Anna-Maria Müller
Encyclopedia
Anna-Maria Müller (23 February 1949 - 23 August 2009) was an East German luge
r who competed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She won the gold medal in the women's singles event at the 1972 Winter Olympics
in Sapporo. At the previous Winter Olympics in Grenoble
, she initially finished second after the competition was halted to three runs due to bad weather, but was disqualified with her East German teammates Ortrun Enderlein
and Angela Knösel
(who was fourth) when it was discovered that they had illegally heated their runners (which are used to guide the luge on the ice as it maneuvers down the track). Enderlein, who was leading at the time, and Müller were stripped of their respective medals as a result.
Upon her Olympic victory in Sapporo, Müller explained that she enjoyed luge because it "...provided a harmonius counterbalance to my work as a pharmacist
."
Müller also won the silver medal in the women's singles event at the 1969 FIL World Luge Championships
in Königssee
, West Germany
.
Additionally, she won two medals in the women's singles event at the FIL European Luge Championships with a gold in 1970
and a bronze in 1972
.
Müller, a native of Friedrichroda
, Thuringia
, was born in the Bohemia Mountains, but resettled to participate in luge.
Luge
A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
r who competed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She won the gold medal in the women's singles event at the 1972 Winter Olympics
1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
in Sapporo. At the previous Winter Olympics in Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
, she initially finished second after the competition was halted to three runs due to bad weather, but was disqualified with her East German teammates Ortrun Enderlein
Ortrun Enderlein
Ortrun Enderlein is an East German luger who competed in the 1960s. She was born in Werdau. She won the gold medal in the women's singles event at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck...
and Angela Knösel
Angela Knösel
Angela Knösel is an German luger who competed for East Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s.She won two silver medals in the women's singles event at the FIL European Luge Championships ....
(who was fourth) when it was discovered that they had illegally heated their runners (which are used to guide the luge on the ice as it maneuvers down the track). Enderlein, who was leading at the time, and Müller were stripped of their respective medals as a result.
Upon her Olympic victory in Sapporo, Müller explained that she enjoyed luge because it "...provided a harmonius counterbalance to my work as a pharmacist
Pharmacist
Pharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
."
Müller also won the silver medal in the women's singles event at the 1969 FIL World Luge Championships
FIL World Luge Championships 1969
The FIL World Luge Championships 1969 took place in Königssee, West Germany. It marked the first time the event took place on a permanent, artificially refrigerated track in bobsleigh, luge, and/ or skeleton.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:...
in Königssee
Schönau am Königsee
Schönau am Königsee is a municipality in the district of Berchtesgadener Land in the German state of Bavaria. It is located at the northern end of the Königssee lake....
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
.
Additionally, she won two medals in the women's singles event at the FIL European Luge Championships with a gold in 1970
FIL European Luge Championships 1970
The FIL European Luge Championships 1970 took place in Hammarstrand, Sweden. This event was dominated by the rise of the East German team, who won six of the nine available medals at this championship...
and a bronze in 1972
FIL European Luge Championships 1972
The FIL European Luge Championships 1972 took place in Königssee, West Germany for the second time after previously hosting the event in 1967. It also marked the first time the event took place a permanent artificially refrigerated track which opened in early 1969.-Men's singles:-Women's...
.
Müller, a native of Friedrichroda
Friedrichroda
Friedrichroda is a town in the district of Gotha, Thuringia, Germany. It is situated at the north foot of the Thuringian Forest, 21 km by rail southwest of the town of Gotha. It is surrounded by fir-clad hills and possesses numerous handsome villa residences, a Kurhaus and a sanatorium...
, Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, was born in the Bohemia Mountains, but resettled to participate in luge.