Mandy Wötzel

Mandy Wötzel (born 21 July 1973) is a German former pair skater who represented East Germany and later Germany in international competition. With partner Ingo Steuer, she is the 1998 Olympic bronze medalist, the 1997 World champion, the 1995 European champion, and a four-time German national champion.

Mandy Wötzel
Mandy Wötzel with Axel Rauschenbach in 1988
Personal information
Country representedGermany
East Germany
Born (1973-07-21) 21 July 1973
Karl-Marx-Stadt, East Germany
Height1.50 m (4 ft 11 in)[1]
Former partnerIngo Steuer
Axel Rauschenbach
Former coachMonika Scheibe
Skating clubEislaufverein Chemnitz
Retired1998
Medal record
Representing  Germany
Figure skating: Pairs
Olympic Games
1998 Nagano Pairs
World Championships
1997 LausannePairs
1996 EdmontonPairs
1993 PraguePairs
European Championships
1997 ParisPairs
1996 SofiaPairs
1995 DortmundPairs
1993 HelsinkiPairs
Grand Prix Final
1997–98 TokyoPairs
1996–97 HamiltonPairs
1995–96 ParisPairs
Representing  East Germany
European Championships
1989 BirminghamPairs

Personal life

Mandy Wötzel was born 21 July 1973 in Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz), Saxony, East Germany. She married an Australian in 2007 and moved the same year to Australia.

Skating career

Early career

Wötzel began skating as a child. She skated for the club SC Karl-Marx-Stadt, which was renamed to SC Chemnitz after German reunification. Her first partner was Axel Rauschenbach. The pair won the silver medal at the 1989 European Championships. Rauschenbach's skate blade struck Wötzel's head in 1989 while they were performing side-by-side camel spins.[2][3][4] She was in hospital for three months and missed half a year of school.[2][3] Wötzel and Rauschenbach competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics, where they finished 8th. Following the season, Rauschenbach ended their partnership to work at a bank.[3]

Partnership with Steuer

Ingo Steuer, who had been without a partner during 1991–1992 season, trained at the same rink as Wötzel, and under the same coach, Monika Scheibe.[3] Scheibe initially hesitated to put Wötzel and Steuer together due to doubts about whether their personalities would work well together but she was persuaded after seeing their tryout.[3] After less than a year together, Wötzel/Steuer won the silver medal at the 1993 European Championships and the 1993 World Championships. Both were accepted into the sports division of the German army, supporting athletes.[3]

Wötzel and Steuer had a few accidents during their career. She knocked him out with her elbow while practicing the twist lift and he broke her nose while practicing another lift.[3][4] During the long program at the 1994 Winter Olympics, Wötzel tripped on a rut and fell to the ice, cutting her chin.[2] Steuer carried her off the ice.[3] The pair was forced to withdraw from the competition and Wötzel had to have stitches. They skated at the 1994 World Championships one month later, and finished fourth. In a humorous touch, after the program, Steuer carried Wötzel off the ice just as he had at the Olympics.[3]

Wötzel/Steuer won the 1995 European Championships and the 1997 World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. Steuer underwent his fifth or sixth knee surgery in mid-1997.[3] On December 8, 1997, a passing car's side window hit Steuer's arm, partly tearing ligaments in his right shoulder.[2][5] Pain radiated to his neck and face and caused headaches but he continued to skate.[3][2] Wötzel/Steuer won the silver medal at the Champions Series Final, held December 19–20, 1997 in Munich, Germany. When he caught her during a triple twist in the long program, Steuer felt a sharp pain that extended to his head.[2] They stayed off the ice for the following three weeks.[2] Wötzel/Steuer missed the 1998 European Championships as a result but returned in time for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, where they won the bronze medal. They then retired from competition and skated in shows and professional events.

In a 2006 interview, Wötzel said that their partnership was "hell" and she felt anxiety at the sight of Steuer.[6]

Later career

In autumn 2006, Wötzel participated in the TV show Dancing on Ice on the German channel RTL, partnered with boxer Sven Ottke.

Wötzel works as a skating coach in Australia. She started teaching at the Olympic Ice Rink in Oakleigh, Melbourne in 2008.

Programs

With Steuer
Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
1997–1998
  • No Holly For Miss Quinn
    Enya
  • Wings of Hope
    by Danny Wright
  • In Memory from Moods of Indigo
    Danny Wright
1996–1997
1995–1996
    • Rolling Stones medley
      performed by Munich Philharmonic Orchestra
    1994–1995
    • No Holly For Miss Quinn
      by Enya
    1993–1994
      1992–1993
      • Black Machine
      Professional career
      • Last Dance
        by Donna Summer
      • Revolution
        by Jean Michel Jarre

      With Rauschenbach
      Season Short program Free skating
      1991–1992

        Results

        With Ingo Steuer

        GP: Champions Series (Grand Prix)

        International
        Event 92–93 93–94 94–95 95–96 96–97 97–98
        Winter OlympicsWD3rd
        World Champ.2nd4th5th2nd1st
        European Champ.2nd5th1st2nd2nd
        GP Final3rd1st2nd
        GP Cup of Russia1st
        GP Nations Cup2nd1st1st
        GP NHK Trophy2nd
        GP Skate Canada1st
        GP Trophée Lalique2nd
        Nations Cup1st2nd1st
        NHK Trophy3rd
        Piruetten1st
        Skate Canada1st
        Trophée de France3rd
        National
        German Champ.1st1st1st1st
        WD = Withdrew

        With Axel Rauschenbach
        International
        Event 87–88
        (GDR)        		 88–89
        (GDR)        		 89–90
        (GDR)        		 90–91
        (GER)        		 91–92
        (GER)
        Winter Olympics8th
        World Championships8th7th
        European Championships5th2nd5th6th
        Skate America3rd
        Trophée de France2nd1st
        National
        German Championships1st2nd
        East German Champ.2nd1st1st
        gollark: Oh, another wasteful government thing is airport "security".
        gollark: Oh.
        gollark: Wasps are basically bees, right?
        gollark: I'm very prepared for bees, I have some "fly & wasp killer" here.
        gollark: I don't mean CCTV, although that's a problem, I mean interweb data gathering.

        References
        1. "Mandy Wötzel". Sports-reference. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
        2. Longman, Jere (1998-02-04). "OLYMPICS: NAGANO 1998; Taking Life and Its Scars and Pains". The New York Times.
        3. Hersh, Philip (1998-02-04). "German Pair Find Skating Is Easiest Part". Chicago Tribune.
        4. Klimke, Barbara (1997-01-04). "Aber die Gefahr tanzt immer mit" [Danger always present]. Berliner Zeitung (in German).
        5. Bondy, Filip (1998-02-04). "Daring Pair Might Break Ice". Daily News (New York).
        6. "Angstgefühle beim Anblick Steuers" [Anxiety at the sight of Steuer] (in German). focus.de. 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2010-10-25.
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