Steffi WALTER

Steffi Martin entered the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics as the reigning world champion in the women’s luge.  She did not disappoint her fans, recording the fastest time in each of the four runs and winning by three tenths of a second which, by luge standards, is a healthy margin.  Four years later, now married and competing as Steffi Walter, she trailed East German teammate Ute Oberhoffner by thirty-eight thousands of a second after the second run.  The final two runs were delayed for a day because of heavy winds.  When the competition resumed, Walter picked up 181 thousands of a second on the third run, which provided her with her ultimate margin of victory over Oberhoffner.  Steffi Walter is with Silke Otto the only female slider to win two Olympic gold medals.