When I go out on the ice, I just think about my skating. I forget it is a competition.

Figure skating is a mixture of art and sport.

I was the very first athlete in East Germany allowed to go professional.

I'm the sort of person who needs a big mountain in front of me to climb.

When I get up, I have a cup of coffee, surf the Internet, then do a half-hour run.

I can't say, 'It doesn't matter if you win or lose.' It's not true. You go in to win.

It's hard work to make a four-minute program look effortless and elegant.