Monika Pflug

Monika Pflug (born 1 March 1954), also known as Monika Holzner-Pflug and Monika Gawenus-Pflug, is a German former speed skater. She was born in Munich and competed for West Germany.[1]

Monika Pflug

Pflug at the 1974 World Championships
Personal information
Born	1 March 1954 (1954-03) (age 69) Munich, West Germany
Height	173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	64 kg (141 lb)
Sport
Sport	Speed skating
Club	DEC Frillensee, Inzell
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	500 m – 40.53 (1988) 1000 m – 1:23.47 (1984) 1500 m – 2:11.26 (1986) 3000 m – 4:54.49 (1981)
Medal record Representing  West Germany Olympic Games 1972 Sapporo 1000 m World Championships 1972 Eskilstuna Sprint 1973 Oslo Sprint 1974 Innsbruck Sprint 1982 Alkmaar Sprint

Pflug on a stamp of Ajman

Pflug's talent for speed skating was discovered in 1968 and the very next year, she already became junior national champion. In 1970, she set a national record on the 1000 m and in 1971, she became national sprint champion. The next year, 1972, was her best year; she first became national allround champion, then, one month later, she won gold on the 1000 m at the 1972 Winter Olympics of Sapporo, and two weeks after that, she became world sprint champion.[1]

After getting married, Pflug started competing as Monika Holzner-Pflug in the 1974–75 season. The marriage was short-lived, however, and after her divorce she competed as Monika Pflug again. In 1984, Pflug married fellow speed skater Fritz Gawenus, a multiple national champion. From then on, she competed as Monika Gawenus-Pflug.[1]

Pflug would compete in a total of five Winter Olympics between 1972 and 1988, but did not win any more Olympic medals. At the World Sprint Championships, she won three more medals, all bronze, in 1973, 1974 and 1982. She interrupted her speed-skating career for a while to become a mother. Pflug ended her speed-skating career abruptly in 1988 after a new personal and national record on the 500 m in an otherwise disappointing season. By that time, she had gathered 16 national titles and had skated a national record 65 times.