Katharina Müller (born 12 September 1995) is a retired German competitive ice dancer. With her skating partner Tim Dieck, she is a two-time German national champion and has won many senior international medals, including two silver medals on the ISU Challenger Series and three gold medals at the German NRW Trophy. They have represented Germany at the European and World championships.
Personal life Katharina Müller was born on 12 September 1995 in Nizhnevartovsk, Russia. She moved with her family to Germany in 1999. As of 2017, she is studying teaching, English, and sports science at Ruhr University Bochum.
Competitive career Early career Müller began skating in 2000 in Bielefeld. She took up ice dancing in 2009, teaming up with Justin Gerke. The two were coached by Vladimir Tsvetkov in Berlin. They parted ways after the 2012–13 season, Gerke having decided to retire from competition.
2014–15 season Vitali Schulz arranged a tryout between Müller and Tim Dieck. They teamed up in April 2014, coached by Schulz und James Young in Dortmund. Assigned to two Junior Grand Prix events, they placed eighth in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and seventh in Aichi, Japan. After winning the 2015 German junior national title, they were sent to the 2015 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia; ranked thirteenth in the short dance, they qualified for the final segment and finished twelfth overall.
2015–16 season Competing in the Challenger Series (CS), Müller/Dieck finished tenth in September at the 2015 Nebelhorn Trophy – their first senior international – and eighth the following month at the 2015 Mordovian Ornament. In November, they won bronze at the 2015 NRW Trophy before appearing at their third CS event, the 2015 Tallinn Trophy, where they placed fifth. They were awarded the silver medal at the German Championships in December, having finished second to Lorenz/Polizoakis, and took bronze at the Toruń Cup. Müller/Dieck were included in Germany's team to the 2016 European Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, but were eliminated after placing twenty-third in the short dance.
In spring 2016, Müller/Dieck began training under Marina Zueva in Canton, Michigan, in addition to Schulz and Young in Dortmund.
2016–17 season Müller/Dieck competed at two Challenger events, placing twelfth at the 2016 CS U.S. Classic and ninth at the 2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. They won gold at the NRW Trophy for the first time, and were the German national silver medalists for the second consecutive year
2017–18 season Competing three times on the Challenger series, Müller/Dieck were fifth at the 2017 CS Warsaw Cup, sixth at the 2017 CS Ice Star, and eleventh at the 2017 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb. They won the silver medal at the German championships for the third consecutive year.
2018–19 season Again competing on the Challenger series three times, Müller/Dieck were seventh at both the 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy and the 2018 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb and ninth at the 2018 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy. They were invited to make their Grand Prix debut, placing seventh at the 2018 Skate America and tenth at the 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki. NRW Trophy champions for the second time, they then won their fourth consecutive silver medal at the German championships.
2019–20 season Müller/Dieck's three Challenger competitions for the year were the 2019 CS Ondrej Nepela Memorial, the 2019 CS Ice Star and the 2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, where they placed eighth, sixth and sixth, respectively. They did not return to the Grand Prix, but won the inaugural Denis Ten Memorial Challenge and the Open d'Andorra, followed by becoming German national champions for the first time.
Müller/Dieck attended the European Championships for the first time in four seasons, placing thirteenth. They were supposed to make their World Championship debut at the 2020 edition in Montreal, but these were cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020–21 season Despite the continued limitations of the pandemic on international competition, Müller/Dieck won their first Challenger medal, a silver at the 2020 CS Budapest Trophy, as well as their third gold medal at the NRW Trophy. Repeating as German national champions, they went on to make their World Championship debut at the 2021 World Championships in Stockholm, where they came in eighteenth. This result qualified a berth for a German ice dance team at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
2021–22 season Müller/Dieck began the season at the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, winning the silver medal. Dieck noted that it was "always special to win a medal in Germany", while Müller said "we were not competing for an Olympic spot here, but it was important to us for our national qualification and to prove that we are ready and want to go to the Olympic Games." They came ninth at the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy.
Initially assigned to the 2021 Cup of China on the Grand Prix, upon its cancellation Müller/Dieck were reassigned to the 2021 Gran Premio d'Italia. They finished in eighth place. They were sixth at the 2021 CS Cup of Austria and second at the Open d'Andorra.
Despite losing the German national title to rivals Janse van Rensburg/Steffan, Müller/Dieck were named to the German Olympic team. They first competed at the 2022 European Championships, finishing in twelfth place.
Müller/Dieck began the 2022 Winter Olympics as the German entries in the rhythm dance segment of the Olympic team event, where they finished tenth among ten. In the dance event, they were twenty-first in the rhythm dance, missing the cut for the free dance.
The team encountered new difficulties following the Olympics, as resultant tensions between Russia and Germany resulted in their being unable to return to their Moscow training location.
Müller ultimately announced her retirement from competitive ice dance in December 2023.
Coaching career Following her retirement, Müller moved to Egna, Italy to coach at the Young Goose Academy, alongside Matteo Zanni and Barbora Řezníčková.
Her current and former students include: Olexandra Borysova / Aaron Freeman Darya Grimm / Grigorii Rodin Angelina Kudryavtseva / Ilia Karankevich Kateřina Mrázková / Daniel Mrázek Anna Šimová / Kirill Aksenov Myroslava Tkachenko / Riccardo Pesca Aneta Václavíková / Ivan Morozov
Programs
With Dieck Season Short dance Free dance 2021–2022 Spirit in the Sky Toxic Seven Nation Army Run to You Queen of the Night I Will Always Love You 2020–2021 Steppin' Out with My Baby The Way You Look Tonight Puttin' On the Ritz Coco Chanel Man's World 2019–2020 Express Show Me How You Burlesque Tough Lover 2018–2019 TangoThe Way Through Cancer Blood and Guts Steppe Where is my Mind 2017–2018 Dibby Dibby Sound I'm Not the Only One The Bodyguard 2016–2017 New Year's Blues Jolie Coquine Megecina Tabakiera Mahalageasca (Bucovina Dub) 2015–2016 MicMacs à tire-larigot MicMacs à tire-larigot Ave Maria 2014–2015 Chinqui Chinqui Boom You're My Everything Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora) Burlesque: Express Welcome to Burlesque Show Me How You Burlesque
With Gerke Season Short dance Free dance 2011–2012 After Dark Bla Bla Bla Cha Cha Cha Milonga Triste Tango Stazo
Competitive highlights GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
With Dieck International Event 14–15 15–16 16–17 17–18 18–19 19–20 20–21 21–22 Olympics 21st Worlds C 18th Europeans 23rd 13th 12th Cup of China C Finland 10th France C Italy 8th Skate America 7th Budapest Trophy 2nd Cup of Austria 6th Finlandia Trophy 9th Golden Spin 11th 7th 6th Ice Star 6th 6th Mordovian 8th Nebelhorn Trophy 10th 9th 7th 2nd Ondrej Nepela 9th 8th Tallinn Trophy 5th U.S. Classic 12th Warsaw Cup 5th C Bavarian Open 5th Cup of Nice 2nd 9th Denis Ten Memorial 1st Egna Trophy 4th WD Mezzaluna Cup 5th NRW Trophy 3rd 1st 1st 1st Open d'Andorra 2nd 1st 2nd Universiade 4th 7th Toruń Cup 3rd Volvo Open 1st 2nd International: Junior Junior Worlds 12th Japan 7th Slovenia 8th Bavarian Open 3rd Ice Star 4th NRW Trophy 1st Santa Claus Cup 3rd National German Champ. 1st J 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 1st 1st 2nd Team Events Olympics 9th T 10th P TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew; C = Event cancelled Levels: J = Junior
With Gerke International Event 09–10 10–11 11–12 12–13 Bavarian Open 14th Golden Spin 15th NRW Trophy 11th Pavel Roman 14th Volvo Open Cup 8th International: Junior Latvia 14th Bavarian Open 10th 8th NRW Trophy 19th 11th Pavel Roman 11th 14th Santa Claus Cup 19th Toruń Cup 4th National German Champ. 9th J 5th J 2nd J 4th J = Junior level
References
External links