Steffi Martin
{{short description|East German luger}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{expand German|topic=bio|date=March 2022|Steffi Walter}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name =
| image = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1985-0105-002, Steffi Martin (cropped).jpg
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| caption = Martin at the 1985 World championships in Oberhof, East Germany
| citizenship = Germany
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1962|9|17}}
| birth_place = Lauter, Saxony, East Germany
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2017|6|21|1962|9|17}}
| death_place =
| country = Germany
| sport = Luge
| retired =
| coaching =
| worlds =
| regionals =
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| olympics =
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| highestranking =
| pb =
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|Women's Luge}}
{{MedalCountry| {{GDR}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|Olympic Games}}
{{MedalGold|1984 Sarajevo|Women's singles}}
{{MedalGold|1988 Calgary|Women's singles}}
{{MedalCompetition | World Championships }}
{{MedalGold|1983 Lake Placid|Women's singles}}
{{MedalGold|1985 Oberhof|Women's singles}}
{{MedalCompetition | World Cup Championships}}
{{MedalGold|1983–84 |Women's singles}}
{{MedalCompetition | European Championships}}
{{MedalSilver|1982 Winterberg|Women's singles}}
{{MedalSilver|1986 Hammarstrand|Women's singles}}
| show-medals =
| updated =
}}
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.){{cite web |url=http://sports123.com/lug/we-s.html |title=Luge European Championships; Women: Singles |date=5 January 2005 |accessdate=22 June 2017 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050105145335/http://sports123.com/lug/we-s.html |archivedate=5 January 2005 |df=dmy-all}}
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.{{cite web |url=http://sports123.com/lug/ww-s.html |title=Luge Women: World Championships: Singles |date=26 November 2003 |accessdate=22 June 2017 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20031126032527/http://sports123.com/lug/ww-s.html |archivedate=26 November 2003 |df=dmy-all}}
Martin was overall Luge World Cup champion in women's singles in 1983–84 shared with fellow East German Bettina Schmidt.{{cite web |url=https://ffsg.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/PD-2015-11-19-englisch.pdf |title=Overall winners of the women's Luge World Cup |date=19 November 2015 |accessdate=22 June 2017 |work=Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course |archive-date=7 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807050737/https://ffsg.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/PD-2015-11-19-englisch.pdf |url-status=dead }}
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.{{cite web |url=http://www.fuzilogik.com/Sports-Library/Luge/Women-s-Luge-Olympic-Medals.html |title=Women's Luge Olympic Medals |date=11 March 2016 |accessdate=22 June 2017 |url-status=usurped |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311042245/http://www.fuzilogik.com/Sports-Library/Luge/Women-s-Luge-Olympic-Medals.html |archivedate=11 March 2016 |df=dmy-all}} Her record was equaled by Sylke Otto by winning gold in 2002 and 2006.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9mM0XzW03AcC&pg=PA373 |page=373 |title=Historical Dictionary of the Olympic Movement |author=Bill Mallon, Jeroen Heijmans |year=2011 |isbn=9780810875227 |work=Olympic.org |publisher=Scarecrow Press |accessdate=23 June 2017}}{{cite Sports-Reference |title=Steffi Walter-Martin |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wa/steffi-walter-martin-1.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204042125/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wa/steffi-walter-martin-1.html |archivedate=2016-12-04}}
Death
Martin died on 21 June 2017 from cancer. She had been diagnosed in October 2016.{{cite web |author=Sven Geisler |url=http://www.sz-online.de/nachrichten/trauer-um-olympiasiegerin-3710029.html |title=Trauer um Olympiasiegerin |language=German |work=Sächsische Zeitung |date=21 June 2017 |accessdate=22 June 2017}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons category|Steffi Walter}}
- [http://users.skynet.be/hermandw/olymp/bioma.htm Great Olympians] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424160427/http://users.skynet.be/hermandw/olymp/bioma.htm |date=24 April 2018 }}
- {{Olympedia|81767|Steffi Walter-Martin}}
- {{Olympic Channel|steffi-walter|Steffi Walter}}
{{Footer World Champions Luge Women's Singles}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Steffi}}
Category:People from Erzgebirgskreis
Category:Olympic lugers for East Germany
Category:East German female lugers
Category:Olympic gold medalists for East Germany
Category:Olympic medalists in luge
Category:Lugers at the 1984 Winter Olympics
Category:Lugers at the 1988 Winter Olympics
Category:Medalists at the 1984 Winter Olympics
Category:Medalists at the 1988 Winter Olympics
Category:Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit (honor clasp)