Marika Kilius
Encyclopedia
Marika Kilius is a two-time Olympic silver medalist and two-time World champion in pair skating
.
Kilius, the daughter of a hairdresser, began as a singles skater but picked up pairs very early. Her first partner was Franz Ningel
. They placed fourth at the 1956 Olympics and won the silver medal at the 1957 World Championships. Kilius was still a child when she was paired with Ningel, who was more than six years her senior. By 1957 she had grown to be taller than he was, which caused problems on their lifts
, so the team split.
For a time following her split with Ningel, Kilius competed in artistic roller skating
as a singles skater. She was the World Roller Lady Champion in 1958.
Meanwhile, in 1957, Kilius began skating with Hans-Jürgen Bäumler
under the tutelage of Erich Zeller
. Between 1958 and 1964, they won the German Championships four times, European Championships six times and the World Championships two times. Their first World title, in 1963, followed cancellation of the 1961 event due to the crash of Sabena Flight 548
and a collision during their performance at the 1962 World Figure Skating Championships
that forced them to withdraw.
Kilius and Baumler also captured the silver medal at the Olympics twice, in 1960 and 1964. In 1966, it was alleged that the team had signed a professional skating contract before the 1964 Winter Olympics - against the rules at the time - and they were stripped of the medal. The IOC dismissed the charges in 1987, reinstated the original results, and Kilius and Baumler were re-awarded their silver medals.
Kilius was voted the German female athlete of the year
in 1959. In 1964, she married Werner Zahn, the son of a factory owner from Frankfurt/Main. The couple divorced, and Kilius also divorced her second husband. She has two children, Sascha and Melanie Schäfer, and as of May 2005, two grandchildren.
)
(pairs with Hans-Jürgen Bäumler
)
Pair skating
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline. International Skating Union regulations describe pair teams as consisting of "one lady and one man." The sport is distinguished from ice dancing and single skating by elements unique to pair skating, including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals,...
.
Kilius, the daughter of a hairdresser, began as a singles skater but picked up pairs very early. Her first partner was Franz Ningel
Franz Ningel
Franz Ningel is a former German pair skater and roller skater.Franz Ningel became World and European champion as a single roller figure skater in 1956 and 1957...
. They placed fourth at the 1956 Olympics and won the silver medal at the 1957 World Championships. Kilius was still a child when she was paired with Ningel, who was more than six years her senior. By 1957 she had grown to be taller than he was, which caused problems on their lifts
Figure skating lifts
Figure skating lifts are a required element in pair skating and ice dancing. Pairs lifts differ from dance lifts most notably in that dancers are not allowed to lift their partners above their shoulders...
, so the team split.
For a time following her split with Ningel, Kilius competed in artistic roller skating
Artistic roller skating
Artistic roller skating is a sport similar to figure skating but where constestants run on roller skates instead of ice skates. Within artistic roller skating there are several disciplines:* figures...
as a singles skater. She was the World Roller Lady Champion in 1958.
Meanwhile, in 1957, Kilius began skating with Hans-Jürgen Bäumler
Hans-Jürgen Bäumler
Hans-Jürgen Bäumler is a German pair skater, actor, singer and television host.- Biography :...
under the tutelage of Erich Zeller
Erich Zeller
Erich Zeller was a German figure skater and figure skating coach....
. Between 1958 and 1964, they won the German Championships four times, European Championships six times and the World Championships two times. Their first World title, in 1963, followed cancellation of the 1961 event due to the crash of Sabena Flight 548
Sabena Flight 548
Sabena Flight 548, registration OO-SJB, was a Boeing 707 aircraft that crashed en route to Brussels, Belgium, from New York City on February 15, 1961, killing the entire United States Figure Skating team on its way to the 1961 World Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.The flight, which...
and a collision during their performance at the 1962 World Figure Skating Championships
1962 World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion....
that forced them to withdraw.
Kilius and Baumler also captured the silver medal at the Olympics twice, in 1960 and 1964. In 1966, it was alleged that the team had signed a professional skating contract before the 1964 Winter Olympics - against the rules at the time - and they were stripped of the medal. The IOC dismissed the charges in 1987, reinstated the original results, and Kilius and Baumler were re-awarded their silver medals.
Kilius was voted the German female athlete of the year
German Sportspersonality of the year
The German Sportspersonality of the Year is chosen annually since 1947, for both men and women. The recordholder is tennis player Steffi Graf . Swimmer Michael Groß, tennis player Boris Becker, and high jumper Ulrike Meyfarth each have four awards...
in 1959. In 1964, she married Werner Zahn, the son of a factory owner from Frankfurt/Main. The couple divorced, and Kilius also divorced her second husband. She has two children, Sascha and Melanie Schäfer, and as of May 2005, two grandchildren.
Results
(pairs with Franz NingelFranz Ningel
Franz Ningel is a former German pair skater and roller skater.Franz Ningel became World and European champion as a single roller figure skater in 1956 and 1957...
)
| Event | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating... |
4th | |||
| World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion... |
7th | 3rd | 2nd | |
| European Championships European Figure Skating Championships The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion... |
3rd | 3rd | 3rd | |
| German Championships German Figure Skating Championships The German Figure Skating Championships are a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of Germany. Skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.... |
2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st |
(pairs with Hans-Jürgen Bäumler
Hans-Jürgen Bäumler
Hans-Jürgen Bäumler is a German pair skater, actor, singer and television host.- Biography :...
)
| Event | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating... |
2nd | 2nd | |||||
| World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion... |
6th | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 1st | ||
| European Championships European Figure Skating Championships The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion... |
5th | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| German Championships German Figure Skating Championships The German Figure Skating Championships are a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of Germany. Skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.... |
1st | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st |