Sport and Games Atlas

How The Game Is Played
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Athlete

Claudia Pechstein

Winter Sports

Claudia Pechstein is a German speed skater born in 1972 in East Berlin who won five Olympic gold medals and nine Olympic medals overall, five gold, two silver and two bronze. She was the most successful Olympic speed skater in history, male or female, until being surpassed by Ireen Wust in 2018, and was the first female Winter Olympian to win medals at five consecutive Olympics, from 1992 to 2006. In 2009 she faced accusations of blood doping based on irregular blood test values and received a two year competition ban. She returned to the Olympics in 2022 at Beijing, her eighth Winter Games appearance, a record for a female athlete, and served as German flag bearer at the opening ceremony.

Facts
Birth Year
1972 1
Birth Date
1972-02-22 1
Nationality
German 1
Career Highlight
Won five Olympic gold medals and nine Olympic medals overall (five gold, two silver, two bronze), making her the most successful Olympic speed skater of all time until later surpassed by Ireen Wust. 1
Classification
Competition Category
Individual 1
FAQs

Why was Claudia Pechstein banned in 2009 and did she return to skating?

She was banned for two years over blood values that the skating union judged to indicate doping; she denied it and later returned to compete through 2022.

At the 2009 World Championships Claudia Pechstein was barred from competing on the second day because of irregularly high blood values. The International Skating Union later found those values indicative of doping use and gave her a two year ban. She denied the allegations and appealed. The Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed the suspension in November 2009, and on 7 June 2016 the Federal Court of Justice of Germany rejected her appeal in a final ruling. She returned after the suspension, qualified for the 2011 World Cup, and went on to compete at the 2014 and 2018 Olympic Winter Games and the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Connections

Competed In

Source Wikipedia, Claudia Pechstein

Plays

Speed Skating, Sports
Source Wikipedia, Claudia Pechstein
In the Other Atlases

Nationality

Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.

Source Wikipedia, Claudia PechsteinLead sentence 1tier 2
Quote, Lead sentence 1
Claudia Pechstein (German pronunciation: [ˈklaʊdi̯a ˈpɛçʃtaɪn]; born 22 February 1972) is a retired German speed skater.
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Claudia Pechstein
Wikipedia
  • Wikipedia article on Claudia Pechstein, lead sentence, birth date
    Claudia Pechstein (German pronunciation: [ˈklaʊdi̯a ˈpɛçʃtaɪn]; born 22 February 1972) is a retired German speed skater.
  • Wikipedia article on Claudia Pechstein, lead sentence, birth year
    Claudia Pechstein (German pronunciation: [ˈklaʊdi̯a ˈpɛçʃtaɪn]; born 22 February 1972) is a retired German speed skater.
  • Wikipedia article on Claudia Pechstein, lead sentence, nationality
    Claudia Pechstein (German pronunciation: [ˈklaʊdi̯a ˈpɛçʃtaɪn]; born 22 February 1972) is a retired German speed skater.
  • Wikipedia article on Claudia Pechstein, lead section, career summary
    She has won five Olympic gold medals. With a total of nine Olympic medals, five gold, two silver, and two bronze, she was previously the most successful Olympic speed skater, male or female, of all time
  • Wikipedia, article summary lead
    Claudia Pechstein (German pronunciation: [ˈklaʊdi̯a ˈpɛçʃtaɪn]; born 22 February 1972) is a retired German speed skater.
  • Plays: Speed Skating, lead paragraph, plays
    Claudia Pechstein (German pronunciation: [ˈklaʊdi̯a ˈpɛçʃtaɪn]; born 22 February 1972) is a retired German speed skater.
  • Competed In: 2018 Winter Olympics, lead paragraph, competed-in
    With a total of nine Olympic medals, five gold, two silver, and two bronze, she was previously the most successful Olympic speed skater, male or female, of all time, (later superseded by Ireen Wüst during the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang).
View the Source

Take a Related Quiz

Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.