German figure skaterKatarina Witt is known as one of the greatest of all time in her sport, thanks in part to her back-to-back Olympic gold medals. She won her first at the 1984 Sarajevo games and her second four years later at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. And these Olympic gold medals are in addition to her many other competitive accomplishments, including being a four-time world champion.
Witt originally retired from competition after the 1988 Olympics but decided to return eight years later in 1994 in Lillehammer. This time, instead of representing East Germany as she had before, the Berlin Wall had been torn down and she represented a unified Germany. At these games, Witt came in seventh place. Now, it's been 28 years since Witt's final Olympic performance, so if you're interested to learn about her life after competitive figure skating, read on.
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She kept skating as a professional.
David Madison/Getty ImagesAfter the first time she retired from competitive skating, Witt worked as a professional skater and toured in skating shows with other stars, like friend Brian Boitano. "We transformed the ice shows into something more spectacular than ever," Witt told Olympic Channel in 2018. "Brian and I invented a ‘new’ and ‘modern’ version of the ice shows, which was incredibly successful." They also starred together in the TV movie Carmen on Ice. Witt has also worked as a commentator for the sport.
Of going back into competition in 1994, Witt explained to Olympic Channel, "There I was older, wiser, and more mature. I wanted the experience again. To get another gold, that would have been impossible. The generation after me was simply too good technically. They had leapt forwards."
She dabbled in acting.
360b / ShutterstockIn the '90s, Witt made a number of TV and movie appearances. She played herself in Jerry Maguire and in Everybody Loves Raymond. She acted in the German TV movie Die Eisprinzessin (The Ice Princess), which she also co-wrote, in the 1998 Robert De Niro movie Ronin, and in the Pamela Anderson TV series V.I.P.
In 2012, she returned to TV as a judge on the U.K. series Dancing on Ice. In 2013, she starred in the TV movie Der Feind in meinem Leben.
She remained involved with the Olympics.
TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty ImagesIn 2010, Witt became the chair of Munich's bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. "As a three-time participant at the Olympics, my heart obviously beats for Games,” Witt told Reuters. "When you are young, you dream of wanting to take part and win. You work, you train towards that goal as a young girl. Now I have the chance to make that dream for other people come true, to bring the Games to our home and that makes me immensely proud, especially for Bavaria." The spot ended up going to Pyeongchang, South Korea.
She owns a gym.
Tristar Media/Getty ImagesWitt owns a boutique gym called Kurvenstar by Katarina Witt, which is located in Potsdam, Germany. She often posts about the gym and the events it holds on her Instagram account.
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She started her own foundation.
Andreas Rentz/Getty ImagesWitt started her own charity called the Katarina Witt Foundation. "One of the projects closest to my heart is my foundation that I founded in 2005, which supports children and teenagers with physical disabilities," she told Olympic Channel. "And this has become more and more important to me over the years." The foundation's website indicates that the areas it focuses on are promoting ways for children with disabilities to get involved in sports, medical care for children with disabilities, and natural disaster relief.
Of her life overall these days, Witt told Olympic Channel, "For me nowadays, if you ask me what I am doing or what my job is, then all I can really answer is my job is basically being me."
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