| Kati Winkler | |
| Country: | Germany East Germany |
| Birth Date: | 16 January 1974 |
| Birth Place: | Karl-Marx-Stadt, East Germany |
| Height: | 1.7m (05.6feet) |
| Partner: | René Lohse |
| Formercoach: | Martin Skotnicky, Knut Schubert |
| Formerchoreographer: | Kelly Johnson, Marc Bogaerts, Werner Lipowsky |
| Skating Club: | SC Berlin |
| Retired: | 2004 |
| Show-Medals: | yes |
Kati Winkler (born 16 January 1974) is a German former competitive ice dancer. With partner René Lohse, she is the 2004 World bronze medalist and a six-time German national champion. They competed at two Winter Olympics, in 1998 and 2002.
Kati Winkler was born in Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Chemnitz) to Bernd Winkler and Christina Schmerbach and has a sister. She is a skilled clerk.
Winkler started skating at the age of four after being selected for the sport in kindergarten. At first she was a single skater and was coached by Peter Meyer. While still a single skater she moved to Berlin in 1985 and was coached by Jürgen Bertko there.
A back problem hampered her jumping ability so at the age of 14, she decided to take up ice dancing and asked Lohse to be her partner. They were the first East German ice dancers in years, the discipline having disappeared over the previous 18 years. Until 1996 they were coached by Knut Schubert whose expertise was more in pair skating. In 1996 they moved to Oberstdorf in Bavaria and changed their coach to Martin Skotnicky. However Winkler/Lohse always skated for the club SC Berlin (earlier SC Dynamo Berlin). They were both sergeants in the German Army's sports division, which sponsored their skating.
In 1999-2000, Winkler and Lohse's free dance was entitled "Time Goes Millennium", which included techno-style music with ticking sounds, clock images created by their arms and legs repeatedly mimicking clock hands, a rhythmically swinging lift in which Winkler represented a pendulum, and both skaters listening to and looking at wristwatches while walking briskly on the ice. Their moves, except for the lifts, were mostly performed in parallel to each other, with both skaters executing similar images.[1]
In 2000-01, Winkler and Lohse became the first German ice dance team to qualify for the Grand Prix Final, where they finished fifth. They missed most of the 2001-02 season after Lohse fell in practice at the 2001 Sparkassen Cup, injuring the meniscus and ligaments in his knee. They returned in time for the Olympics where they finished 8th. In the summer of 2002, Lohse collided with a truck while he was riding his bike in Oberstdorf, "I went over the handlebars and fell on my shoulder. The bone was sticking up straight through my shoulder where I cut three ligaments." He recovered in time for them to compete in a pair of Grand Prix events and qualify for the Grand Prix Final. However, they were unable to compete in the Final because Winkler had influenza and Lohse a muscle injury in his leg.
They missed the 2003 World Championships due to injury and also the 2004 European Championships after Lohse reinjured his knee ligaments a few days prior to the event. They recovered in time for the 2004 World Championships where they won the bronze medal. This was the greatest German success in ice dancing since 1973, the time of Angelika Buck/Erich Buck. They retired from competition after the event.
Winkler worked as a choreographer for Christina Beier and William Beier, the German champions in ice dancing. Winkler and Lohse skated in ice shows following the end of their competitive career.
(With Lohse)
| Season | Original dance | Free dance | Exhibition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–2006 | The Mask Story of my life by Neil Diamond Power Percussion by Power Percussion | |||
| 2004–2005 | Turn me on by Norah Jones Just dream by Thomas Anders
| |||
| 2003–2004 | Memories of the Grand Ball:
| Day and Night:
| Scatmambo by Scatman John | |
| 2002–2003 | Frau Luna
by Paul Lincke | Energy: | ||
| 2001–2002 | Spanish tango and flamenco:
| Ragtime – Music of Scott Joplin:
|
| |
| 2000–2001 | Cabaret:
| Gospel-Message Of Hope:
| Cabaret---- Paraiso perdido by DJ DERO | |
| 1999–2000 |
| Time goes Millennium:
| Europe by Santana ----Super Trouper by A-Teens | |
| 1998–1999 | Waltz: L'homme de Paris by Mireille Mathieu composed by Walter/Delancray/Simille performed by Christian Gaubert | Yin and Yang:
| Vivo per lei by Andrea Bocelli ----From the musical Grease:
| |
| 1997–1998 | Jive: Stuff like that by Bette Midler (from "For The Boys") | Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev | Space by Yello | |
| 1996–1997 | Tango Argentino:
| Take Five by Paul Desmond Dave Brubeck Orchestra | Drill Instructor by Captain Jack ----You must love me by Madonna ----Fitze, Fitze, Fatze by Helge Schneider | |
| 1995–1996 | Paso doble: Malaguena |
| ||
| 1994–1995 | Quickstep: Ich wollt', ich wär' ein Huhn | Jazz medley from the movie "Casablanca" | Beauty And The Beast | |
| 1993–1994 | Rhumba: Composition: by Overlight-Studio Berlin, Thomas Kurzhals | Yello, Kenny G. - saxophone, Yello | ||
| 1992–1993 | Viennese Waltz: Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald by Strauß | Barcelona Nights | ||
| 1991–1992 | Polka: Kutschke-Polka (old Berlin song) | Starlight Express | ||
| 1990–1991 | Blues by John Lee Hooker | Starlight Express | ||
| 1989–1990 | Samba: Tropic Trumpets | Rhumba and Jive: Schwarze Augen |
(ice dance with René Lohse)
| International | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 1989–90 | 1990–91 | 1991–92 | 1992–93 | 1993–94 | 1994–95 | 1995–96 | 1996–97 | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–00 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | |||||||||||
| align=left | 10th | 8th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | 19th | 13th | 12th | 9th | 7th | 6th | 7th | 7th | bgcolor=cc9966 | 3rd | ||||||||||||||||
| align=left | 16th | 15th | 9th | 9th | 6th | 5th | 6th | 5th | ||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | 5th | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | 4th | 4th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | 5th | bgcolor=cc9966 | 3rd | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | 9th | 6th | 6th | 7th | 5th | bgcolor=cc9966 | 3rd | bgcolor=silver | 2nd | 4th | bgcolor=cc9966 | 3rd | bgcolor=silver | 2nd | ||||||||||||
| align=left | 4th | bgcolor=cc9966 | 3rd | bgcolor=silver | 2nd | 4th | ||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | 4th | 7th | 6th | 4th | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | 9th | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | 4th | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International: Junior | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | 15th | 8th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | bgcolor=silver | 2nd | bgcolor=silver | 2nd | bgcolor=cc9966 | 3rd | bgcolor=silver | 2nd | bgcolor=gold | 1st | bgcolor=gold | 1st | bgcolor=gold | 1st | bgcolor=gold | 1st | bgcolor=gold | 1st | bgcolor=gold | 1st | ||||||
| align=left | bgcolor=gold | 1st |