Ernst Baier

Ernst Baier (27 September 1905 in Zittau, Saxony, Germany – 8 July 2001 in Garmisch, Bavaria, Germany) was a German figure skater who competed in pair skating and single skating. He became Olympic pair champion in 1936 together with Maxi Herber. The duo also won several World and European championships.

Olympic medal record
Figure skating
	1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen	Pairs
	1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen	Singles

Ernst Baier
Herber and Baier at the 1934 World Championships
Born	(1905-09-27)27 September 1905 Zittau, German Empire
Died	8 July 2001(2001-07-08) (aged 95) Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
Figure skating career
Country	Germany
Retired	1941
Medal record Representing  Germany Men's Figure skating Olympic Games 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Singles World Championships 1933 Zürich Singles 1934 Stockholm Singles 1931 Berlin Singles 1932 Montreal Singles European Championships 1931 St. Moritz Singles 1932 Paris Singles 1933 London Singles 1935 St. Moritz Singles 1936 Berlin Singles German Championships 1933 Opole Men’s Singles 1934 Braunlage Men’s Singles 1935 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Men’s Singles 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Men’s Singles 1937 Hamburg Men’s Singles 1938 Cologne Men’s Singles 1932 Riessersee Men’s Singles Pairs Figure skating Olympic Games 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Pairs World Championships 1936 Paris Pairs 1937 Vienna Pairs 1938 Berlin Pairs 1939 Budapest Pairs 1934 Helsinki Pairs European Championships 1935 St. Moritz Pairs 1936 Berlin Pairs 1937 Prague Pairs 1938 St. Moritz Pairs 1939 London Pairs

Ernst Baier skated for the club Berliner SC.^[1] He also enjoyed success as a single skater and won silvers at the European, World and Olympic games in singles. He competed at the European Championships in 1929, coming in seventh place, and again in 1930, coming in fifth place. He competed at the World Championships four times, between 1931 and 1934, and won two bronze medals and two silver medals.^[2]

Skating with Herber, he won seven national titles, five European titles, and four World titles, in addition to their Olympic gold. The pair performed several side-by-side jumps, including side-by-side Axel jumps at the 1934 Championships, when they won a bronze medal, likely the first side-by-side Axels competed by a pair at an ISU championship.^{[3]: 120–121  [4]} They also developed a 'Baier lift', which was similar to a twist lift but lacking a release of Herber into the air.^[3]: 135 They did not compete in 1935 due to an injury, but returned in 1936 and as figure skating historian James R. Hines put, "were unbeatable for the remainder of the prewar period".^[4] They won the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 1936.^[4]

Herber and Baier married after their skating career ended in 1940. They had three children and divorced in 1964. After World War II they skated in ice shows; they created their own, which was later sold to Holiday on Ice.^[5] He also worked as an architect and coach.^[6] They were elected to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1979.^[4]

On 15 May 1965 he married the Swedish figure skater Birgitta Wennström (born 10 November 1935 in Enskede, Stockholm, Sweden) known by the stage name "Topsy" from Holiday on Ice together with her partner Steve. They had a daughter in 1968, but divorced in 1973.

Some years later he remarried Maxi Herber, but they later divorced again.

Results

(men's singles)

Event	1929	1930	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935	1936	1937	1938
Winter Olympic Games				5th				2nd
World Championships			3rd	3rd	2nd	2nd
European Championships	7th	5th	2nd	2nd	2nd		3rd	3rd
German Championships	2nd				1st	1st	1st	1st	1st	1st

(pairs with Maxi Herber)

Event	1934	1935	1936	1937	1938	1939	1940	1941
Winter Olympic Games			1st
World Championships	3rd		1st	1st	1st	1st
European Championships		1st	1st	1st	1st	1st
German Championships	1st	1st	1st		1st	1st	1st	1st

Further reading

• E.R. Hall & T.D. Richardson – Champions all: camera studies by E.R. Hall (Frederick Muller, 1938)
• Richardson T.D – Modern Figure Skating (Methuen, 1938)

References

1. "Deutsche Eiskunstlauf Meisterschaften". sport-record.de. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
2. Hines, James R. (2011). Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-8108-6859-5.
3. Stevens, Ryan (2022). Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps.
4. Hines (2011), p. 31
5. "Maxi Herber". Olympics.com.
6. "Baier skates into Olympic history". Olympics.com.

External links

• Ernst Baier at Olympics.com
• Ernst Baier at Olympedia

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