Austrian Figure Skating Championships

Austrian Figure Skating Championships
Status	Active
Genre	National championships
Frequency	Annual
Country	Austria
Inaugurated	1898
Organizer	Skate Austria

The Austrian Figure Skating Championships (German: Österreichische Staatsmeisterschaften im Eiskunstlauf) are an annual figure skating competition organized by Skate Austria to crown the national champions of Austria. The first official Austrian Championships for men were held in 1898 in Vienna, for women in 1913 in Prague, and for pair skating in 1913 in Vienna. Competitions were periodically interrupted early on, especially during World War I and World War II. After the German annexation of Austria in 1938, Austrian citizens became de facto German citizens, but regional championships were still held in Austria that are historically considered Austria's national championships. Since World War II ended and Austria regained its independence, the Austrian Championships have been held without interruption.

Medals are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance at the senior and junior levels, although every discipline may not necessarily be held every year due to a lack of participants. Viktor Pfeifer holds the record for winning the most Austrian Championship titles in men's singles (with nine), while Regine Heitzer holds the record in women's singles (with seven). Miriam Ziegler and Severin Kiefer hold the record in pair skating (with eight), although Kiefer won an additional three championships with another partner. Dmitri Matsjuk holds the record in ice dance (with eight), although not all won with the same partner.

History

The first skating club in Austria, the Vienna Skating Club, was established in 1867. At this time, Austria was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Austria-Hungary). The first official national championships were held in 1898 in Vienna. The competition featured only four competitors; Josef Fellner was the winner. Until 1914, skaters from Austria-Hungary frequently competed at the German Figure Skating Championships. Georg Zachariades, who won the 1892 and 1893 German Championships, and Gustav Hügel, who won in 1894, were both from Vienna. The first national competition for women was held in 1913 in Prague, and was won by Gisela Reichmann, while the first national competition in pair skating took place the same year in Vienna, and was won by Helene Engelmann and Karl Mejstrik. Competition was frequently interrupted early on, especially from 1915 to 1920 due to World War I. After its defeat in World War I, Austria-Hungary was split into two states: the Republic of Austria and the Hungarian Republic.

The first national championships in ice dance were held in Vienna in 1937; Edith Winkelmann and Walter Löhner won the event. In March 1938, after the Anschluss – the annexation of Austria into the German Reich – Austria became part of the German Empire and the citizens of Austria became de facto German citizens. They were, therefore, eligible to compete in the German Figure Skating Championships. Edi Rada won the men's competition in 1943; Marta Musilek won the women's competitions in 1942, 1943, and 1944; Herta and Emil Ratzenhofer won the pairs competition in 1944; and Jutta Stöhr and Fritz Hackl won the ice dance competition in 1944. Austria – then called Ostmark – still held regional competitions, referred to as Gau-Championships (German: Gaumeisterschaften). Those results are considered Austria's historical results. No championships were held in 1944 or 1945 due to World War II. After the war ended and Austria regained its independence, national championships resumed, and have been held without interruption since.

Senior medalists

From left to right: Maurizio Zandron, seven-time Austrian champion in men's singles; Olga Mikutina, five-time Austrian champion in women's singles; Miriam Ziegler and Severin Kiefer, eight-time Austrian champions in pair skating; and Barbora Silná and Juri Kurakin, three-time Austrian champions in ice dance

Junior medalists

Records

From left to right: Viktor Pfeifer won nine Austrian Championship titles in men's singles; Regine Heitzer won seven Austrian Championship titles in women's singles; Miriam Ziegler and Severin Kiefer won nine Austrian Championship titles in pair skating; and Dmitri Matsjuk won eight Austrian Championship titles in ice dance, four of which were with Barbora Silná.