Andrea Ehrig-Mitscherlich

Who is Andrea Ehrig-Mitscherlich?

Andrea Ehrig-Mitscherlich is a retired East German speed skater. She was one of the world's best long-distance skaters in the 1980s.

Ehrig was born Andrea Mitcherlich in Dresden, Saxony, East Germany. At the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, as a 15-year-old, she won a silver medal in the 3000 m event, just one one-hundredth of a second ahead of Lisbeth Korsmo who won bronze. At the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid she came fourth in the 3000 metres. Four years later at the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, competing under her first married name of Schone, she won silver in both the 1000 and the 1500 m and became Olympic champion in the 3000 metres. In 1988, at her fourth and final Olympic Games in Calgary, competing as Andrea Ehrig, she won two more silver medals in the long distances, and a bronze medal in the 1500 metres. She became European champion five times and World Champion twice, in 1983 and 1985. Between 1983 and 1987 she set 10 world records in 1500–10,000 m events.

Ehrig was married twice, second time in 1985 to fellow Olympic speed skater Andreas Ehrig.

Personal bests:

500 m – 40.71

1000 m – 1:19.32

1500 m – 2:01.00