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).
| Anett Pötzsch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 3 September 1960 Karl-Marx-Stadt, East Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Figure skating career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | East Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1980 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
editPötzsch 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
editPötzsch 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
edit| International | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 71–72 | 72–73 | 73–74 | 74–75 | 75–76 | 76–77 | 77–78 | 78–79 | 79–80 | 80–81 |
| Olympics | 4th | 1st | ||||||||
| Worlds | 14th | 11th | 8th | 4th | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 1st | ||
| Europeans | 8th | 7th | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||
| Blue Swords | 4th | 5th | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||
| Prague Skate | 2nd | |||||||||
| Golden Spin | 1st | |||||||||
| Skate Canada | 2nd | |||||||||
| National | ||||||||||
| East Germany | 4th | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |
References
edit- Anett Potzsch at Sports Reference
- various old news papers
- personal interview
