The daughter of speed skating icon Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann, Victoria Stirnemann, makes her boxing debut in Erfurt. Her first professional fight is an immediate success
When Victoria Stirnemann stepped out of the boxing ring in Erfurt, she also received a kiss from her mother. The daughter of speed skating icon Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann had just won her first boxing match and was celebrated as she received her celebrity mother’s congratulations.
The 21-year-old won the fight against Sabine Hempel from Leipzig in the 2nd round with a chin hook that knocked out her opponent. The special thing: Not only was it Stirnemann’s professional boxing debut, but the 21-year-old had never fought in an amateur bout before.
“She went down in the first round and was already shaking her head. In the second round, I hit her well again and the trainer threw in the towel. The power in boxing comes from the legs and I have that from skating,” Stirnemann told Bild. He continued: “I don’t have a scratch. Hitting, but not being hit, is something I’ve done well.”
Her mother, Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann, was greatly relieved after her daughter’s success. “She told me beforehand: ‘Watch out, she’s about to try and knock you out’. She was very, very scared and very nervous. But relieved in the end,” explained the young boxer.
Photo with her opponent
This was Sabine Hempel’s eighth fight at professional level, but the 31-year-old was visibly relaxed in her defeat to the rookie. “She came into my dressing room afterwards and wanted a photo with me. She said I should teach her how to skate now,” Victoria reported.
Despite her debut success, Stirnemann would rather follow in her mother’s sporting footsteps in the future. Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann, who is now 57 years old, can still call herself a three-time Olympic speed skating champion. “It was a great feeling! I would have loved to get back into the ring straight away. But speed skating has priority. However, I’m willing to do it again in a year’s time,” explained the boxing talent.
