Margret Göbl

Margret Göbl was one of the most popular German figure skaters. She grew up in the Bavarian town of Oberammergau and started her skating career as a single skater in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. From 1959 she competed in pairs with Franz Ningel, whom she married in 1962. Ningel had first competed with Marika Kilius, appearing together at the Worlds and Europeans from 1955-57, but then switched partners to his future wife because Kilius had grown too tall. In spite of the fierce domestic competition with future World Champions Marika Kilius / Hans-Jürgen Bäumler, Göbl and Ningel managed to become German Champions in three consecutive years between 1960 and 1962. They won a silver medal at the 1961 European Championships and bronze medals at the 1960 and 1962 Europeans and the 1962 World Championships. They also competed together at the 1959-60 Worlds, placing fifth and fourth, respectively, and at the 1959 European Championships, where they were fourth.

Later Göbl and Ningel started a successful world-wide professional career in ice shows. In 1973 she and her husband became skating coaches and worked first in Frankfurt/Main. They later established their own skating school at the ice skating rink in Duisburg. Their daughter Johanna became a successful junior skater and formation dancer.