Unexpected star
Katja Seizinger was an anomaly in the world of German skiing because she grew up not in the mountains of Bavaria, but in the industrial Ruhr region. This area was memorably referred to her as being “flat as my hand”. She learnt to ski on vacations with her father who was a ski enthusiast.
Medal success
At the 1992 Albertville Winter Games, she placed fourth in the downhill and then earned a bronze medal in the super giant slalom. Two years later in Lillehammer she won the downhill and was voted Sportswoman of the Year in Germany.
Olympic first
At the Nagano Winter Games she became the first skier, male or female, to win the Olympic downhill twice. The next day she earned a third gold medal by winning the Alpine combined event. She also earned a bronze medal in the giant slalom. She topped off her remarkable season by winning the Overall World Cup for the second time.