Herma Szabo

__NOTOC__Herma Szabo (February 22 1902 - May 7 1986) was an Austrian singles and pairs figure skater. She was the 1924 Olympic champion and is one of four women to have won the World title 5 times, the others being Sonja Henie, Carol Heiss, and Michelle Kwan. She is the most successful Austrian figure skater of all time.

Born in Vienna, Szabo came from a family of figure skaters and was exposed to the sport at an early age. Her mother was Christine Szabo, a pair skater. Christine's father, Eduard Engelmann Jr., won the European title several times and also built the first artificial ice rink. Szabo practiced on this ice rink.

Szabo won the ladies' figure skating event at the 1924 Winter Olympic Games. She won the World title 5 times, each year from 1922 to 1926. In 1927 she was defeated by Sonja Henie of Norway. This result was controversial because the judging panel consisted of three Norwegians, a German, and an Austrian. The three Norwegian judges placed Henie first, while the German and Austrian judges placed Szabo first. [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1530-9134.2006.00092.x?cookieSet=1 Nationalism in Winter Sports Judging and its Lessons for Organizational Decision Making, by Eric Zitzewitz] , accessed July 3, 2006.] [http://www.iceskate-magazine.com/worlds3.html Worlds Greatest Skaters] , accessed July 3, 2006.]

Henie is usually credited with being the first to wear short skirts in competition, though Szabo wore a skirt cut above the knee in the 1924 Olympics. [http://www.aafla.org/SportsLibrary/ISOR/ISOR2000r.pdf Not Just Early Olympic Fashion Statements: Bathing Suits, Uniforms, and Sportswear. By Amanda Schweinbenz] , accessed July 3, 2006.] High-cut skirts allowed for more freedom of movement in the legs.

Szabo competed with Ludwig Wrede in the pair skating as well. They won the World title twice, in 1925 and 1927, and placed third in 1926. She retired before the 1928 Olympic Games, though Wrede went on to compete with another partner. Szabo did not compete in the Europeans because the ladies and pair events were not established until 1930.

Herma Szabo is also referred to with the surnames Szabó, Plank-Szabo, Planck-Szabo, Jarosz-Szabo and Jaross-Szabo.

Szabo was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1982. [http://www.worldskatingmuseum.org/Museum_HOF_Inductees.htm World Figure Skating Museum Hall of Fame Inductees] , accessed July 3, 2006.] She died at age 84 in Rottenmann, Styria.

Competitive highlights

ee also

*List of Austrians in sports
*Helene Engelmann, aunt

References

External links

* [http://www.engelmann.co.at/k_history.htm Engelmann family history] (in German). [http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.engelmann.co.at%2Fk_history.htm&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools English translation] .
* [http://www.aeiou.at/aeiou.encyclop.s/s996068.htm Picture of Herma Szabo]

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Persondata
NAME=Szabo, Herma
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Plank-Szabó, Herma;Szabo-Stark, Herma;Plank-Szabo, Herma;Planck-Szabo, Herma;Jarosz-Szabo, Herma;Jaross-Szabo, Herma;von Szabo-Planck, Herma;Plank-Szabó, Herma;Szabó, Herma
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Austrian figure skater
DATE OF BIRTH=February 22 1902
PLACE OF BIRTH=Vienna
DATE OF DEATH=May 7 1986
PLACE OF DEATH=Rottenmann, Styria (state)