Claudia Pechstein facts for kids

Pechstein in 2022
Quick facts for kids Personal information
Nationality	German
Born	(1972-02-22) 22 February 1972 (age 53) East Berlin, East Germany
Sport
Country	Germany (1990–)  East Germany (1988–1990)
Sport	Speed skating
Turned pro	1988
Medal record Women's speed skating Representing  Germany Olympic Games Gold 1994 Lillehammer 5000 m Gold 1998 Nagano 5000 m Gold 2002 Salt Lake City 3000 m Gold 2002 Salt Lake City 5000 m Gold 2006 Turin Team pursuit Silver 1998 Nagano 3000 m Silver 2006 Turin 5000 m Bronze 1992 Albertville 5000 m Bronze 1994 Lillehammer 3000 m World Championships Gold 1996 Hamar 5000 m Gold 2000 Nagano 1500 m Gold 2000 Nagano 3000 m Gold 2000 Milwaukee Allround Gold 2003 Berlin 5000 m Gold 2004 Seoul 3000 m Silver 1996 Hamar 1500 m Silver 1996 Hamar 3000 m Silver 1996 Inzell Allround Silver 1997 Nagano Allround Silver 1998 Calgary 3000 m Silver 1998 Calgary 5000 m Silver 1998 Heerenveen Allround Silver 1999 Heerenveen 3000 m Silver 1999 Heerenveen 5000 m Silver 1999 Hamar Allround Silver 2000 Nagano 5000 m Silver 2001 Salt Lake City 5000 m Silver 2001 Budapest Allround Silver 2003 Berlin 3000 m Silver 2003 Gothenburg Allround Silver 2004 Hamar Allround Silver 2005 Inzell 3000 m Silver 2005 Inzell 5000 m Silver 2006 Calgary Allround Silver 2007 Salt Lake City 5000 m Silver 2017 Gangneung 5000 m Bronze 1998 Calgary 1500 m Bronze 1997 Warszawa 5000 m Bronze 2001 Salt Lake City 3000 m Bronze 2002 Heerenveen Allround Bronze 2004 Seoul 5000 m Bronze 2005 Moscow Allround Bronze 2007 Salt Lake City Team pursuit Bronze 2008 Nagano Team pursuit Bronze 2011 Inzell 5000 m Bronze 2011 Inzell Team pursuit Bronze 2012 Heerenveen 5000 m Bronze 2013 Sochi 3000 m Bronze 2013 Sochi 5000 m Bronze 2015 Heerenveen 5000 m European Championships Gold 1998 Helsinki Allround Gold 2006 Hamar Allround Gold 2009 Heerenveen Allround Silver 1999 Heerenveen Allround Silver 2001 Baselga di Piné Allround Silver 2002 Erfurt Allround Silver 2003 Heerenveen Allround Silver 2004 Heerenveen Allround Silver 2012 Budapest Allround Bronze 1996 Heerenveen Allround Bronze 2005 Heerenveen Allround

Claudia Pechstein (born 22 February 1972) is a famous German speed skater. She has won many medals in her career. Claudia has won five gold medals at the Winter Olympics. With a total of nine Olympic medals, she was once the most successful Olympic speed skater ever! She is also the most successful German Winter Olympian of all time.

Claudia Pechstein's Amazing Skating Journey

Claudia Pechstein was born in East Berlin. She became a professional speed skater in 1988. She even held a world record for the 5000-meter race. Her record time was 6 minutes and 46.91 seconds. This was set in Salt Lake City in 2002. Later, another skater, Martina Sáblíková, broke her record.

Olympic Achievements

Claudia is the first female Winter Olympian to win medals in five Olympics in a row. This happened from 1992 to 2006. She won gold in the women's 5000-meter race in three Olympics: 1994, 1998, and 2002. She also earned a bronze medal in 1992 and a silver in 2006 for the same event.

In the 3000-meter race, she won three medals. These included a gold in 2002, a silver in 1998, and a bronze in 1994. Her fifth Olympic gold medal came in 2006. She won it in the team pursuit event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

After missing the 2010 Vancouver Games, she returned for her sixth Olympics in 2014. She competed in the Sochi Games. She finished fourth in the 3000 meters and fifth in the 5000 meters. She also competed in the Pyeongchang Games in 2018.

In 2022, Claudia made history at the Beijing Games. She was the German flag-bearer for the opening ceremony. This was her eighth time at the Winter Olympics. This set a new record for the most Winter Olympics for a female athlete!

Beyond the Ice Rink

Claudia Pechstein is also a sergeant in the German Federal Police. She trains at their sports center. She has even thought about trying a new sport. She mentioned wanting to compete as a cyclist. She planned to race in track cycling events. She said she trained a lot on a bike as a skater. This shows her dedication to sports.

A Temporary Break from Competition

In 2009, Claudia Pechstein faced a challenge. After a competition in Norway, the International Skating Union (ISU) said she had unusual blood values. Because of this, she was not allowed to compete for two years.

Claudia strongly said she had not done anything wrong. She explained that she has a natural condition that could cause these unusual blood results. She appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. However, the ban was upheld.

Even though she was banned, she tried to compete in one race. This was to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics. She finished 13th, but needed to be in the top 8. Her appeal to temporarily stop the ban for the Olympics was not successful.

Claudia returned to speed skating competitions in February 2011. She quickly showed her skill again. She won a bronze medal in the 5000-meter race at the 2011 World Championships.

She later took her case to German courts. She argued that her rights had been violated. In 2022, a higher court in Germany agreed with her. This means her case for damages is still being looked at.

Claudia Pechstein's Skating Records

Personal Records

World Records

Olympic Records

Competition Results

Season	German Championships Single Distances	German Championships Allround	European Championships Allround	European Championships Single Distances	World Championships Allround	World Championships Single Distances	Olympic Games	World Cup GWC	World Championships Junior Allround
1987–88	18th 500m 8th 1000m 15th 1500m								SEOUL 500m 1500m 5th 1000m 5th 3000m overall
1988–89								KYIV 500m 1500m 10th 1000m 3000m 4th overall
1989–90	17th 500m 6th 5000m								OBIHIRO 7th 500m 9th 1500m 7th 1000m 3000m 4th overall
1990–91	11th 500m 3000m 5000m
1991–92	14th 500m 9th 1500m 4th 3000m 5000m		HEERENVEEN 16th 500m 20th 3000m 7th 1500m 16th 5000m 14th overall		HEERENVEEN 21st 500m 6th 3000m 11th 1500m 6th 5000m 6th overall		ALBERTVILLE 5000m	21st 1500m 8th 3000/5000m
1992–93		5th 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall	HEERENVEEN 12th 500m 16th 3000m 12th 1500m DNS 5000m NC19 overall		BERLIN 19th 500m 8th 3000m 17th 1500m 8th 5000m 9th overall			10th 1500m 7th 3000/5000m
1993–94							HAMAR 5000m 5000m	17th 3000/5000m
1994–95	1500m	6th 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall	HEERENVEEN 9th 500m 6th 3000m 6th 1500m 4th 5000m 4th overall		SAVALEN 14th 500m 9th 3000m 9th 1500m 7th 5000m 7th overall			8th 1500m 11th 3000/5000m
1995–96	NC2 500m 1500m 3000m	500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall	HEERENVEEN 4th 500m 4th 3000m 1500m 5000m overall		INZELL 8th 500m 7th 3000m 1500m 5000m overall	HAMAR 1500m 3000m 5000m		4th 1500m 3000/5000m

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com

Images for kids

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  Claudia Pechstein in 2007

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  Pechstein in 2015

See also

In Spanish: Claudia Pechstein para niños

• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
• List of multiple Winter Olympic medalists
• List of multiple Olympic medalists in one event
• List of people from Berlin