Steffi Martin

Steffi Martin

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1985-0105-002, Steffi Martin (cropped).jpg Martin at the 1985 World championships in Oberhof, East Germany
Personal information
Citizenship	Germany
Born	(1962-09-17)17 September 1962 Lauter, Saxony, East Germany
Died	21 June 2017(2017-06-21) (aged 54)
Sport
Country	Germany
Sport	Luge
Medal record Women's Luge Representing East Germany Olympic Games Gold medal – first place 1984 Sarajevo Women's singles Gold medal – first place 1988 Calgary Women's singles World Championships Gold medal – first place 1983 Lake Placid Women's singles Gold medal – first place 1985 Oberhof Women's singles World Cup Championships Gold medal – first place 1983–84 Women's singles European Championships Silver medal – second place 1982 Winterberg Women's singles Silver medal – second place 1986 Hammarstrand Women's singles

Steffi Martin Walter (17 September 1962 – 21 June 2017) was a German luger who competed during the 1980s, representing East Germany. She won two Olympic gold medals in the women's singles event, two gold medals at FIL World Luge Championships, one gold medal at FIL World Luge Championships, and two silver medals at FIL European Luge Championships.

Personal life

Martin was born in Lauter, Saxony, on 17 September 1962. After marriage, she lived in Großdubrau with her husband and had three children. After their first child was born, she took a break from sports but returned later. She quit active sports due to family and health issues and worked as a physiotherapist. She completed her studies in law and worked in county administration. She was named an honorary citizen of Lauter in 1998.

Career

Martin participated and won her first silver medal at the FIL European Luge Championships of 1982 held at Winterberg in Women's Single where Bettina Schmidt took the gold. She won the silver again in 1986 at Hammarstrand (Cerstin Schmidt won the gold.)

Martin won two gold medals in the women's singles event at the FIL World Luge Championships of 1983 at Lake Placid, New York, and of 1985 at Oberhof, Germany.

Martin was overall Luge World Cup champion in women's singles in 1983–84 shared with fellow East German Bettina Schmidt.

She won gold medal in the women's singles event, first at Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, at the 1984 Winter Olympics under her maiden name Martin. She then became the first woman to repeat as Olympic champion at Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in the 1988 Winter Olympics; now under her married name Walter. She completed the events in 2:46:570 and 3:03:973 respectively. Her record was equaled by Sylke Otto by winning gold in 2002 and 2006.

Death

Martin died on 21 June 2017 from cancer. She had been diagnosed in October 2016.

External links

• Great Olympians Archived 24 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine
• Steffi Walter-Martin at Olympedia
• Steffi Walter at Olympics.com