Helga Haase

Helga Haase (née Obschernitzki; 9 June 1934 – 16 June 1989) was a speed skater in East Germany. She was born in Danzig and died in East Berlin.

Helga Haase
Haase in action during the 1967 East German Championships
Personal information
Full nameHelga Haase-Obschernitzki
Born(1934-06-09)9 June 1934
Danzig, Free City of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland)
Died16 June 1989(1989-06-16) (aged 55)
East Berlin, East Germany
Sport
SportSpeed skating
ClubSC Dynamo Berlin
Medal record
Women's speed skating
Representing  Germany
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1960 Squaw Valley 500 m
Silver medal – second place 1960 Squaw Valley 1000 m

Career

Haase's career began 1952, when she introduced herself at 18 years at the SC Dynamo Berlin, which looked for high-speed ice skaters to the world and married thereupon her coach Helmut Haase.

From 1957 to 1967, Haase (hare) reached 15 GDR master skating titles on separate distances (Einzelstrecken), an additional seven titles in combination results (samalog, or Mehrkampf in German) and a further four on a very small indoor rink (Kleinbahn), a fore-runner of present indoor short track skating.

1960 Winter Olympics

In preparation for the Olympic Winter Games of 1960, she went to Davos with the ladies of the unified German team and broke the multi-combination world record in Davos, Switzerland.[1] With the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley,[2] she won, as the first German speed skater and as the first sportswoman of the GDR, a gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games, the gold medal over 500 m. That medal also was the first Olympic medal for any woman in speed skating, as it was not before on the Olympic program. She also won the silver medal over 1000 m and finished at a respectable 8th place over 1500 m, and all of this despite the prohibition of the entry for her husband/coach.

1964 Winter Olympics

In the Olympic season of 1964, she reached again peak performance, with a fourth place in the 1000 m and a fifth place over 1500 m with the Olympic Games in Innsbruck. In the course of her career, Haase skated 23 German records.[3]

Post-career

In 1978, her grandson Robert Haase was born. Starting from 1984 she retired because of disablement.[4] She worked also in the central guidance of the Sportvereinigung Dynamo.

  • Helga Haase indoor in action in 1958 at the Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle in Berlin
    Helga Haase indoor in action in 1958 at the Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle in Berlin
  • Helga Haase and Siegrid Behrenz during the 1958 East-German Championships at Geising
    Helga Haase and Siegrid Behrenz during the 1958 East-German Championships at Geising
  • Helga Haase in action during the 1960 Winter Olympics
    Helga Haase in action during the 1960 Winter Olympics
  • Helga Haase and Gisela Manns during the East-German 1963 Championships in Berlin
    Helga Haase and Gisela Manns during the East-German 1963 Championships in Berlin
  • Helga Haase indoor in action, with helmet, 1963
    Helga Haase indoor in action, with helmet, 1963
  • Helga Haase together with US speed skater Sylvia White, 1964
    Helga Haase together with US speed skater Sylvia White, 1964
  • Helga Haase and the US women's Olympic speed skating team 1964
    Helga Haase and the US women's Olympic speed skating team 1964
  • Helga Ratki, Helga Haase and Herlind Hürdler, 1965
    Helga Ratki, Helga Haase and Herlind Hürdler, 1965

Records
World records
DistanceResultLocationDate
mini combination202.834Davos20 January 1960
Personal records
DistanceResultLocationDate
500 m45.9Squaw Valley20 February 1960
1,000 m1:34.3Squaw Valley22 February 1960
1,500 m2:28.6Innsbruck31 January 1964
3,000 m5:19.7Berlin1 March 1964
mini combination200.516Davos30/31 January 1960
East-German records
DistanceResultLocationDate
1,000 m1:42.5Zakopane9 March 1958
500 m49.5Medeo25 January 1959
1500 m2:39.1Medeo25 January 1959
1000 m1:41.5Medeo26 January 1959
mini combination210.116Medeo26 January 1959
500 m47.3Medeo31 January 1959
1000 m1:37.7Medeo2 February 1959
1500 m2:37.1Jekatrinburg28 February 1959
500 m47.0Davos8 January 1960
1000 m1:37.4Davos14 January 1960
1500 m2:33.8Davos19 January 1960
3000 m5:31.0Davos20 January 1960
mini combination202.834Davos20 January 1960
500 m46.8Davos30 January 1960
1500 m2:33.4Davos30 January 1960
1000 m1:35.4Davos31 January 1960
3000 m5:29.3Davos31 January 1960
mini combination200.516Davos31 January 1960
500 m45.9Squaw Valley20 February 1960
1500 m2:31.7Squaw Valley21 February 1960
1000 m1:34.3Squaw Valley22 February 1960
1500 m2:28.6Innsbruck31 January 1960
3,000 m5:19.7Berlin1 March 1964
[5]

References

Notes
  1. "Die deutsche Eisschnelllauf-Seite: Geschichte des Eisschnelllaufens". Archived from the original on 8 July 2007. Retrieved 10 July 2007.
  2. "Nachrichten drucken". Archived from the original on 5 July 2003. Retrieved 10 July 2007.
  3. "Deutsche Eisschnelllauf- und Shorttrack-Gemeinschaft e.V."
  4. "DESG: Athleten vorgestellt". Archived from the original on 4 September 2003. Retrieved 10 July 2007.
  5. Zickow 1992, pp. 295–297.

Bibliography
  • Eng, Trond. All Time International Championships, Complete Results 1889–2002. Askim, Norway: WSSSA Skøytenytt, 2002.
  • Teigen, Magne. Komplette resultater, Internasjonale Mesterskap 1889–1989 (in Norwegian). Veggli, Norway: WSSSA Skøytenytt, 1989.
  • Zickow, Alfred. 100 Jahre Deutsche Eisschnellaufmeisterschaften, 1891–1991. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des Eisschnellaufes (in German). Berlin, Germany: DESG, 1991.
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