Background
Ralph Borghard was born 17 April 1944 in Rostock.
Ralph Borghard was born 17 April 1944 in Rostock.
His best result at an International Skating Union Championship, sixth, came at the 1966 European Championships. He became a dentist in Berlin. Ralph Borghard represented East Germany and South Carolina Dynamo Berlin for most of his career, coached by Inge Wischnewski.
He finished 15th at the event in Geneva.
He qualified to represent the Unified Team of Germany at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck and finished 11th. His next assignment was the World Championships in Davos, Switzerland in late February 1966.
After concluding the competition in 14th place, he decided not to return to East Germany and defected to West Germany. In April 1966, it was reported that Borghard and a West German single skater, Uschi Keszler, had considered teaming up to compete in pairs.
He is the 1963 Blue Swords champion and a three-time East German national champion (1963, 1964, and 1966). In 1962, he won the East German national silver medal and was given his first major international assignment, the 1962 European Championships. The following season, he became the national champion and improved to 11th at Europeans. In the 1963-1964 season, Borghard won Blue Swords and his second national title. In the 1965-1966 season, Borghard won his third national title and finished sixth at the 1966 European Championships in Bratislava. Borghard returned to single skating and won the 1967 West German national silver medal before retiring from competition.
