Karl Schäfer biography

 Karl Schäfer biography

 Karl Schäfer, (born May 17, 1909, Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now in Austria]—died April 26, 1976, Austria), Austrian determine skater who was one of the best performer in his sport throughout the Thirties and was an innovator within the sport as effectively. He gained two successive gold medals within the Winter Olympics of 1932 and 1936. He was additionally world champion in determine skating from 1930 to 1936.

Schäfer began coaching to be a determine skater early in his youth. He positioned fourth in determine skating on the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, just a few months shy of his nineteenth birthday. He gained his first European championship in 1929 and his first world championship in 1930. In his profession he gained 8 consecutive European titles, and his 7 world championships rank second solely to the ten titles gained by Ulrich Salchow. In addition to his skating titles, Schäfer was an eight-time Austrian breast-stroke swimming champion.

Schäfer gained his first gold medal on the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. Then 22 years previous, he wrested first place from three-time Olympic champion Gillis Grafström. School figures had been Schäfer’s specialty, and he additionally gained renown for his elegant model and wit. As a lot a dancer as an athlete, he launched the “blur spin” (also called the scratch spin) and plenty of dance steps, together with parts of waltz and the tango, to skating performances. He gained his second gold medal on the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

Schäfer retired from aggressive skating after 1936 and spent a lot of his time with touring ice reveals. In 1940 he established his personal touring group, Schäfer Ice-Show. Later he turned a figure-skating coach in Austria.