Two-time Olympian will deliver -- again and again -- at Freedom Hall

Just hours before a professional figure-skating competition in the mid-1990s, two-time Olympic champion Katarina Witt arrived exhausted, and too late for a complete practice session, because of flight delays from her native Germany.

That evening, Witt missed one jump in her short program and exited the ice visibly annoyed.

"It's not your fault, Katarina -- it's the airlines'," said a sympathetic TV commentator. The response of Witt -- who, in addition to being the 1984 and '88 Olympic champion, is also a four-time World and six-time European champion -- was telling.

Shaking her head from side to side, she replied disgustedly, "No excuses!"

Reminded of that story in a phone interview while on tour with "Target Stars on Ice," which comes to Freedom Hall on Sunday, Witt bursts out laughing.

"I think that when a skater is at a competition or performance (we) should never be anything less than totally prepared both mentally and physically," she said. "And that includes any complications that arise . . . because the audience only sees (us) during those few minutes on the ice and there is just no excuse to falter. An athlete must always deliver. . . again and again."

Asked if she imagined at the age of 18, when she competed in the '84 Olympics in Sarajevo, that she would still be performing at 36, Witt laughs again. "No. Never. . . . Let's face it -- when (you're) 18, somebody 25 is considered old.

"The thing is, I had just assumed that over the years my career would get less and less, but instead (it) has become more and more."

In just the past six years, she has produced and starred in the 1986 TV movie "The Ice Princess" and starred in and co-produced the NBC skating specials "Divas on Ice" for the past two years, as well as the CBS skating special "Kisses on Ice."

"And before this year is finished I will have completed another 'Divas' special and a skating tour in Germany," she said.

Witt said she's thrilled to be back this season with "Stars on Ice," which she skated with from 1994 to '97.

" 'Stars' is a perfect vehicle for me, because I'm someone who has always loved to perform," she said.

And even at her age, Witt remains relatively pain-free, unlike her 19-year-old "Stars" co-star, Tara Lipinski, who underwent reconstructive surgery on her arthritic right hip in 2000.

"I'm very lucky . . . with the exception of some minor back troubles that have bothered me off and on since last September," she said.

"I'm really proud of my career," she said, "but, mostly, that I'm not just sitting back and thinking about my achievements . . . and instead want to keep going."

"There's still so much I want to do."