Sonja MORGENSTERN

Sonja Morgenstern is remembered for her excellent free skating, but her school figures prevented her from higher finishes at the international level. Her main claim to skating fame came at the 1972 World Championships, when Morgenstern became the first woman to land a clean triple jump in competition, performing a triple salchow. In her two Olympic appearances she finished 28th in 1968 and 6th in 1972. Her major international medal came at the 1972 European Championships, where she placed third. She competed from 1968-73 at the World Championships, finishing sixth in 1971 and fifth in 1972. Morgenstern, who was coached by Jutta Müller in Chemnitz and represented the SC Karl-Marx-Stadt, won three consecutive East German Championships (1971-73), but injuries ended her career after the 1972-73 season.

After her skating career Morgenstern returned to school, studied education, and became a teacher. But she had a child with special needs and had to give that up after four years. She later coached skating briefly in the 1980s and became a beautician.