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East German Figure Skating Championships

Defunct figure skating competition From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

East German Figure Skating Championships
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The East German Figure Skating Championships (German: DDR Eiskunstlauf Meisterschaften) were an annual figure skating competition organized by the German Ice Skating Association (German: Deutscher Eislauf Verband) to crown the national champions of East Germany. The first championships held after the partition of Germany took place in 1949 in Oberhof. They were held regularly between 1949 and 1990, at which point East Germany was reunited with West Germany.

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Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance at the senior, junior, and novice levels, although not every discipline was held every year due to a lack of participants. Jan Hoffmann holds the record for winning the most East German Championship titles in men's singles (with eight), while Gabriele Seyfert holds the record in women's singles (with ten). The record in pair skating is held by Heinz-Ulrich Walther (with six), although those were not all won with the same partner. Annerose Baier and Eberhard Rüger hold the record in ice dance (with seven).

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History

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Following the collapse of the Third Reich in 1945 and its defeat in World War II, Germany was divided between the Western Bloc led by the United States and the Eastern Bloc led by the Soviet Union. Two separate German countries emerged: the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland), also known as West Germany; and the German Democratic Republic (German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik), also known as East Germany.[1]

The first figure skating championships held in the east after the division of Germany took place in 1949 in Oberhof and was called the East Zone Championship (German: Ostzonenmeisterschaft). The East German Figure Skating Championships (German: DDR Eiskunstlauf Meisterschaften) were held annually from 1949 to 1990, except for 1957. Ice dance was added as an event in 1954.[2] During this same time period, separate figure skating championships were held in West Germany; those results are considered part of the German Figure Skating Championships.

The dissolution of East Germany occurred on 3 October 1990, leading to its reintegration into the Federal Republic of Germany to form present-day Germany.[3] Following the reunification of Germany, East German skaters began competing at the German Championships, and many former East German skaters became champions of the newly reunified Germany, including Mirko Eichhorn, Alexander König, René Lohse, Axel Rauschenbach, Peggy Schwarz, Ingo Steuer, Kati Winkler, and Ronny Winkler.[4]

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Senior medalists

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From left to right: Katarina Witt, eight-time East German champion in women's singles; Günter Zöller, five-time East German champion in men's singles; Margit Senf and Peter Göbel, four-time East German champions in pair skating; and Annerose Baier and Eberhard Rüger, seven-time East German champions in ice dance

Men's singles

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  1. While Helmuth Sirineck was the only men's competitor at the 1950 East German Championships, he did not achieve the minimum required score to named the East German Champion.[2]

Women's singles

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Pairs

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Ice dance

Kati Winkler and René Lohse originally trained in single skating, but switched to ice dance after an injury prevented Winkler from executing the necessary jumps. In an interview, Lohse stated: "It was a hard time, because for 18 years, there was no ice dancing in East Germany and we were the first who started it again."[7]

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Records

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From left to right: Jan Hoffmann won nine East German Championship titles in men's singles; Gabriele Seyfert won ten East German Championship titles in women's singles; Heinz-Ulrich Walther won six East German Championship titles in pair skating, two of which were with Brigitte Wockoeck; and Annerose Baier and Eberhard Rüger won seven East German Championship titles in ice dance.
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  1. Heinz-Ulrich Walther won two championship titles while partnered with Brigitte Wokoeck (1962, 1964) and four with Heidemarie Steiner (1966–67, 1969–70).


References

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