.mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{box-sizing:border-box;width:100%;padding:5px;border:none;font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .hidden-title{font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .hidden-content{text-align:left}You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in German. (September 2015) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the German article. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 9,059 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing German Wikipedia article at [[:de:Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template ((Translated|de|Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann)) to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.
Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann
Personal information
Birth nameGunda Kleemann
NationalityGerman
Born (1966-09-07) 7 September 1966 (age 57)
Sondershausen, Bezirk Erfurt, East Germany
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight65 kg (143 lb)
Spouse(s)Detlev Niemann (1991-1995) (divorced)
Oliver Stirnemann (1997-)
Sport
CountryEast Germany
Germany
SportSpeed skating
ClubSC Turbine Erfurt
ESC Erfurt
Turned pro1987
Coached byStephan Gneupel
Retired2005
Medal record
Women's speed skating
Representing  Germany
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1992 Albertville 3000 m
Gold medal – first place 1992 Albertville 5000 m
Gold medal – first place 1998 Nagano 3000 m
Silver medal – second place 1992 Albertville 1500 m
Silver medal – second place 1994 Lillehammer 5000 m
Silver medal – second place 1998 Nagano 1500 m
Silver medal – second place 1998 Nagano 5000 m
Bronze medal – third place 1994 Lillehammer 1500 m
World Allround Championships
Gold medal – first place 1991 Hamar Allround
Gold medal – first place 1992 Heerenveen Allround
Gold medal – first place 1993 Berlin Allround
Gold medal – first place 1995 Tynset Allround
Gold medal – first place 1996 Inzell Allround
Gold medal – first place 1997 Nagano Allround
Gold medal – first place 1998 Heerenveen Allround
Gold medal – first place 1999 Hamar Allround
Silver medal – second place 1989 Lake Placid Allround
Silver medal – second place 2000 Milwaukee Allround

Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann (née Kleemann, born 7 September 1966) is a German former speed skater. She is a three-time Olympic gold medallist, winning the 3000 metres in 1992 and 1998 and the 5000 metres in 1992. She won a total of eight Olympic medals.[1][2]

Personal life

The Gunda-Niemann-Stirnemann-Halle in Erfurt

Born as Gunda Kleemann in Sondershausen, Bezirk Erfurt, East Germany, she has lived in Erfurt for most of her life. Before German reunification in 1990, she skated for East Germany.

She changed her name to Gunda Niemann after her marriage in 1991 to judoka Detlev Niemann. After their divorce in 1995, she kept the name Niemann. She changed her name to Niemann-Stirnemann after marrying her Swiss long-time manager, Oliver Stirnemann, on 11 July 1997. Their daughter Victoria Stirnemann [de] is also a competitive speed skater.[3]

The speed skating oval in Erfurt, the Gunda-Niemann-Stirnemann-Halle, was named after her.[3]

Career

Niemann-Stirnemann dominated women's speed skating for several years, especially on the longer distances. She has competed in four Olympics, from 1988 to 1998, and won eight Olympic medals (3 gold, 4 silver, and 1 bronze). In the nine years from 1991 to 1999, she won the World Allround Championships every year except 1994. She has a record number of 98 World Cup single distance victories and has won 19 overall World Cup titles. She was European Allround Champion 8 times. Over the course of her career, she set 18 world records. For her performances, she received the Oscar Mathisen Award three times: in 1995, 1996 and 1997.

Niemann-Stirnemann left speed skating in 2001 to give birth to a daughter, but later returned to competition. She planned to make one last comeback and participate in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, but a lingering back injury – which she suffered from since the 2004–05 season – made her quit. At the end of October 2005, a few days before the German Championships, she announced her retirement.

Except for one day in March 1998, Niemann-Stirnemann was number one in the Adelskalender, the all-time allround speed skating ranking, from 24 January 1993, until 2 March 2001 – a total of 2,958 days. She skated in Olympic, World, World Cup, European and national championships to 215 medals, thereof 163 gold medals.

World records

Over the course of her career, Niemann-Stirnemann skated 18 world records:

Distance Result Date Location
3000 m 4:10.80 9 December 1990 Calgary
5000 m 7:13.29 6 December 1993 Hamar
Small combination 167.282 9 January 1994 Hamar
3000 m 4:09.32 25 March 1994 Calgary
5000 m 7:03.26 26 March 1994 Calgary
Small combination 165.708 16 February 1997 Nagano
3000 m 4:07.80 7 December 1997 Heerenveen
3000 m 4:05.08 14 March 1998 Heerenveen
Small combination 163.020 15 March 1998 Heerenveen
3000 m 4:01.67 27 March 1998 Calgary
5000 m 6:58.63 28 March 1998 Calgary
5000 m 6:57.24 7 February 1999 Hamar
Small combination 161.479 7 February 1999 Hamar
5000 m 6:56.84 16 January 2000 Hamar
3000 m 4:00.51 30 January 2000 Calgary
5000 m 6:55.34 25 November 2000 Heerenveen
3000 m 4:00.26 17 February 2001 Hamar
5000 m 6:52.44 10 March 2001 Salt Lake City

Note that the 10000 m was suspended as a world record event at the 1953 ISU Congress.

Personal records

To put these personal records in perspective, the last column (WR) lists the official world records on the dates that Niemann-Stirnemann skated her personal records.

Distance Result Date Location WR
500 m 40.34 6 February 1999 Hamar 37.55
1000 m 1:20.57 13 November 2000 Berlin 1:14.61
1500 m 1:55.62 4 March 2001 Calgary 1:55.50
3000 m 4:00.26 17 February 2001 Hamar 4:00.51
5000 m 6:52.44 10 March 2001 Salt Lake City 6:55.34
10000 m 14:22.60 27 March 1994 Calgary none
Small combination 161.479 7 February 1999 Hamar 163.020
Mini combination 169.385 6 February 1994 Baselga di Pinè 166.682
Sprint combination 165.255 17 January 1999 Collalbo 151.690

Niemann-Stirnemann has an Adelskalender score of 160.167 points. Her highest ranking on the Adelskalender was the first place.

Biography

References

  1. ^ "Gunda NIEMANN-STIRNEMANN". olympics.com. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Gunda Kleemann-Niemann-Stirnemann". Olympedia. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b Thorsten Felske (28 November 2022). "Wenn die Mutter eine Sportheldin war – Der berühmte Nachname als Ansporn". Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 26 January 2024.

External links

Awards Preceded by Johann Olav Koss Oscar Mathisen Award 1995–1997 Succeeded by Ådne Søndrål
Leaders of the Adelskalender, women
Olympic champions in women's 3000 m speed skating
Olympic champions in women's 5000 m speed skating
World champions in women's 1500 m speed skating
World champions in women's 3000 m speed skating
World champions in women's 5000 m speed skating
World champions in women's allround speed skating
Authority control databases
Categories