Helmut Seibt

Helmut Seibt was Austrian champion in men’s figure skating from 1950-52, after second places in 1947 and 1949 and a third in 1948. After winning a bronze medal at the European Championships in 1949 and silver in 1950, Seibt was European champion in 1951-52, adding a bronze medal at the 1951 World Championships.

At the 1952 Olympic Winter Games he was second only to the redoubtable Dick Button. Prior to his successes in singles Seibt also competed in pairs in the late 1940s with Susi Giebisch, an eighth place at the 1948 European Championships their best international finish, with second places at the Austrian Championships from 1946-48.

After his amateur career Seibt was a member of the Vienna Ice Revue for three years. He subsequently started a highly successful coaching career i0n Vienna, training many successful skaters like Regine Heitzer and Trixi Schuba. From 1962-67 he worked in Düsseldorf as a coach for several top German skaters. He was also involved in staging the World Championships in Dortmund and Köln.

After that Seibt was head coach in Milano leading two-time Olympian Rita Trapanese to second place at the European Championships. He was also Austrian head coach for a long time, before his death in 1992. A great national figure skating event is held annually in his honor, the Helmut Seibt Memorial.