SEIZINGER Katja (GER)
10.05.1972 Datteln/Eberbach
171cm / 64kg
SKI: Voelkl
BOOTS: Raichle
BINDING: Marker

1999 retired
World Cup Ranking
General
1990/44th, 1991/15th, 1992/3rd, 1993/2nd, 1994/3rd, 1995/2nd,
1996/1st, 1997/2nd, 1998/1st
Special
1992 DH/1st, 1993 DH/1st, SG/1st, 1994 DH/1st, SG/1st, 1995 SG/1st,
1996 SG/1st, 1998 DH/1st, SG/1st.
World Championships
1993 Morioka SG/1st,
1996 Sierra Nevada DH/2nd
1997 Sestriere SG/2nd, K/2nd
Olympic Games
1992 Albertvill SG/3rd,
1994 Lillehammer DH/1st
1998 Nagano DH/1st, K/1st, GS/3rd
WCup: 36 W. (16 DH, 16 SG, 4 GS)
1. DH: Montafon 92, Morzine 92, 93, Vail 92, 94, Cortina 93 II, 94,
Veysonnaz 94, Whistler 94, St.Anton 94 I, Val d'Isere 96, 98,
Lake Louise 97, 98 I,II, Are 98
SG: Sta Caterina 92 I, Lake Louise 93, 95, 98, Are 93,
Cortina 94 I, 98, Mammoth 94, 97, 98, Bormio 95, Garmisch 96,
Val d'Isere 96 I,II, 98, Vail 97 II.
GS: Klovjo 93, Maribor 96 II, Lillehammer 96, Soelden 97.
One of the greatest champions on the women's tour in the 1990's, Katja Seizinger had the talent to win more than two Overall World Cup titles in her brilliant career.

An Overall Champion in 1996 and 1998, the German was also 3rd and 2nd twice each.

In 1993 and 1995 she lost the Crystal Cup in the final race to Austria's Anita Wachter and Switzerland's Vreni Schneider. In 1998, she won eight races - six in a row in November and December.

Later on in February, Seizinger captured two gold medals and a bronze at the Nagano Olympics, becoming the first woman to successfully defend a downhill title.

An aggressive speed "demon" Katja tackles treacherous slopes with great instinct. Katja celebrated 32 World Cup victories in downhill and Super-G races from 1992 to 1998. She clinched six out of seven Super-G World Cup titles from 1993 to 1998 as well as many gold medals in 1993, 1994 and 1998.

Seizinger was aiming for more success when she suffered a serious knee injury while training on a glacier in spring 1998. A year later, she skied again with her team in Austria's Soelden - for a last time.

After a day on the famous Austrian glacier, she decided to quit ski racing despite her young age - 27.

She left a great gap in a German team unable to win any medals at the FIS World Championships in Vail.

She has been nicknamed the "Iron Lady" by the German media because of her strong will and her background.
She was raised in the western part of her country where her father ran a steel factory.
Katja learned to ski with her parents during winter holidays in France and started to race to imitate her older brother Sven.

It was obvious that she was very talented and made the national team in 1989.

In 1990 she was only 17 when she scored an amazing 2nd place in the Olympic Super-G at Meribel when she won an Olympic bronze medal in 1992.

Seizinger, who retired before the 1998/99 season, uses the passion for competition to help continue her studies in economy.
Biorama Basel