Kania-Enke, Karin (1961–)

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Kania-Enke, Karin (1961–)

East German speedskater. Name variations: Karin Enke; Karin Kania; Karin Enke Kania; Karin Busch-Enke. Born Karin Enke, June 20, 1961, in Dresden, East Germany; m. a student named Busch (1981, div.)m. Rudolf Kania (school sports instructor), 1984 (div.); m. a man named Richter.

Placed 9th at European championships for figure skating (1977); switched to speedskating (1978); won 8 Olympic medals: gold for the 500 meters at Lake Placid (1980), gold for the 1,000 and 1,500 meters and silver for the 3,000 and 500 meters at Sarajevo (1984), silver for the 1,000 and 1,500 meters and bronze for the 500 meters at Calgary (1988); held 6 World sprint titles (1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987) and 5 World all-around championships (1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988); was the 1st to skate a sub 2 minutes in the 1,500 (1986).