... |
2nd | ||||||||||
| Skate Canada International Skate Canada International The Skate Canada International is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition organized by Skate Canada. It is the second competition of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The location changes yearly. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: Ladies' singles, Men's... |
1st | ||||||||||
| NHK Trophy NHK Trophy The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.... |
2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st |
External links
- olympic.org Athlete Profile – Witt