"The Katarina Rule" dictates that women's hips, midriffs, and behinds are covered. Her talent soon became obvious, and she gained entry to a special school for children with a talent for sport in Karl-Marx-Stadt. In her long program, Witt landed four triple jumps and downgraded her planned triple-loop jump to a double loop. WINTER OLYMPICS : KATARINA WITT - Los Angeles Times https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQtEaBVLXrDCWhgjr5Wf3tw?sub_confirmation=1#KatarinaWitt, #lie1998, #MnnermagazinPlayboy, #Hllen, #fallenIn, #einemIntervi. Before Elizabeth and Debi. What not to wear: The rules of fashion on the ice | MPR News I definitely believe that the future could belong to her. Anyway, they're still nice and white, and maybe they will bring another skater more luck! Katarina Witt's infamous blue dress at the 1988 Olympics is the reason figure skating now has a dress code. The eventual winner of the competition was Elaine Zayak, who landed six triples. Katarina Witt, one of the greatest Olympic figure skaters, was the first female athlete to pose naked for Playboy. Witt was third in the compulsories, behind Ivanova and Thomas, before winning the short program with Thomas second. She received a higher A score for technical merit, but with eight scores of 5.9 for artistic interpretation, I have the advantage. Her free program to the music "Sag mir wo die Blumen sind" (an arrangement of the Pete Seeger folksong "Where Have All the Flowers Gone") included a peace message for the people of Sarajevo, the site of her first Olympic victory. Katarina Witt's outfit caused the ISU to institute "The Katarina Rule." Associated Press . Updated: Feb 8, 2018 / 02:10 PM EST. There, she attended the Kinder- und Jugendsportschule, a special school for athletically talented children. The rule was repealed . I am now 22. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. In 1994, Witt published her autobiography Meine Jahre zwischen Pflicht und Kr (My Years between Compulsories and Freestyle). The ice rink becomes the runway for female figure skaters Witt won the first of her two Olympic gold medals for East Germany at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, before winning a second at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. That is part of the sport. Additionally, the ISU states: "At ISU Championships, the Olympic Winter Games, and International Competitions, the clothing of the Competitors must be modest, dignified and appropriate for athletic competition not garish or theatrical in design. Hello! I watch Debi unprovokingly from the athlete's official corner at rink-side. At any rate, I am not the least bit sad about finally hanging up my compulsory skates after the competition, both literally and figuratively. Sie datet derzeit niemanden und ist Single. 1988: Katarina Witt wins her second Olympic gold in thrilling - WFLA In 1988, Witt started a professional career rare for East German athletes. So there we are on the podium, receiving our medals, flowers, congratulations and the usual kisses on the cheek, and all the while we are in discussion and rather amused. Katarina Witt - Wikipedia ''Whatever works is fine.''. skirtless feather-trimmed 1988 costume for a . Katarina Witt, 1988 Witt is German, but America can take some credit for this cowboy-inspired costume.This same year, she also competed to Michael Ja. Is Figure Skating Stuffed Animal Wrangler the Best Job at the Olympics. She was expected to be in a fierce three-person fight for only two spots on the German Olympic team with both young rising star Tanja Szewczenko and veteran Marina Kielmann, who was almost the same age as Witt. Meite's unitard featured a jeweled bodice and black pants a rarity in women's figure skating. Meier of Switzerland wore the ensemble to the Exhibition of Champions for the 2006 Skate America figure-skating competition, where she placed fourth. Katarina WITT Biography, Olympic Medals, Records and Age A large part of figure skating is emotion! She was invited to Istanbul as an honoured guest for the skating competition TV show called Buzda Dans ("Dance on Ice") on 25 February 2007. Savchenko and her skating partner Robin Szolkowy won the gold medal in pairs figure skating at the World Figure Skating Championships that year. She starred in a German-language film called Die Eisprinzessin - The Ice Princess, providing the vocals for the theme song, "Skate with Me". German skater Katerina Witt won the gold medal and did . Belbin and Agosto were silver medalists at the 2006 Games. If I was in a "non-socialist" foreign country, they were not allowed to accompany me. AT DINNER WITH: Katarina Witt; Firepower Off the Ice Had she placed 1st in the long program instead of 2nd (on a 54 split) to Sumners, she would have jumped to the silver over both Leistner and Vodorezova. To do the stonework like on this costume, she drew the design freehand . Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Peggy Fleming and Dick Button, commentating for ABC, utilize this little "break". Most Daring Fashion Moments in Olympic History - Insider Witt said she did not care for the "cute, pretty, ice princess image" of figure skaters and wanted to "change people's perceptions". East Germany's Katarina Witt won the 1984 Olympic gold medal and sought a back-to-back victory four years later at the 1988 Calgary Games. Witt posed nude for Playboy magazine, and the pictures were published months later in the December 1998 issue, which was the second ever sold-out issue of the magazine. She won the World Championships in 1984, 1985 . Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Wally McNamee / Getty Witt won another gold medal at the 1988 Calgary Olympics in this blue ensemble. This left room for Thomas to win the long program, but Thomas missed three of her five planned triple jumps. In 1984, Witt was voted "GDR Female Athlete of the Year" by the readers of the East German newspaper Junge Welt. [4] Time magazine called her "the most beautiful face of socialism. Katarina Witt (December 1998) - Hugh Hefner's Bunnies! Famous Women Who I spend the hard-won 30 seconds flirting with the judges, and not only with the 7 men among them, and "posing" choreographically for the audience. Christian Lacroix designed an outfit for France's Surya Bonaly at the 1992 Olympics. Naturally, I don't have a clue that I will be returning home two weeks later with my second Olympic gold medal. Katarina Witt Retirement and Post Professional. Her blue, skirtless feather-trimmed 1988 costume for a showgirl-themed short program was considered too theatrical and sexy, and led to a change in the ISU regulations dubbed the "Katarina rule" which required female skaters to wear more modest clothing; skirts were required to cover the buttocks and crotch. "I think maybe the envelope has been pushed further in ice dance in terms of costumes that weren't appropriate back in the '90s and early 2000s, and so that caused a reaction where in singles and pairs everyone is pretty well covered," Newcomer said. While still at home, I find out that I am to be the first of 31 competitors to skate in the compulsories on February 24th. And there's nothing Carmen hates more than seeing Carmen in someone else. 1988: Katarina Witt Aside from winning a gold medal for East Germany at the Calgary Olympics, Katarina Witt caused quite the uproar over the short hemline on her blue feathered dress. 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. 2. In 1988, Witt won her sixth consecutive European . Costume rules are more strict in ice dancing, perhaps because couples in that discipline have pushed the envelope more frequently. (Image: www.imdb.com) Agencies. Actually pretty young, but, then again in figure skating it's pretty old. A feat only equalled by Sonja . ", The clothing must not give the effect of excessive nudity inappropriate for the discipline, Im very flamboyant, I have a crazy dress sense. Early in the morning, at 7a.m., I am the first of 31 competitors in the compulsory competition. Like a painter without a canvas, a singer with no voice, or an actress without a stage, or, or, orIf I had known then, that 20 wonderful and fulfilling years on the ice were still to come, I would have breathed a lot easier! And emotions can't be rated or judged. "The Katarina Rule" dictates that women's hips, midriffs, and behinds are covered. Katarina Witt won gold in 1984 and 1988 along with 4 World Championships and 6 European . After taking fifth the previous year in Cincinnati, this was almost a comfortable starting point for the short freestyle. Katarina Witt Biography, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, Family This is usually done to lengthen the leg line. I keep messing up on my combination and the double axle, two elements that I can do in my sleep, and which are most crucial. And I know Debi and Liz also want to stay at the top! "We're also supposed to polish our boots when we compete so if you have them covered, maybe it saves the skaters one step in having to worry about that," Newcomer said. She isn't aggressive enough. In 1994, Witt made a comeback to the competitive-skating scene, coached again by Jutta Mller. 1988 Games: Katarina Witt Beats Debi Thomas in Battle of the Carmens In an epic showdown in Calgary, Canada, 22-year-old Katarina Witt of East Germanythe 1984 figure skating gold medalist . Fringe is risky to wear on the ice, because ISU guidelines state that points will be deducted if a part of a skater's costume becomes detached. 1988: Modesty and "The Katarina Rule" At the 1988 Winter Olympics hosted in Calgary, German figure skater Katerina Witt wore a costume that a male Canadian coach, Peter Dunfield, claimed was . But it doesn't happen often. I won't be shedding any tears over the compulsories, although I have especially dedicated myself to them in the last few years. I think they (the East Germans) are just trying for sensationalism, and I don`t respect it. Thus, the three of us stood on the victory podium. Domnina and Shabalin's outfits were purportedly meant by the skaters to be Aboriginal, but were instead denounced as offensive and exploitative. It is also their farewell. Katarina Witt's skin-baring costume in 1988 resulted in the "Katarina Rule." Massimo Sambucetti/Associated Press/File Indeed, some of the latest looks are as dazzling as the contents of . She is the 1986 World champion, the 1988 Olympic bronze medalist, and a two-time U.S. national champion. She finished seventh in her first and last significant competitive outing since 1988. Source: Instagram. Katarina Witt age is 57 years old as of 2022. She won two Olympic gold medals for East Germany, first in the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics and the second in 1988 at the Calgary Olympics. Before we competitors could measure our athletic skills against each other in the short program, the discussion over my costume for the short program became a side-show. The loud roar after the combination, which is audible on the video footage, I had not noticed at all out of sheer relief. I have 15 years of competitions behind me, and I know that I have reached my limit in competitive sports. While she had some technical problems, completing only three of her planned five triples, she delivered perhaps the most emotional and moving performance of the whole evening. skirtless feather-trimmed 1988 costume for a showgirl-themed short program was considered too theatrical . Costumes were decidedly simple in the Dick Button and Peggy Fleming days, and sometimes made by mom. This time I have to show them how it's done. All the Biggest Figure-Skating Drama and Scandals Perhaps the freestyle scores at this World Championship in Budapest were a little parting gift for me. It was a funny thing years later, that she was one of the judges at my last professional competition as a figure skater, and gave me the highest score. They briefly discussed whether or not Kokko knew what had happened. Not everything goes without saying. Skaters cant avoid the issuethey can only hope to deal with it as gracefully as Cizeron and Papadakis did. Joan Gruber, a U.S. team leader and international judge, said points could be deducted from Witt`s score because of rules about appropriate costumes. Unfortunately, he had not pinned his tie to his shirt. The majority of the upper body must be covered, and costumes must not hide the body line of the skaters. And of course I must do this while "dying". At the 1983 European Championships, she skated her Mozart short program in knee breeches instead of a skirt. Witt's blue dress at the 1988 Olympics is the reason figure skating now has a dress code. Rules are stricter in ice dancing: A woman must wear a skirt that goes around her entire waist (though there may be slits in the skirt). Many figure skating costumes these days take their cues from the fashion runways. Kira, the absolute queen of the compulsories, left the "battlefield" to the rest us girls. I love the energy of the program, and after the step sequence, I was so proud and overjoyed , that my nose was running. "If only they knew, that during the "flirting break", my heart almost fell into my costume, because suddenly, I had no more strength in my legs. Witt trained six days a week,[3] sometimes for seven hours a day with three hours spent on compulsory figures. Katarina Witt's outfit caused the ISU to institute "The Katarina Rule." Associated Press. Witt, Katarina (1965) | Encyclopedia.com Actually, it means more to me to skate after everyone else, when the pressure is the highest. ", Illusion panels are often sewn into figure skating costumes, Wardrobe malfunctions are unexpected, but the South Korean Olympic skater handled. I have been keeping an eye on her for the last few years, and have come to know her as a loveable girl and a great athlete. Katarina Witt (born , ) is a . There is always room for some kind of malfunction with the costumes that we wear and all the moving about, ice dancer Tanith Belbin told ESPN in 2006, one year before she would rip her dress with her own skate at the 2007 Four Continents championships. Gender: Female. She won the in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988, and six consecutive (1983-1988). Learn how and when to remove this template message, successfully defended her World title in 1985, "Dancing on Ice judge Katarina Wit talks money", "The ice rink becomes the runway for female figure skaters", "AT DINNER WITH: Katarina Witt; Firepower Off the Ice", "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement", "The 40 Hottest Female Athletes Of The Decade", "Judging panel revealed for the new series of Dancing On Ice", "INTERVIEW-Olympics-Witt hopes to steer 2018 Games to Munich", "Kati Witt spielt Stalking-Opfer im TV (German)", "Interview with Katarina Witt Stalking, Hollywood und zu viele Pfunde (German)", "Stasi files reveal Katarina Witt was willing accomplice", Olympic champions in figure skating Women's singles, World champions in figure skating Women's singles, European champions in figure skating Women's singles, East German Champions in Figure Skating Ladies singles, Skate Canada International champions in figure skating Women's singles, NHK Trophy champions in figure skating Women's singles, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Katarina_Witt&oldid=1132816396, Figure skaters at the 1984 Winter Olympics, Figure skaters at the 1988 Winter Olympics, Figure skaters at the 1994 Winter Olympics, Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit (honor clasp), World Figure Skating Championships medalists, European Figure Skating Championships medalists, BLP articles lacking sources from November 2021, Articles that may contain original research from March 2017, All articles that may contain original research, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2020, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Olympics.com template with same ID for Olympic.org, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 1988 and 1994 (amateur) Debi Thomas - Wikipedia Costume malfunction! one exclaimed as the camera cut to a shot of Rublevas chest. I try to answer their questions patiently, and try to communicate in English. She had been considering making the 1986 World Championships her final event, but stung by the loss, Witt vowed to regain her title and skate on to Calgary. Weir told Philly Mag,"I'm very flamboyant, I have a crazy dress sense.". At the press conference, I can hardly end some of my sentences for laughing. Birth City: Karl-Marx-Stadt. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France compete during the Figure Skating Ice Dance Short Dance on day 10 of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Ice Arena on Feb. 19, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. With only three triples and one double axel, I still made a few mistakes, and the mutual gratification with Mrs. Mller was limited, as we sat together in the "Kiss & Cry". Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Zhang finished in 15th at the 2014 Games, while Team China placed seventh. ''It is within the rules (to deduct), but I`ve never seen the rules enforced,'' Gruber said. Figure Skating Championships in St. Paul. Witt's breakthrough came in 1982 when she finished second at the World Championships in Copenhagen. But since the women's competition is to lead up to the grand finale of the games once again, I feel I can better concentrate on my training here at home, rather than on site under the observation of everyone there. During training fir the compulsories, you could use this one as a template for the "roundest rounding of a round circle". Debra Janine Thomas (born March 25, 1967) is an American former figure skater and physician. I can't believe it. ''The real provocative side is the back,'' said Dunfield, who coaches medal contender Elizabeth Manley. By the time she scooped her second Olympic gold in Calgary in 1988, she was being celebrated as a pan-German icon, single-handedly breaking down the psychological wall between . Afterwards, she has more bad landings. Everything seems to be for the last time on this day. I think, "Hey, what have you been missing out on? This time she misses, and I know right away, it's not going to go well for her. Liz botches up her combinations, and with that, it is as usual, exciting to the end.On the day of the freestyle programs, it is especially hard for me to concentrate. These Winter Cocktails Will Warm Ya Right Up. Katarina Witt: World Champion Budapest 1988 '', Peter Dunfield used those words to describe the costume Witt plans to wear in Thursday`s short program phase of the Olympic women`s competition. At those Worlds, she did win the long program over Thomas's clean skate with identical content, scoring two 6.0s for artistic impression, but a combination miss which left her 4th in the short cost her the gold. I haven't even been there for 24 hours, and am hit by a wave of requests for interviews, television appearances and photo shoots. Today in the face of pics by Lindsey Vonn and other skaters splashed across men's magazines for these Winter Olympics, it's the norm.