Gabriele Seifert - in the past the best figure skater of the GDR, in 1961 for the first time became the champion of the country and retained this title for a whole decade. She was called the "great lady of figure skating." She was the first woman in the GDR championship in 1965 to perform a triple jump rittberger. The successes of Gaby Seifert have become a source of inspiration for entire generations of skaters.
From biography
Gabriele Seifert is from a sports family. She was born on November 23, 1948 in the German city of Chemnitz, which at her birth was called Karl-Marx-Stadt. Gabriele was barely a year old when her own father left his wife and child and disappeared from their lives. The girl only inherited his surname. Her father was replaced by Bringfried Müller, who had been taking care of the stepdaughter with fatherly love all the years. Mom, Jutta Muller, was engaged in speed skating and loved videos. Bringfried Muller was the coach of the Olympic club SK Chemnitz.
Gaby's Career
Already at the age of 4, Gabriele took her first steps in roller and figure skating. Mom's ambitious plans were to be embodied in her daughter, they expected her to become a champion. In 1956, under the careful and professional guidance of a strict mother, Gabriele Seifert began to seriously train. In 1961, 13-year-old Gaby became the champion of figure skating in the GDR. She confirms this title for ten years.
The years from 1965 to 1970 in the biography of the figure skater Gabriele Seifert are the most outstanding. She wins her first international medal. Gabriele brings silver from the world championships in figure skating in Davos (1966), Vienna (1967) and Geneva (1968), and Seifert receives gold in Colorado Springs (1969) and Ljubljana (1970).
At the 1968 Olympics, she has a silver medal. At the European Figure Skating Championships, Gaby received silver (1966, 1968) and gold (1967, 1969 and 1970) awards. In 1970, Gabriele Seifert unexpectedly for all ends his career, although it was supposed to participate in the 1972 Olympic Games.
Personal life
In 1972, Gabriele married Eberhard Rüger, a former East German ice dance champion. In 1974, a girl was born. She was named Sheila. The couple lived in marriage for three years, and in 1975, Gabriele and Eberhard divorced. Gaby later tried to arrange her life with the famous director Bertold Beyssertom. He was 25 years older than Gaby. And this marriage collapsed. The next was also an unsuccessful marriage with Jochen Messerschmidt. Life did not go well not only on the personal front, but also on the professional one.
Unlike her rival, Peggy Fleming, Gaby was unable to fulfill her dream - to engage in performances in western ice shows. The GDR authorities did not allow her to leave the country. Gabriele did not dare to drop everything and run away from the country. She could not substitute the mother and father, who worked in state sports facilities.
