Werner Rittberger

Werner Rittberger (born 13 July 1891 in Potsdam; died 12 August 1975 in Krefeld) was a German figure skater. Rittberger invented the Loop jump in 1910, also known as a "Rittberger".

He won the German Nationals eleven times between 1911 and 1928, and the silver medal at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1910, 1911, and 1912. He skated for the Berliner SC club representing Germany.

During World War I, he was drafted. He initially fought as an infantryman and then trained to be a reconnaissance pilot for the Luftstreitkräfte. After the war, he resumed training in figure skating. In 1921, after the death of his first wife, he remarried to Friedl Evertz in 1921. They had a son together but divorced after three years. He returned to Germany in 1934. In 1955, he published a book on skating, and he also worked as a journalist for the Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

His students included Ina Bauer, Ria Baran, and Paul Falk.

Rittberger developed dementia in his later years. He died on 12 August 1975, and was buried next to his first wife in Berlin.

Results Event 1910 1911 1912 1913 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 Winter Olympic Games WD World Championships 2nd 2nd 2nd 7th 4th European Championships 2nd 3rd 4th 3rd 2nd German Championships 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd 1st