Christopher Berneck (born 10 July 1992) is a German
figure skater
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...
. He won four senior international medals and became a two-time German national bronze medalist (2011, 2015).
Personal life
Berneck was born on 10 July 1992 in
Bad Säckingen
Bad Säckingen ( High Alemannic: ''Bad Säckinge'') is a rural town in the administrative district of Waldshut in the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is famous as the "Trumpeteer's City" because of the book ''Der Trompeter von Säckin ...
, Germany. In 2015, he began studying fashion communication at
Ryerson University
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada.
Career
Berneck started skating in 1998 at the ice rink in
Herrischried
Herrischried is a municipality in the district of Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe af ...
,
Black Forest
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...
, Germany. He initially competed for EHC Herrischried. In 1999, he and his family moved to
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the O ...
where he trained with
Wolfgang Danne
Wolfgang Danne (9 December 1941 – 16 June 2019) was a West German pair skater. He was born in Hildesheim. With partner Margot Glockshuber, he became the Figure skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics, 1968 Olympic bronze medalist. They were als ...
SC Riessersee
SC Riessersee is a professional ice hockey team based in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Oberbayern, Germany. They currently play in The Oberliga, the third level of ice hockey in Germany. Prior to the 2013–14 season, they played in the 2nd Bundesliga ...
. During his time in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Berneck competed in
European Criterium
European Criterium is a series of international and inter-club figure skating competitions. First organised in the 1997–98 season, it is open to skaters who are members of European clubs.
Age categories
The competitions are organised in the fo ...
events and won the 2001–02 cubs boys overall category, winning all three events he competed in, including the
Hellmut Seibt Memorial The Hellmut Seibt Memorial is an international figure skating competition. Named after Austrian figure skater Hellmut Seibt, the event is generally held in February in Vienna, Austria. Medals may be awarded in men's singles, ladies' singles, and pa ...
, where U.S. skater
Keegan Messing
Keegan Messing (born January 23, 1992) is a Canadian-American figure skater. Representing Canada, he has competed at two Winter Olympic Games in 2018 and 2022. He has also appeared at three World Championships, placing as high as 6th. He is the ...
placed third in the same category.
In 2001, Berneck returned to his home town,
Görwihl
Görwihl is a town in the district of Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.
History
The name is derived from the ancient German for spear, due to the spearhead shape of the area at the time.
Görwihl was established in 1193, and was first ...
, and trained at the Stuttgart training center, competing for the TUS Eissport-Stuttgart, before moving to
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
in 2003. He trained under
Romy Oesterreich
Romy Kermer (later Oesterreich; born 28 July 1956) is a German figure skating coach and former competitive pair skater. With Rolf Oesterreich, she is the 1976 Olympic silver medalist.
Personal life
Romy Kermer was born on 28 July 1956 in Kar ...
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
, United States. In June 2011, Berneck and his family moved to
Barrie
Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically i ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada. He then trained at the Mariposa International Training Center with Robert Tebby,
Doug Leigh
Douglas Leigh is a Canadians, Canadian figure skating coach. He is the head coach and founder of the Mariposa School of Skating. Among his former students are Brian Orser, Elvis Stojko, Takeshi Honda, Jennifer Robinson (figure skater), Jennifer R ...
,
Tugba Karademir
Tuba or Tuğba (also transliterated as Toba, Tooba, or Touba; ar, طُوبَىٰ, , lit. "blessedness"Steven Cousins,
Lee Barkell
Lee Barkell originally from Kirkland Lake, Ontario is a Canadian figure skating coach, working with both singles and pairs, and a former competitive pair skater. With Melanie Gaylor, he won gold at the 1986 Fujifilm Trophy, 1986 Nebelhorn Trophy ...
Junior Grand Prix
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...