Anett Pötzsch
Anett Pötzsch at the Blue Swords
Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle, Berlin; 18 November 1979
Born (1960-09-03) 3 September 1960
Karl-Marx-Stadt, East Germany
Height1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Figure skating career
CountryEast Germany
Retired1980
Medal record
Representing  East Germany
Ladies' figure skating
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1980 Lake Placid Ladies' singles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place1980 DortmundLadies' singles
Gold medal – first place1978 OttawaLadies' singles
Silver medal – second place1979 ViennaLadies' singles
Silver medal – second place1977 TokyoLadies' singles
European Championships
Gold medal – first place1980 GothenburgLadies' singles
Gold medal – first place1979 ZagrebLadies' singles
Gold medal – first place1978 StrasbourgLadies' singles
Gold medal – first place1977 HelsinkiLadies' singles
Silver medal – second place1976 GenevaLadies' singles
Bronze medal – third place1975 CopenhagenLadies' singles
Anett Pötzsch at the German Nationals 2006

Anett Pötzsch (later Witt, now Rauschenbach; born 3 September 1960) is a German former figure skater. She is the 1980 Olympic champion, two-time World champion (1978, 1980), four-time European champion (1977–1980), and five-time East German champion (1976–1980).

Career

Pötzsch represented the GDR (East Germany) in the ladies events at international championships. Her first coach was Brigitte Schellhorn.[1] After Pötzsch was admitted into a sports academy, Gabriele Seyfert was assigned as her coach and later, Seyfert's mother, Jutta Müller, took over coaching duties.[1] She was the Olympic Champion in 1980 and world champion in 1978 and 1980. She also won the European title four times, from 1977 to 1980; and the East German title five times, from 1976 to 1980. In 1981, she announced her retirement, saying in 2011, "I had knee problems and I was not motivated because I had reached all my goals" but she said she later regretted her decision.[1]

Pötzsch was a judge at international skating events in the late 1980s but the ISU banned her after she appeared in Skates of Gold shows and Katarina Witt's film, Carmen.[1] The ISU restored her eligibility in 1994, along with that of professional skaters.[1] In the 1990s, Pötzsch worked at a bank but quit her job in 1999 in order to coach.[1] She coaches in Chemnitz, Germany, and in 2004 became an ISU technical specialist.[1] Her students include Daniel Dotzauer, the 2010 German Championships bronze medalist, and Sandy Hoffmann.

Personal life

Pötzsch was born in Karl-Marx-Stadt, GDR (today renamed Chemnitz, Germany). She married Axel Witt, the brother of fellow German figure skater Katarina Witt, but the couple divorced in 1990.[1] Their daughter, Claudia Rauschenbach, born in 1984, is the 2000 German pair skating champion with Robin Szolkowy.[1] In 1993, Pötzsch married Axel Rauschenbach, who is the father of her second daughter, Cindy, and stepfather to Claudia.[1]

Results

International
Event 71–72 72–73 73–74 74–75 75–76 76–77 77–78 78–79 79–80 80–81
Olympics4th1st
Worlds14th11th8th4th2nd1st2nd1st
Europeans8th7th3rd2nd1st1st1st1st
Blue Swords4th5th2nd2nd2nd1st1st1st
Prague Skate2nd
Golden Spin1st
Skate Canada2nd
National
East Germany4th3rd2nd2nd1st1st1st1st1st

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Kany, Klaus-Reinhold (6 May 2011). "Anett Pötzsch: Germany's First Golden Girl". IFS Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 September 2011.
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