Kerstin Szymkowiak (born Kerstin Jürgens on 19 December 1977 in

Siegen Siegen () is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region. The university town (nearly 20,000 students in the 2018–2019 winter semeste ...

) is a German retired skeleton racer who has competed since 2002. She won three bronze medals in the women's skeleton event, earning them in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...

, and

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

. Her best overall seasonal finish in the women's

Skeleton World Cup The Skeleton World Cup season is a yearly competition first organized by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF), originally known by the French name ''Fédération Internatio ...

title was third in 2004-5. Jürgens married after the 2007-08 Skeleton World Cup season and has been competing since in the 2008-09 Skeleton World Cup season under her married name. She finished second behind defending world champion

Anja Huber Anja Huber (born 20 May 1983 in Berchtesgaden) is a German skeleton racer who has competed since 2003. She earned two gold medals at the 2008 FIBT World Championships in Altenberg, Germany, winning them in women's skeleton and the mixed bobsle ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

in the season opener at

Winterberg Winterberg ( Westphalian: ''Winnenmerg'') is a town in the Hochsauerland district of North Rhine-Westphalia, central Germany and a major winter sport resort of the Wintersport Arena Sauerland. Geography Winterberg is located in the middle o ...

on November 28, 2008. Szymkowiak's nickname is the "Ice Tiger" (Eistiger in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

). She earned the silver medal at the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May Doan Nancy GreeneWayne Gr ...

in Vancouver. After retiring from the sport Szymkowiak was appointed an Athlete Role Model for the

2012 Winter Youth Olympics The 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games (german: Olympische Jugend-Winterspiele 2012), officially known as the I Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG), were an international multi-sport event for youths that took place in Innsbruck, Austria, on 13–22 ...

in Innsbruck. In May 2012 the Swiss bobsleigh and skeleton federation announced that Szymkowiak had been elected as head of their skeleton section. Szymkowiak's husband Philippe is a massage therapist for the Swiss national bobsleigh team. She gave birth to a daughter, Noalie, in September 2010.

References

External links

* * * *
"German Sweep Women's Skeleton in Altenberg"
International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation. 18 December 2009. Accessed 18 December 2009. * * 1977 births Living people German female skeleton racers Olympic skeleton racers of Germany Skeleton racers at the 2010 Winter Olympics Olympic silver medalists for Germany Olympic medalists in skeleton Medalists at the 2010 Winter Olympics Universiade medalists in skeleton Sportspeople from Siegen Universiade bronze medalists for Germany Competitors at the 2005 Winter Universiade 20th-century German women 21st-century German women {{Skeleton-bio-stub