Steffi Martin

Martin was born in Lauter, Saxony on 17 September 1962. After marriage, she lived in Großdubrau with her husband and had three children. After their first child was born, she took a break from sports but returned later. She quit active sports due to family and health issues and worked as physiotherapist. She completed her studies in law and worked in county administration. She was named an honorary citizen of Lauter in 1998.

Martin participated and won her first silver medal at the FIL European Luge Championships of 1982 held at Winterberg in Women's Single where Bettina Schmidt took the gold. She won the silver again in 1986 at Hammarstrand (Cerstin Schmidt won the gold.)

Martin won two gold medals in the women's singles event at the FIL World Luge Championships of 1983 at Lake Placid, New York and of 1985 at Oberhof, Germany.

Martin was overall Luge World Cup champion in women's singles in 1983–84 shared with fellow East German Bettina Schmidt.

She won gold medal in the women's singles event, first at Sarajevo, Yugoslavia at the 1984 Winter Olympics under her maiden name Martin. She then became the first woman to repeat as Olympic champion at Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the 1988 Winter Olympics; now under her married name Walter. She completed the events in 2:46:570 and 3:03:973 respectively. Her record was equaled by Sylke Otto by winning gold in 2002 and 2006.

Martin died on 21 June 2017 from cancer. She had been diagnosed in October 2016.