The best performance by Katarina Witt. Katarina Witt: “I have always envied Russian women”

KATHARINA WITT, the “princess on ice” as she was often called in the press, will celebrate her fortieth birthday this year. A two-time Olympic champion, four-time world champion, winner of six gold medals in European championships, Katarina now creates her own “ice shows,” comments on figure skating competitions, and does business. And, according to a recent survey of readers of the German newspaper Bild, he ranks 16th in the list of the most beautiful people in Germany.

WE MEETED at her favorite cafe "Oranium" in the center East Berlin. Every now and then they approached Katarina for autographs...

During my last trip to Moscow, when I was going through passport control at the airport, a border guard asked: “Aren’t you that famous figure skater?” I am still haunted by my sports career. However, even though I do other things at the same time, with the greatest joy I do what I did when I was a little girl - ice skating. In Germany, unfortunately, today there are no famous names with which the country would identify itself.

Why do you think that is?

During my youth, our entire system supported young athletes and allowed them to achieve great success. Living conditions in the GDR were the same for everyone, and everyone received the same. But not in sports. In this sense, big sport in our socialist system was oriented “toward capitalism.” I studied at a sports school, and school program was coordinated with my individual training plan. I could afford to train seven hours a day. And today a young athlete must choose between school and sports. Three hours a day for training after school is very little. In addition, young people now have many other opportunities through which they can advance.

7 hours a day - for training, while others - at the cinema or with friends... Was it a conscious “sacrifice” or did your parents force you?

When I was very little, I often watched what was happening at the skating rink, which was located next to my kindergarten. At the age of five I began to ask my parents to send me to the section figure skating. I begged until my mother took me there. I can't say that training for many hours was a sacrifice. I received a lot in return and only benefited from it.

How was your relationship with your coach Jutta Müller?

She “discovered” me at the age of 9. And she worked with me until I turned 28. Our relationship changed. Sometimes we were like two friends, sometimes she was my mentor, sometimes she replaced my parents. She was very strict. Yes, a coach cannot be a friend. I respected her and was a little afraid. I had a feeling for her that was similar to love... turning into hatred and back. But if she had not been so strict, without her knowledge, without her passionate energy, I would not have achieved what I have achieved. Often you come to great results through “pain”... We now regularly call each other, she is dedicated to my personal life. I learned a lot from Jutta Müller. She lives deep in my heart, but at the same time we are still on first name terms.

Be famous person in the GDR - it meant that the close attention of the special services to one’s person could not be avoided...

The intelligence services started watching me at the age of nine, as soon as my talent was noticed. I didn’t know then that I was being followed. I first discovered surveillance when I was 18. But I naively believed that they were guarding me so that nothing would happen to me. And I learned that they were employees of internal intelligence services much later, when I had the opportunity to familiarize myself with my personal file from the Stasi archives. It never even occurred to me then that they were deliberately watching me so that I would not escape to the West.

By the way, why didn't you do this?

I was so grateful to my country and people. I understood that I would never have had the success I had in the GDR. Besides, if I ended up in the West, I wouldn’t be able to see my parents. And you know, there is no such check and no amount that would “outweigh” this. Even freedom was not a good enough reason for me.

Now I already understand that my state used me. At that time we did not have access to other ideologies. I couldn't appreciate freedom because I didn't know it. But I passionately stood for our system. I was proud to come abroad, where I had to represent my country.

Yes, I grew up in the GDR and, naturally, believed in those ideals. But I also learned the things that shaped me. And then, my life was not like that of most people from the GDR. I had a lot of privileges. Sometimes it seems to me that now I live on some other planet.

In the Soviet Union, athletes were forced to give cash bonuses to the state, but what was the situation with this in the GDR?

We had cash prizes, for example, for winning the Olympics, but there was no access to them. The funds were transferred to the federation’s account, the athlete could receive them partially, that is, a certain percentage of this money, when he left big sport. One day I received a small gold coin as a reward, and they allowed me to keep it. Thanks to the awards, the federation had the opportunity to influence athletes. For example, they could freeze bonuses if an athlete wanted to retire from big-time sports ahead of time. He was allowed to leave only when a replacement was found. Therefore, sometimes athletes stayed in big sports longer than they wanted. However, this did not affect me.

How do you rate modern level figure skating? Where do you see weak points?

The flaw that I see in figure skating is the desire of many athletes to achieve technical “super perfection”. I mean combinations of three and four rotation jumps. I think that for a young body this can be fraught with serious consequences, it can lead to serious injuries, like Evgeni Plushenko, because of this he could not continue to fight in the last world championship.

They say you are lucky in everything except love...

You can’t have everything you want, although, of course, you often want to have just everything. I already had happy love and serious relationships with men, I can’t complain. Currently I am single and live alone. Last year and a half for the most part in Berlin, where I have an apartment. I travel a lot. And I can’t sacrifice my profession for the sake of a man, stop working. But I'm happy with what I have. I have many friends. Favorite work. And I'm vain. Money plays a secondary role for me, the main thing is that I am passionate about what I do.

Don't want to have a family or children?

Children? Don't know. So far this question has not arisen before me. As I already said, it is difficult for me to lead a normal life. If there was a child, I would have to stop working. And I'm a workaholic. In addition, at the moment there is no suitable candidate for the role of dad.

In the 80s you were a sex symbol for many Russian men, do you know about this?

It's a compliment. I think this had to do with the ability to show off beautifully on the ice, with choreography, with the plasticity of movements and, of course, with sexy costumes. I have never had a serious relationship with a Russian man. Your men are different from European and American men. I will never forget how I myself dragged heavy bags with skates, while the Russian athletes were helped by their partners. In this sense, I am closer to Eastern women.

By the way, not so long ago in Moscow I was in a dance club. I noticed how many beautiful and attractive women. But there was no suitable man for me there either. But I’m not looking, believe me...

Is it true that Garry Kasparov was wooing you?

What are you saying, I didn’t even know! I once received a telegram from Kasparov - congratulations on my victory in the Olympic Games. Although it is customary for athletes to congratulate each other on victory, this was unusual and even... honorable for me.

You starred in Playboy magazine. Did you really get paid a million?

For 10 years - since winning the Olympic Games in Calgary - Playboy tried to get my consent to be photographed, they followed me on my heels. But while I was performing, being photographed naked was unthinkable for me. Only after I left big sport did I decide to try working with them. Besides, I was already famous - compared to those models who became famous thanks to their pictures in Playboy. Filming took place outdoors. Everything was natural. I remember standing naked under a waterfall. And I wanted to be not only erotic, but also feminine. I won’t give away the secret and therefore won’t answer what fee I received. Let me just say that it was a decent amount.

Personally, I exercise regularly and limit myself in food, although not always. Because I love chocolate and sweets. If I happen to give myself pleasure - to eat what I want, then I usually train more.

No, I haven’t had any plastic surgery yet. I don’t know what will happen in ten years - maybe it will happen again. In Moscow I saw many young girls with “chipped” lips. I think that there is nothing special about it, when narrow lips are made more plump, but this should not be noticeable. And silicone breasts on teenagers look terrible.

How would you like to celebrate your anniversary?

Most of all I would like to put on a show on ice on this day. And celebrate with the public. I would also like to come to Russia and perform again - on ice, of course - and win hearts. The people there are completely different, I feel it, and the living conditions are different. In Russia, a person will give his neighbor his last shirt, there is still cohesion between people. Apparently, it's in the Russians' blood...

“Every day I trotted to the skating rink in the company of my girlfriends from kindergarten and knew: it’s mine to skate and do jumps when others are looking at you. This is exactly what I want. And I know for sure that I can do it,” wrote Katarina Witt (Katarina Witt) in her autobiography “My years between the compulsory and free program”, published in 1994.

Early success

Katharina Witt was born on December 3, 1965 near Berlin. She took her first steps in figure skating at the age of five at a sports school in the city of Karl-Marx-Stadt (present-day Chemnitz). There she was noticed by the famous trainer Jutta Müller. She quickly recognized the future champion in the little girl.

In his element

Witt achieved her first major success in 1983 at the European Championships in Dortmund, and a year later she became the champion of the Olympic Games in Sarajevo. We can safely say that in the 1980s, Katharina Witt had no equal in women's figure skating. From 1983 to 1988, she was a European champion, climbed to the top step of the podium at the world championships four times, and in 1988 in Calgary she became an Olympic champion for the second time.

Socialism or capitalism?

Along with fame, the athlete’s life included all the pompous attributes of “official” sport, which in the GDR was always inseparable from politics. Katharina Witt often had to be photographed with members of the Politburo, take part in congresses and other official ceremonies. She did this extremely reluctantly, since she already belonged to a new generation of East German youth - free and oriented towards democratic values.

After the Olympic Games in Calgary in 1988, it finally became clear that the “beautiful granddaughter of grandfather Marx” had turned into an all-German sports idol, who was equally worshiped in both the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany. It destroyed the Berlin Wall that existed in the minds of West and East Germans.

Katharina Witt enjoyed the freedom of movement that came with her job. In November 1988, Witt decided to give up her sports career and broke one of the main taboos of “socialist sports” by signing a contract with the American ice ballet Holiday on Ice. Thus, she took another step in the direction of show business, from which after the fall of the Berlin Wall she would become inseparable. In the GDR, her participation in the American show became a sensation. Katarina's success as a professional figure skater exceeded all expectations.

After the Wall

Thanks to the changed rules, in 1994 she returned to the sport and took part in the Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer. And although there she failed to win the championship title for the third time (she took seventh place), Katarina’s fans were happy with her performance.

In 1998, Witt posed nude for Playboy. This issue became one of the most successful in the history of the men's magazine. Only twice did its circulation sell out completely, down to a single copy: when there was a portrait of Marilyn Monroe on the cover and when photographs of Katharina Witt were published in the magazine.

From “the most beautiful face of socialism” to “the goat of the SED”

For many years, the GDR basked in the glory and sporting success of the figure skater. And not only that: the ice princess also replenished the state treasury, donating 80 percent of her proceeds. At the same time, the favorite of functionaries enjoyed some privileges: a car and Dishwasher became the reason for numerous reproaches brought against the skater by her compatriots after the peaceful revolution in the GDR. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Katharina Witt became the target of harsh criticism. If earlier the media called her nothing less than “the most beautiful face of socialism,” now the tabloid press nicknamed the figure skater “the goat of the SED.”

Context

Since 1992, accusations have appeared in the press that the athlete worked for the state security services of the GDR. Witt is seeking a court order to stop a number of publishing houses from spreading such rumors. In 2001, she went to court in Berlin in an attempt to prevent the publication of a secret dossier kept on her by the East German secret police. Subsequently, the skater was forced to agree to this, but stated that such a publication was an invasion of her privacy.

Secret Stasi files filed against Katharina Witt indicate that she has been under continuous surveillance since 1973. Part of the dossier is now available to the public. The contents of these documents came as a shock to the athlete herself. “I would prefer never to know about some things. I was not an informer, just as I was not a participant in the resistance movement,” Witt wrote in her autobiography.

Outside the rink

She starred in films and television films, playing either herself or athletes with a similar fate, became the host of several popular television shows, including an analogue of the Russian “Ice Age”, and developed a series of jewelry named after the champion. In 2005, the figure skater created the Katarina Witt Stiftung charity foundation. Its tasks include helping children living in regions affected by natural disasters, supporting disabled children and much more.

Katharina Witt actively lobbied for Munich to be the host city for the 2018 Winter Olympics, officially representing the city at various events. But, as is now known, this enterprise was not successful. The Munich residents themselves opposed holding the Olympics in their city, and the competitions will eventually be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

There have always been many rumors about Katharina Witt's personal life. She was even credited with an affair with Erich Honecker, the state leader of the GDR. She has never been married and has no children. Among the more or less “official” boyfriends were German musicians Ingo Politz and Rolf Brendel, as well as American actors Richard Dean Anderson and Danny Huston.

Witt Katharina

(born 1965)

German figure skater. Two-time Olympic champion in women's singles skating (1984, 1988). World champion (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988). European champion (1983–1987, 1989). World champion among professionals (1992).

The “Queen of Figure Skating”, a figure skater who had no equal in the 80s, one of the most titled athletes in the world is her, Katarina Witt.

“The face of German socialism”, “the red champion”, “Erich Honecker’s favorite toy” and allegedly an agent of the East German secret service “Stasi” - this is also her, Katharina Witt.

Winner of the prestigious Emmy television award, actress who played in several films with Robert De Niro and Tom Cruise, television and radio commentator - that’s her, Katharina Witt.

A successful businesswoman who, among other things, owns a villa in Los Angeles and a four-story house in the center of Berlin, is also her, Katharina Witt.

The Playboy magazine model, who at the age of 32 was not afraid to put her magnificent body on public display, is all about her, Katharina Witt.

In general, as the hero of the popular Soviet comedy said, “an athlete, a Komsomol member and just a beauty” - that’s her, Katarina Witt...

Katharina Witt was born on December 3, 1965 in the small East German town of Staaken. Her father, Manfred Witt, was the director of an agricultural machinery factory, and her mother Kat was a sports doctor. Every day, mother took little Katarina to kindergarten and every day they passed by the skating rink called “Kuchwald”. The girl really wanted to skate, and she constantly asked her mother to take her to the skating rink. At the age of five, Katharina’s dream came true - she entered the sports school in Karl-Marx-Stadt.

Four years later, the fate of Katharina Witt was decided - the famous Jutta Müller took her under her wing. The famous coach saw the performance of nine-year-old Katarina and, with an experienced eye, immediately identified her enormous potential. And Jutta Müller knew how to make champions - it was she who raised Anita Pötsch, the champion of the 1980 Games in Lake Placid (by the way, Anita Pötsch was the wife of Axel Witt, Katharina’s older brother).

Of course, Jutta Müller is a brilliant coach, but this does not mean that Katharina Witt immediately started winning all the competitions in a row. The young figure skater's first successes were very modest - places in the second ten at the World and European Junior Championships, and third or fourth at the Olympics and championships of the GDR. Katharina's first significant achievement was tenth place at the World Championships in 1979. A year later, she took first place at the GDR championship (in total, during her career she won the title of best figure skater in her country eight times), and two years later she won silver at the European Championship.

Since 1983, the “era of Katarina Witt” began in women's figure skating. The German figure skater won gold at the European Championships, then the World Championships and finally took first place at the XIV Olympic Games in 1984. In Sarajevo, Katarina had no equal - she was first in both the short and free programs. The technically flawless, yet artistic performance of the graceful and slightly flirtatious Katarina left neither the audience nor the judges indifferent. The judges unconditionally put her in first place, leaving far behind the American Rosalyn Sumners and the Soviet athlete Kira Ivanova, who won silver and bronze medals, respectively.

After her first successes, Katarina was offered to move to the West, but she did not agree. And now, living for six months in the USA and earning decent money, Katharina Witt says that it was the East German regime that created all the conditions for her to win: “I owe all my success to my homeland - the GDR. I always believed that escaping to the West would be dishonest to my compatriots, who, in fact, paid for my training and travel to competitions.” Of course, her life in the GDR was different from the life of ordinary East Germans. She received a significant portion of her fees for performances (while the vast majority of her colleagues received mere pennies), she was given free apartments and collections of the most fashionable clothes. A special topic is her cars. Once upon a time, the GDR produced the Trabant, a car that was defective even by Soviet standards: a small, cramped fiberglass body, a weak engine that rumbled and spewed oil - in general, not a car, but, as they say, “a bucket of bolts.” So, in order to be able to buy this “miracle of technology,” residents of the GDR had to wait for their turn for decades. Naturally, the dark blue Lada and then the red Volkswagen Golf, which Katharina Witt drove, looked “defiant luxury” against this background. After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany, the figure skater was reproached more than once for these cars, somehow without thinking much that in our time, with the fee from performing at one commercial tournament, leading skaters can buy about twenty Ladas and five or six Volkswagens. .

Nowadays in print and electronic media you can often see different popularity ratings of famous people. The GDR also had its own “rating,” although it was somewhat peculiar - the more popular a person was, the more closely the East German Ministry of State Security, the notorious Stasi service, was interested in his life. According to various sources, the dossier on Katarina Witt contains from 1348 to 3500 pages, which is not surprising, because intelligence began monitoring the skater when she was... nine years old. After Katarina began to travel abroad, the surveillance did not stop for a minute. With German pedantry, intelligence recorded all the details, right down to the most intimate moments of the famous figure skater’s life. They followed not only Katarina herself, but also her relatives, using every opportunity for this. For example, one of the Stasi employees was introduced into the football team where Katarina’s brother played, another did renovations in the apartment of the figure skater’s parents, etc. Obviously, since then Katarina really doesn’t like it when someone interferes in things without permission. her life - one of the journalists was convinced of this from his own bitter experience, who, under the guise of an employee of the Berlin municipality, came to her house. When the deception was revealed, Katarina, without further ado, threw the hapless reporter out onto the street, leaving several impressive bruises on his face.

For the opportunity to train normally, travel abroad and receive material benefits inaccessible to mere mortals, Katharina Witt had to pay with loyalty to the communist regime. In the early 1990s, excerpts from Witt's dossier were leaked to the German press. In particular, a report from one of the intelligence officers to the top leadership of the GDR was published: “We told her that she can be absolutely sure that she is guaranteed assistance from the Ministry of Security at any time. Katharina Witt gladly took note of this and at the end of the conversation said that she owes everything she has to our party and state. She promised never to disappoint the GDR and the party leadership and vowed that she would not flee to the West.” Katarina Witt herself never hid the fact that she collaborated with intelligence. Another thing is that she categorically denies that she followed her teammates and coaches, helping the Stasi stop attempts to escape to the West: “I never worked for the Stasi, and everything I told them concerned only me and no one else.” more".

As for the sporting achievements of Katarina Witt, from 1983 to 1988 she won almost all competitions that were held in amateur figure skating. During this period, she stumbled only once, in 1986, losing the world championship to American Debi Thomas. It was Dabi who was Katharina Witt's main competitor at the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary. By chance or not, both figure skaters chose Bizet’s music from the opera “Carmen” for their free program. The referees had to decide which Carmen was better - German or American, naturally, taking into account both the technique of performing the number and artistry. Katarina was, as always, inimitable - her performance received a thunderous ovation. However, in terms of technical complexity, her program was inferior to that of the American figure skater. Debi Thomas, who competed later than her opponent, had the only chance to get a gold medal - she had to skate her routine cleanly and perform five flawless triple jumps. The American almost completed the task, but a small mistake at the very beginning of her performance cost her the championship title. Debi Thomas took silver. Thus, Katharina Witt became the second athlete, after the legendary Sonya Henie, who managed to win the Olympics twice in a row.

Katharina Witt remained faithful to the end to the now defunct country called the “German Democratic Republic”. Only after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany did Katharina turn professional figure skating. She signed a contract with the American troupe Holiday on Ice, where her partners were the famous figure skaters Brian Orser and Brian Boitano. “Unsurpassed and incomparable” Katharina Witt immediately captivated the American public, satiated with various spectacles. Ice shows with her participation always attracted full stadiums. In 1990 for performance leading role In the film "Carmen on Ice" Katarina received the prestigious television Emmy Award, and in 1995 she was awarded the highest American award for professional athletes - the Jim Thorpe Pro Sports Award. (This award was established in honor of American Indian track and field athlete Jim Thorpe, the 1912 Stockholm Olympic champion in the pentathlon and decathlon, who, in addition to athletics, competed in baseball, American football, basketball, swimming, boxing, hockey and shooting from onions.)

After the IOC allowed professional athletes to take part in the Olympics, Katharina Witt tried to win Olympic gold for the third time, performing in 1994 at the Games in Lillehammer, Norway, but the German “queen of ice” failed to repeat the achievement of three-time Olympic champion Sonja Henie. Nevertheless, Katarina was not left without a reward - she was awarded the special prize “Golden Camera”.

Obviously, Katharina Witt belongs to the number of people for whom a state of rest is absolutely impossible. Back in 1987, when her figure skating career was in full swing, she entered an acting school, one of the best in the GDR. In feature films, her roles in the films “Jerry McGuire” and “Ronin” did not go unnoticed.

And in 1998, Katarina posed completely naked for Playboy magazine. Of course, adherents of strict morality did not approve of the action of the German champion, but most fans were only glad to see her in such a so-called “absolutely natural” form, it is not for nothing that that issue of “Playboy” is now a kind of bibliographic rarity.

Now Katharina Witt continues to stage her own ice performances, and also works as a commentator for German and American television companies. The “Queen of Figure Skating” is still on the ice, and she will soon turn forty years old (although it is considered bad manners to talk about a woman’s age, this does not apply to Katharina Witt - she is just as magnificent as she was twenty years ago). Even after the Olympic Sarajevo, she was asked: “How long are you going to skate?” To this Katarina invariably replies: “I never think about it. I will go on the ice and delight the audience as long as I can do it..."

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Katharina Witt(German: Katarina Witt; born December 3, 1965, Staaken, West Berlin) - East German figure skater, two-time Olympic champion in single skating (1984, 1988), four-time world champion (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988), six-time European champion ( 1983-1988 in a row), eight-time champion of the GDR.

Career in sports

She trained with coach from the GDR Jutta Müller at the sports club SK Karl-Marx-Stadt. In 1977 she made her debut at the GDR championship. In 1979, she took 3rd place at the GDR Championship and made her debut at the World Championships.

She often performed unsuccessfully in compulsory figures, but was distinguished by her exceptionally harmonious short and free programs. She was one of the first in the history of the World Championships to perform a triple flip jump (1981). In 1984-1988, she mastered only two triple jumps, the toe loop and the Salchow, with the exception of the 1987 World Championships, where she also achieved the triple loop.

In total, Katarina Witt has won 20 international and national awards, which is a record in women's singles skating.

After sports

After finishing her amateur career in 1988, she performed in professional ice shows. In 1989, Witt began working under contract with the American ice ballet troupe Holiday on Ice. In 1992, she became the world champion among professionals. In the professional arena, her partners were Brian Boitano and Brian Orser. After professionals were allowed to compete at the Olympics, she took part in her third Winter Olympics in 1994, where she took 7th place.

In 1996, the film “The Ice Princess” was released (co-produced by Germany - USA) with Katarina in the title role, and in 1998 the film “Ronin” was released, where she starred in the cameo role of the Russian figure skater Natasha Kirillova.

Time magazine called Witt "the most beautiful face of socialism." In 1998, 32-year-old Katarina participated in an erotic photo shoot for Playboy magazine, which sought the skater’s consent for 10 years. The December issue published a series of impressive photographs in which a completely naked athlete poses against the backdrop of tropical nature, under a waterfall. In a published interview that accompanied the photo shoot, Witt explained that she decided to take this step at the request of her friend, who wanted to see these photographs in the magazine. The issue with Katarina's participation was among the top five best-selling in all the years of Playboy magazine's existence. Witt keeps the amount of the fee received secret, however, specifying that it was a “decent amount.”

In 2008, 42-year-old Katharina Witt decided to say goodbye to ice completely. From February 16 to March 4, farewell performances of the “Star Show” were held in eight cities in Germany.

After finishing her figure skating career, Witt planned to host television programs, produce shows on ice, and also devote more time to the charitable foundation she founded in 2006, which helps disabled children. In 2010, Katharina led Munich's bid to host the 2018 Olympics.

As of 2015, Witt periodically appears in films, in particular she can be seen in the film “Jerry Maguire” with Tom Cruise. Katharina hosts programs on German television and is a judge in the German version of the show “Stars on Ice.”

Personal life

Katharina Witt is not married and has no children. Lives in Berlin, where she has an apartment. In an interview for the Russian press, Witt mentioned that in her life there was happy love and serious relationships with men, but for the sake of marriage she cannot afford to sacrifice her profession and stop doing her favorite job. Travels a lot around the world, often visits Moscow. Katarina speaks fluent English and quite passable Russian.

Sports achivments

Competitions	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1994
Winter Olympic Games						1				1	7
World Championships		10	5	2	4	1	1	2	1	1
European Championships	14	13	5	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	8
GDR Championships	3	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	-
German Championship											2

In the late eighties and early nineties, the name of Katarina Witt was known to everyone who had anything to do with figure skating. She was called the ice princess. In all of history there has not been a single figure skater who could compare with her.

German figure skater Katharina Witt: childhood and the beginning of a sports career

Kati was born in the city of Staaken (GDR) on December 3, 1965 in the family of an agronomist and a therapeutic gymnastics instructor. In addition to her, the eldest son Axel grew up in the family. Kindergarten, which little Katya visited, was located not far from the skating rink, and the girl watched the athletes’ training for a long time from the windows of her room. At home, she indulged in dreams in which she performed various tricks while skating. The parents did not think about sending their daughter to sport Club, however, mother could not resist the persuasion of her favorite. And one day, taking five-year-old Katya by the hand, she led her to the figure skating section. It turned out that the reception had already ended, they were advised to come at the beginning of the next academic year. However, when the coach saw how the little girl, having put on skates for the first time, began to glide smoothly on the ice, she decided to make an exception for her. So the only daughter of the Witt family, Katharina, became the 101st student in the first class of the East Berlin figure skating school. By the end of the school year, of all the students in the section, only one remained, namely the future two-time Olympic champion Katarina Witt.

Way to victory

When Katya went to school, very stressful everyday life began for the girl. After school, she went to the skating rink, and spent her evenings doing homework. At the same time, she managed to get good grades. At the age of nine, she attracted the attention of one of the most famous in the GDR, Jutta Müller. She saw great sports potential in the pretty girl and decided to make her a champion. It was under her leadership that young Katharina Witt was able to win all her gold medals.

A very warm relationship developed between the coach and the girl. She was a mother, an older friend, and a mentor for her. As Katya later admits, she was always a little afraid of the coach. However, this did not stop Katarina from playing pranks: disrupting her workouts, using all sorts of tricks so that the scales would not show her true weight, eating several cakes at once, etc. The girl had a sweet tooth, so she almost always had the problem of being overweight. And if it weren’t for her hard work and perseverance, the world would not have known about figure skater Witt. For many years, Katarina stubbornly walked towards the pinnacle of fame. And in 1979, the fourteen-year-old figure skater was sent to represent the country at the World Championships, where she took 10th place. However, a year later Kati became a gold medalist at the GDR championship.

Sports victories and awards

During her sports career, she managed to win more than 20 international awards. She is a four-time world champion (1984-1988, with the exception of 1986), a two-time Olympic champion (1984 and 1988), a six-time European champion and an eight-time (consecutive) champion of the GDR. After winning the 1988 Olympics, she left the big sport.

Return to the Ice

But soon the world started talking about the German figure skater Witt again. Katarina took part in the film “Carmen on Ice” in 1994, for which she received an Emmy award. And 4 years later, she received the Golden Camera prize with a show program during demonstration performances at the Winter Olympics and in honor of her return to the ice. And 4 years later she starred in the feature film “Ronnie”. That same year, Playboy magazine finally came to an agreement with the figure skater, and Katarina Witt appeared in a completely new role. Photos of her toned naked body soon appeared on the pages of this erotic publication for men. With her act, she challenged the whole world, because her rivals, figure skaters from other countries, often gloated about her excess weight.