Sarajevo February 1984, XIV Olympic Winter Games. Women's speed skating: Karin ENKE of the German Democratic Republic in action in the 1000m. She won the gold medal. Credit: IOC Olympic Museum Collections
Other names: NKE, Karin
Born: 20 June 1961
Birthplace: Dresden (Allemagne)
Nationality: Allemagne
Sport: Skating
ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES
Lake Placid 1980
Sarajevo 1984
Calgary 1988
AWARDS
Olympic medals:
Gold: 3
Silver: 4
Bronze: 1
Other results:
World Championships
Gold: 11 (80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 86, 87, 88)
Silver: 4 (81, 82, 83, 88)
Only Winter Woman to Win 8 Individual Medals
A converted figure skater from Dresden, Karin Enke is the only woman in the history of the Winter Olympics to win eight medals in individual events. As an 18-year-old, she earned a gold medal at 500 m in 1980. Two months before the 1984 Games, she set a world record at 1,500m, but it was not recognized for technical reasons.
In Sarajevo she broke the world record again, but this time it was official. She went on to earn another gold medal in the 1,000m and silver medals in the 500m and 3 000m. In 1988, competing under her married name of Karen Kania, she won silver medals at 1,000m and 1,500m and a bronze medal in the 500m.