Claudia Künzel-Nystad

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexFemale
Full nameClaudia•Künzel-Nystad
Used nameClaudia•Künzel-Nystad
Nick/petnamesClaudsch
Born1 February 1978 in Zschopau, Sachsen (GER)
Measurements168 cm / 58 kg
AffiliationsOberwiesenthaler SV, Oberwiesenthal (GER) / WSC Erzgebirge Oberwiesenthal, Oberwiesenthal (GER)
NOC Germany
Medals OG
Gold 2
Silver 3
Bronze 1
Total 6

Biography

Claudia Nystad is a sport soldier at the German Bundeswehr who is married to Norwegian cross-country skier Trond Nystad, a cross-country coach (up to 2006 with the US national team, then one year for Germany at Oberhof, and beginning in 2007 with the Swiss sprint team). With Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle Nystad is the most successful German female country-cross skier of the 21st century. Her list of podiums is impressive: gold medal in the relay at the 2003 World Championships 2003, and silvers in 2007 and 2009.

She also won a silver at the 2003 world sprint competition and the 2007 world team sprint, along with Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle. She was also partnered with her at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics when they won the team sprint gold medal. In the relay she won gold at Salt Lake City in 2002– which was the greatest German female cross-country moment in 22 years – and silver in 2006 and 2010 as well as the sprint silver at Torino, and relay bronze at her last games in Sochi.

Beside her sports career Claudia Nystad became a painter, having already done several exhibitions with her charcoal drawings, and has also studied graphics and design. In the summer of 2007 she sold her 2002 relay gold medal at auction for 22,000 Euros on behalf of “Hänsel und Gretel,” which is a foundation helping abused children. The medal was purchased by the Russian Olympic Museum at Smolensk where it is now exhibited.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
2002 Winter Olympics Cross Country Skiing (Skiing) GER Claudia Künzel
Sprint, Women (Olympic) 4
15 kilometres, Women (Olympic) 26
5/5 kilometres Pursuit, Women (Olympic) 55 r1/2
4 × 5 kilometres Relay, Women (Olympic) Germany 1 Gold
2006 Winter Olympics Cross Country Skiing (Skiing) GER Claudia Nystad
Sprint, Women (Olympic) 2 Silver
10 kilometres, Women (Olympic) 17
30 kilometres, Women (Olympic) 6
15 kilometres Skiathlon, Women (Olympic) 18
4 × 5 kilometres Relay, Women (Olympic) Germany 2 Silver
2010 Winter Olympics Cross Country Skiing (Skiing) GER Claudia Nystad
10 kilometres, Women (Olympic) 16
4 × 5 kilometres Relay, Women (Olympic) Germany 2 Silver
Team Sprint, Women (Olympic) Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle 1 Gold
2014 Winter Olympics Cross Country Skiing (Skiing) GER Claudia Nystad
Sprint, Women (Olympic) 34
15 kilometres Skiathlon, Women (Olympic) 41
4 × 5 kilometres Relay, Women (Olympic) Germany 3 Bronze

Olympic family relations

Special Notes