Happo-one, Hakuba, 17 février 1998. Women's alpine skiing: Katja SEIZINGER of Germany, 1st, competes in the slalom of the combined during the XVIII Olympic Winter Games in Nagano. Credit: Getty Images/BRUNSKILL Clive

Born: 10 May 1972

Birthplace: Datteln (Germany)

Nationality: Germany

Sport: Skiing

ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Albertville 1992

Lillehammer 1994

Nagano 1998

AWARDS

Olympic medals:

Gold: 3

Bronze: 2

Other results:

World Championships

Gold: 1 (93)

Silver: 3 (96, 97)

First to Defend a Downhill Title

Katja Seizinger was an anomaly in the world of German skiing because she grew up not in the mountains of Bavaria, but in the industrial Ruhr region. As Seizinger put it, this area in northern Germany is "as flat as my hand." At the 1992 Albertville Winter Games, she placed fourth in the downhill and then earned a bronze medal in the super giant slalom. Two years later in Lillehammer she entered four events, but only finished one: the downhill. Her time in this event won her the gold medal. At the Nagano Games she became the first skier, male or female, to win the Olympic downhill twice. The next day she earned a third gold medal by winning the Alpine combined event. She also earned a bronze meal in the giant slalom.