Kerstin Szymkowiak

{{Short description|German skeleton racer (born 1977)}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Kerstin Szymkowiak

| image = Kerstin Szymkowiak Amy Williams and Anja Huber.jpg

| image_size = 250

| caption = Szymkowiak (right) at the 2010 Winter Olympics women's skeleton medal ceremony

| birth_name = Kerstin Jürgens

| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|19 December 1977}}

| birth_place = Siegen, West Germany

| website = {{URL|http://www.kerstinjuergens.de/|KerstinJuergens.de}}

| headercolor = lightsteelblue

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalSport|Women's skeleton}}

{{MedalCountry| {{GER}}}}

{{MedalOlympic}}

File:Olympic rings.svg

{{MedalSilver|2010 Vancouver|Women}}

{{MedalCompetition | World Championships }}

{{MedalBronze|2004 Königssee|Women}}

{{MedalBronze|2008 Altenberg|Women}}

{{MedalBronze|2009 Lake Placid|Women}}

{{MedalCompetition | World Cup Championships }}

{{MedalBronze|2009–10|Women}}

{{MedalCompetition | European Championships }}

{{MedalGold|2005 Altenberg|Women}}

{{MedalSilver|2004 Altenberg|Women}}

{{MedalSilver|2010 Innsbruck|Women}}

{{MedalBronze|2008 Cesana|Women}}

}}

Kerstin Szymkowiak (born Kerstin Jürgens on 19 December 1977 in Siegen) is a German retired skeleton racer who has competed since 2002. She won three bronze medals in the women's skeleton event, earning them in 2004, 2008, and 2009.

Her best overall seasonal finish in the women's Skeleton World Cup title was third in 2004–5.

Jürgens married after the 2007-08 Skeleton World Cup season and has been competing since in the 2008-09 Skeleton World Cup season under her married name. She finished second behind defending world champion Anja Huber of Germany in the season opener at Winterberg on 28 November 2008.

Szymkowiak's nickname is the "Ice Tiger" (Eistiger in German). She earned the silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

After retiring from the sport Szymkowiak was appointed an Athlete Role Model for the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck.{{cite web |url=http://www.olympic.org/news/introducing-athlete-role-models-alexander-resch-and-kerstin-szymkowiak/182738 |title=Introducing Athlete Role Models Alexander Resch and Kerstin Szymkowiak |author= |date=14 October 2011 |website=olympic.org|accessdate=19 December 2014}} In May 2012 the Swiss bobsleigh and skeleton federation announced that Szymkowiak had been elected as head of their skeleton section.{{cite web |url=http://www.fibt.com/en/news/latest-news/news-article/news/4411.html?backUrl=%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D171%26page%3D72%26filter%255B%255D%3D%26L%3D0 |title=Kerstin Szymkowiak to head sport of skeleton in Switzerland |author= |date=31 May 2012 |website=International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation|accessdate=19 December 2014}}

Szymkowiak's husband Philippe is a massage therapist for the Swiss national bobsleigh team. She gave birth to a daughter, Noalie, in September 2010.