Monika Pflug
Encyclopedia
Monika Pflug (born 1 March 1954), also known as Monika Holzner-Pflug and Monika Gawenus-Pflug, is a former speed skater
from Germany
. She was born in Munich
and competed for West Germany
.
Pflug's talent for speed skating was discovered in 1968 and the very next year, she already became Junior National Champion. In 1970, she set a national record on the 1,000 m and in 1971, she became National Sprint Champion. The next year, 1972, was her best year; she first became National Allround Champion, then, one month later, she won gold on the 1,000 m at the 1972 Winter Olympics
of Sapporo, and two weeks after that, she became World Sprint Champion
.
After getting married, Plug started competing as Monika Holzner-Pflug in the 1974-1975 season. The marriage was short-lived, however, and after her divorce she competed as Monika Pflug again. In 1984, Pflug got married to fellow speed skater Fritz Gawenus, a multiple National Champion. From then on, she competed as Monika Gawenus-Pflug.
Pflug would compete in a total of five Winter Olympics between 1972 and 1988, but did not win any more Olympic medals. At the World Sprint Championships, she won three more medals, all bronze, in 1973, 1974, and 1982. She interrupted her speed skating career for a while to become a mother. Pflug ended her speed skating career abruptly in 1988 after a new personal and national record on the 500m in an otherwise very disappointing season. By that time, she had gathered 16 national titles and had skated a national record 65 times.
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...
from 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...
. She was born 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...
and competed for West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
.
Pflug's talent for speed skating was discovered in 1968 and the very next year, she already became Junior National Champion. In 1970, she set a national record on the 1,000 m and in 1971, she became National Sprint Champion. The next year, 1972, was her best year; she first became National Allround Champion, then, one month later, she won gold on the 1,000 m at the 1972 Winter Olympics
1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
of Sapporo, and two weeks after that, she became World Sprint Champion
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...
.
After getting married, Plug started competing as Monika Holzner-Pflug in the 1974-1975 season. The marriage was short-lived, however, and after her divorce she competed as Monika Pflug again. In 1984, Pflug got married to fellow speed skater Fritz Gawenus, a multiple National Champion. From then on, she competed as Monika Gawenus-Pflug.
Pflug would compete in a total of five Winter Olympics between 1972 and 1988, but did not win any more Olympic medals. At the World Sprint Championships, she won three more medals, all bronze, in 1973, 1974, and 1982. She interrupted her speed skating career for a while to become a mother. Pflug ended her speed skating career abruptly in 1988 after a new personal and national record on the 500m in an otherwise very disappointing season. By that time, she had gathered 16 national titles and had skated a national record 65 times.
Medals
An overview of medals won by Pflug at important championships she participated in, listing the years in which she won each:| Championships | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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:... |
1972 (1,000 m) | – | – |
| World Allround World Allround Speed Skating Championships The World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world... |
– | – | – |
| 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... |
1972 | – | 1973 1974 1982 |
| 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... |
– | – | – |
| European Allround European Speed Skating Championships The European Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of Europe. The International Skating Union has organised the European Championships for Men since 1893 and the European Championships for Women since 1970. The... |
– | – | – |
| West German Allround | 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1981 1982 |
– | – |
| West German Sprint | 1975 1979 1981 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 |
– | – |
World records
Over the course of her career, Pflug skated one world record:| Event | Result | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
183.085 | 27 February 1972 | Eskilstuna Eskilstuna Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population.... |
Personal records
To put these personal records in perspective, the column WR lists the official world records on the dates that Pflug skated her personal records.| Event | Result | Date | Venue | WR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 40.53 | 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... |
39.39 |
| 1,000 m | 1:23.47 | 30 December 1983 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
1:19.31 |
| 1,500 m | 2:11.26 | 6 March 1986 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
2:03.34 |
| 3,000 m | 4:54.49 | 26 February 1981 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
4:31.00 |
| 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... |
178.959 | 26 February 1981 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
171.149 |
| 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... |
166.575 | 23 February 1986 | Karuizawa | 161.120 |