Two-time Olympic figure-skating champion Katarina Witt concluded her ice-show career in Hanover, Germany, with a final performance as Carmen — a role that propelled the former East German to her greatest achievement.

Witt finished her farewell tour on Tuesday to the roaring approval of the German crowd and bowls of fire surrounding the rink.

Former Olympic champion Katarina Witt waves to the crowd after performing the final ice show of her illustrious career Tuesday in Hanover, Germany.
(Nigel Treblin/AFP/Getty Images)

Witt, 42, who was called "the most beautiful face of socialism" by Time magazine, grabbed worldwide headlines after she captured a gold medal at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.

Witt and American Debi Thomas were vying for supremacy in women's figure skating at the Calgary Games.

The rivals competed in what became known as the "Battle of the Carmens," as each woman chose to skate her long program to the music from Georges Bizet's opera Carmen.

While Witt won the gold medal, Thomas settled for bronze after Canadian Elizabeth Manley skated the performance of her life to take the silver.

Witt became the only female skater since the great Sonja Henie to win consecutive Olympic titles.

She said her final performance wasn't as emotional as she originally thought.

"I'm doing well," she said. "Not as many tears fell as I maybe feared."

With files from the Associated Press