Melitta Kreckow Brunner (née Brunner, 28 January 1907 – 26 May 2003) was an Austrian

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...

. As a singles skater, she came in second place at the Austrian National Championships between 1926 and 1930. At the Worlds Championships, she came in fifth place in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

, third place in

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

, and fifth place in

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...

. Competing in

pairs Concentration is a round game in which all of the cards are laid face down on a surface and two cards are flipped face up over each turn. The object of the game is to turn over pairs of matching cards. Concentration can be played with any number ...

with Ludwig Wrede, she won a silver medal at the Austrian Nationals in 1928, a bronze medal in 1929, and a gold medal in 1930. They came in third place at the

1928 Winter Olympics The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1928 (; ), were an international winter multi-sport event that was celebrated from 11 to 19 February 1928 in St. Moritz, Swit ...

. They also came in third place at 1928 Worlds and second place at the 1929 and 1939 Worlds. After retiring from competitions Brunner taught skating in Switzerland and Great Britain. In December 1932 she married Paul Kreckow, a German figure skater from Berlin. They married in London, where they were giving skating demonstrations. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Brunner performed in

ice show An ice show is an entertainment production which is primarily performed by ice skaters. The major ice shows were founded between 1936 and 1943, when professional figure skaters began to appear in shows, in hotels, at fairs, and "at any place a ...

s in Europe, and then immigrated to the United States. There she continued skating, and coached skaters into her nineties.

Competitive highlights

Ladies' singles

Pairs with Ludwig Wrede

References

External links

Death website entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brunner, Melitta Austrian female pair skaters Austrian female single skaters Olympic figure skaters for Austria Olympic bronze medalists for Austria Figure skaters at the 1928 Winter Olympics 1907 births 2003 deaths Olympic medalists in figure skating World Figure Skating Championships medalists Medalists at the 1928 Winter Olympics