Linda Bresonik

In the last few years, soccer player Linda Bresonik has become such an integral part of the successful German national team that it’s almost impossible to imagine it without her. Since she was invited to rejoin the team in 2007 (there had been some dissension between her and the team during the 2003 World Cup which lead to an involuntary hiatus), Bresonik and her teammates won the 2007 World Cup, the 2009 European Championship and a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Peking. With her home team FCR Duisburg, she won the UEFA Cup in 2009 and the German DFB Cup in 2009 and 2010.

In both the national team and in Duisburg, one of Linda Bresonik’s teammates is ex-girlfriend Inka Grings. After a nasty breakup that even made the headlines in 2005, the two seem to get along very well. (In fact so well that some people – this blogger included – are wondering whether the two women are dating again…)

Maria Riesch

Alpine ski racer Maria Riesch is both a world and an Olypmic champion. Her close friendship with fellow alpine ski racer Lindsay Vonn prompted some media coverage during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, as both women were also considered to be each other’s fiercest competitors. In the end, Riesch managed to outdo Vonn by winning two gold medals in both the super combined and the slalom competition.

Katarina Witt

Katarina Witt is one of the most successful figure skaters of all time. Besides winning several World and European Championships, she also won two Olympic gold medals for East Germany in 1984 and 1988. In 1988, even before the wall came down, she started an international professional career as a figure skater, and later went on to also work as an actress and a TV host.

With her beauty and her artistic skills Katarina Witt did not only impress the jury, but also the audience, as she managed to make figure skating look sexy. Don’t believe me? Then take a look at her freestyle routine at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary:

To be continued. Next up: Enchanting German Musicians.