View source for Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann

{{short description|German speed skater}}
{{expand German|topic=bio|date=September 2015|Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann}}
{{Infobox speed skater
| nationality    = German
| name           = Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann
| birth_name = Gunda Kleemann 
| spouse = Detlev Niemann (1991-1995) (divorced)<br />Oliver Stirnemann (1997-)
| image          = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1988-1211-006, Gunda Kleemann.jpg
| caption        = 
| headercolor    = #d7ecff
| country        = [[East Germany]]<br/>[[Germany]]
| club           = [[Rot-Weiss Erfurt|SC Turbine Erfurt]]<br />[[ESC Erfurt]]
| birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1966|9|7|df=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Sondershausen]], [[Bezirk Erfurt]], [[East Germany]]
| death_date     = 
| death_place    = 
| height         = 1.70 m
| weight         = 65 kg
| coach = Stephan Gneupel
| turnedpro      = 1987
| retired        = 2005
| pb             = 
| website        = 
|medaltemplates=
{{Medal|Sport|Women's [[speed skating]]}}
{{Medal|Country|{{GER}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Speed skating at the Winter Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1992 Winter Olympics|1992 Albertville]]| [[Speed skating at the 1992 Winter Olympics – Women's 3000 metres|3000 m]] }}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1992 Winter Olympics|1992 Albertville]]| [[Speed skating at the 1992 Winter Olympics – Women's 5000 metres|5000 m]] }}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1998 Winter Olympics|1998 Nagano]]| [[Speed skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics – Women's 3000 metres|3000 m]] }}
{{Medal|Silver|[[1992 Winter Olympics|1992 Albertville]]| [[Speed skating at the 1992 Winter Olympics – Women's 1500 metres|1500 m]] }}
{{Medal|Silver|[[1994 Winter Olympics|1994 Lillehammer]]| [[Speed skating at the 1994 Winter Olympics – Women's 5000 metres|5000 m]] }}
{{Medal|Silver|[[1998 Winter Olympics|1998 Nagano]]| [[Speed skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics – Women's 1500 metres|1500 m]] }}
{{Medal|Silver|[[1998 Winter Olympics|1998 Nagano]]| [[Speed skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics – Women's 5000 metres|5000 m]] }}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[1994 Winter Olympics|1994 Lillehammer]]| [[Speed skating at the 1994 Winter Olympics – Women's 1500 metres|1500 m]] }}
{{Medal|Competition|[[World Allround Speed Skating Championships|World Allround Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1991 World Allround Speed Skating Championships|1991 Hamar]]|Allround}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1992 World Allround Speed Skating Championships|1992 Heerenveen]]|Allround}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1993 World Allround Speed Skating Championships|1993 Berlin]]|Allround}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1995 Women's World Allround Speed Skating Championships|1995 Tynset]]|Allround}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1996 World Allround Speed Skating Championships|1996 Inzell]]|Allround}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1997 World Allround Speed Skating Championships|1997 Nagano]]|Allround}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1998 World Allround Speed Skating Championships|1998 Heerenveen]]|Allround}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1999 World Allround Speed Skating Championships|1999 Hamar]]|Allround}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[1989 World Allround Speed Skating Championships|1989 Lake Placid]]|Allround}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[2000 World Allround Speed Skating Championships|2000 Milwaukee]]|Allround}}
}}
'''Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann''' (née '''Kleemann''', born 7 September 1966) is a [[Germans|German]] former [[Speed skating|speed skater]]. She is a three-time Olympic gold medallist, winning the 3000 metres in 1992 and 1998 and the 5000 metres in 1992. She won a total of eight Olympic medals.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gunda NIEMANN-STIRNEMANN |url= https://olympics.com/en/athletes/gunda-niemann-stirnemann|website=olympics.com |access-date= 16 April 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Gunda Kleemann-Niemann-Stirnemann |url= https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/81514|website= Olympedia |access-date= 16 April 2023 }}</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:Erfurt Gunda-Niemann-Stirnemann-Halle Eissportzentrum Thüringen - Foto Wolfgang Pehlemann Steinberg Ostsee DSCN1553.jpg|left|thumb|The Gunda-Niemann-Stirnemann-Halle in [[Erfurt]]]]

Born as Gunda Kleemann in [[Sondershausen]], [[Bezirk Erfurt]], [[East Germany]], she has lived in [[Erfurt]] for most of her life. Before [[German reunification]] in 1990, she skated for East Germany.

She changed her name to Gunda Niemann after her marriage in 1991 to [[judoka]] Detlev Niemann. After their divorce in 1995, she kept the name Niemann. She changed her name to Niemann-Stirnemann after marrying her [[Switzerland|Swiss]] long-time manager, Oliver Stirnemann, on 11 July 1997. Their daughter {{ill|Victoria Stirnemann|de}} is also a competitive speed skater.<ref name="weld">{{cite news | url= https://www.welt.de/sport/article241817545/Victoria-Stirnemann-Wenn-die-Mutter-eine-Sportheldin-war-Der-beruehmte-Nachname-als-Ansporn.html | title=Wenn die Mutter eine Sportheldin war – Der berühmte Nachname als Ansporn | author=Thorsten Felske | date=28 November 2022 | accessdate=26 January 2024 | lang=de | newspaper=[[Die Welt]] }}</ref>

The speed skating oval in Erfurt, the Gunda-Niemann-Stirnemann-Halle, was named after her.<ref name="weld"/>

==Career==
Niemann-Stirnemann dominated women's speed skating for several years, especially on the longer distances. She has competed in four Olympics, from 1988 to 1998, and won eight Olympic medals (3 gold, 4 silver, and 1 bronze). In the nine years from 1991 to 1999, she won the [[World Allround Speed Skating Championships|World Allround Championships]] every year except 1994. She has a record number of 98 [[Speed Skating World Cup|World Cup]] single distance victories and has won 19 overall World Cup titles. She was [[European Speed Skating Championships|European Allround Champion]] 8 times. Over the course of her career, she set 18 [[List of world records in speed skating|world records]]. For her performances, she received the [[Oscar Mathisen Award]] three times: in 1995, 1996 and 1997.

Niemann-Stirnemann left speed skating in 2001 to give birth to a daughter, but later returned to competition. She planned to make one last comeback and participate in the [[2006 Winter Olympics]] in [[Turin]], but a lingering back injury – which she suffered from since the 2004–05 season – made her quit. At the end of October 2005, a few days before the German Championships, she announced her retirement.

Except for one day in March 1998, Niemann-Stirnemann was number one in the [[Adelskalender (skating)|Adelskalender]], the all-time allround speed skating ranking, from 24 January 1993, until 2 March 2001 – a total of 2,958 days. She skated in Olympic, World, World Cup, European and national championships to 215 medals, thereof 163 gold medals.

== World records ==
Over the course of her career, Niemann-Stirnemann skated 18 [[List of world records in speed skating|world records]]:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Distance!!Result!!Date!!Location
|- align="right"
|3000 m||4:10.80||9 December 1990||align="left"|[[Olympic Oval|Calgary]]
|- align="right"
|5000 m||7:13.29||6 December 1993||align="left"|[[Vikingskipet Olympic Arena|Hamar]]
|- align="right"
|[[Samalog|Small combination]]||167.282||9 January 1994||align="left"|[[Vikingskipet Olympic Arena|Hamar]]
|- align="right"
|3000 m||4:09.32||25 March 1994||align="left"|[[Olympic Oval|Calgary]]
|- align="right"
|5000 m||7:03.26||26 March 1994||align="left"|[[Olympic Oval|Calgary]]
|- align="right"
|[[Samalog|Small combination]]||165.708||16 February 1997||align="left"|[[M-Wave|Nagano]]
|- align="right"
|3000 m||4:07.80||7 December 1997||align="left"|[[Thialf|Heerenveen]]
|- align="right"
|3000 m||4:05.08||14 March 1998||align="left"|[[Thialf|Heerenveen]]
|- align="right"
|[[Samalog|Small combination]]||163.020||15 March 1998||align="left"|[[Thialf|Heerenveen]]
|- align="right"
|3000 m||4:01.67||27 March 1998||align="left"|[[Olympic Oval|Calgary]]
|- align="right"
|5000 m||6:58.63||28 March 1998||align="left"|[[Olympic Oval|Calgary]]
|- align="right"
|5000 m||6:57.24||7 February 1999||align="left"|[[Vikingskipet Olympic Arena|Hamar]]
|- align="right"
|[[Samalog|Small combination]]||161.479||7 February 1999||align="left"|[[Vikingskipet Olympic Arena|Hamar]]
|- align="right"
|5000 m||6:56.84||16 January 2000||align="left"|[[Vikingskipet Olympic Arena|Hamar]]
|- align="right"
|3000 m||4:00.51||30 January 2000||align="left"|[[Olympic Oval|Calgary]]
|- align="right"
|5000 m||6:55.34||25 November 2000||align="left"|[[Thialf|Heerenveen]]
|- align="right"
|3000 m||4:00.26||17 February 2001||align="left"|[[Vikingskipet Olympic Arena|Hamar]]
|- align="right"
|5000 m||6:52.44||10 March 2001||align="left"|[[Utah Olympic Oval|Salt Lake City]]
|}

Note that the 10000&nbsp;m was suspended as a world record event at the 1953 [[International Skating Union|ISU]] Congress.

==Personal records==
To put these personal records in perspective, the last column (''WR'') lists the official world records on the dates that Niemann-Stirnemann skated her personal records.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Distance!!Result!!Date!!Location!!WR
|- align="right"
|500 m||40.34||6 February 1999||align="left"|[[Vikingskipet Olympic Arena|Hamar]]||37.55
|- align="right"
   <!-- "Sportforum Hohenschönhausen" in Berlin. -->
|1000 m||1:20.57||13 November 2000||align="left"|[[Berlin]]||1:14.61
|- align="right"
|1500 m||1:55.62||4 March 2001||align="left"|[[Olympic Oval|Calgary]]||1:55.50
|- align="right"
|3000 m||4:00.26||17 February 2001||align="left"|[[Vikingskipet Olympic Arena|Hamar]]||4:00.51
|- align="right"
|5000 m||6:52.44||10 March 2001||align="left"|[[Utah Olympic Oval|Salt Lake City]]||6:55.34
|- align="right"
|10000 m||14:22.60||27 March 1994||align="left"|[[Olympic Oval|Calgary]]||align="center"|''none''
|- align="right"
|[[Samalog|Small combination]]||161.479||7 February 1999||align="left"|[[Vikingskipet Olympic Arena|Hamar]]||163.020
|- align="right"
|[[Samalog|Mini combination]]||169.385||6 February 1994||align="left"|[[Baselga di Pinè]]||166.682
|- align="right"
|[[Samalog|Sprint combination]]||165.255||17 January 1999||align="left"|Collalbo||151.690
|}

Niemann-Stirnemann has an [[Adelskalender (skating)|Adelskalender]] score of 160.167 points. Her highest ranking on the Adelskalender was the first place.

== Biography ==
* Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann: ''Ich Will. Traumkarriere mit Tränen und Triumphen'' (2000). Das Neue Berlin.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://archive.today/20061230102310/http://www.skateresults.com/skater/show/528 Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann at SkateResults.com]
*[http://www.speedskatingnews.info/?page_id=814&skater=483 Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann at SpeedSkatingNews] (in German)
*[http://www.gundaniemann.de/ Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann's personal site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130406093539/http://www.gundaniemann.de/ |date=2013-04-06 }} (in German)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070312070213/http://www.fotos.desg.de/athletes.php?showAthletes=all&id=205 Photos of Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann]
*[http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=77239 Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann at Olympic.org]

{{start box}}
{{s-ach|aw}}
{{succession box|title=[[Oscar Mathisen Award]]|before={{flagicon|NOR}} [[Johann Olav Koss]]|after={{flagicon|NOR}} [[Ådne Søndrål]]|years=1995–1997}}
{{end box}}
{{Adelskalender leaders women}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 3000m Speed Skating}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 5000m Speed Skating Women}}
{{Footer World Single Distance Champions 1500m Speed Skating Women}}
{{Footer World Single Distance Champions 3000m Speed Skating Women}}
{{Footer World Single Distance Champions 5000m Speed Skating Women}}
{{Footer World Allround Champions Speed Skating Women}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niemann-Stirnemann, Gunda}}
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Sondershausen]]
[[Category:German female speed skaters]]
[[Category:Speed skaters at the 1988 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Speed skaters at the 1992 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Speed skaters at the 1994 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Speed skaters at the 1998 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic speed skaters for East Germany]]
[[Category:East German female speed skaters]]
[[Category:Olympic speed skaters for Germany]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1992 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1994 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1998 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in speed skating]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Germany]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Germany]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Germany]]
[[Category:World record setters in speed skating]]
[[Category:Speed skaters from Thuringia]]
[[Category:World Allround Speed Skating Championships medalists]]