Bärbel Wöckel ( Eckert; born 21 March 1955 in
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
) is a retired
East German
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
sprinter. She never ran a world record in the individual disciplines. However, she ran several world records as part of relay teams with
Doris Maletzki,
Renate Stecher
Renate Stecher (, ; née Meißner, born 12 May 1950) is a German (former East German) sprint runner and a triple Olympic champion. She held 34 world records and was the first woman to run 100 metres within 11 seconds.
Biography
Born as Renate ...
and
Christina Heinich over 4 x 100 meters, the last time on September 8, 1974, in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
.
At the GDR Championships she took first place in the 4 x 100 meter relay in 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981 to 1984. In 1976 she won third place with the team.
During this time she was in the state-organized
doping program.
Biography
Wöckel won four Olympic
gold medals between the
200 metres race and
4 × 100 metres relay
The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners must begin in the same stagger as for the indiv ...
, two each in the
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 ...
and
1980 Olympics. In each of those years, Wöckel placed first in the 200 m and
4 × 100 metres relay
The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners must begin in the same stagger as for the indiv ...
races.
She won a gold medal at the
1974 European Championships as the anchor of the 4 × 100 m relay, which set a
world record
A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...
of 42.50. She won the gold in the 200 m and as a part of the 4 × 100 m relay team as well as a
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
in the
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...
at the
1982 European Championships.
Bärbel Wöckel competed for the club
SC Motor Jena during her active career.
Her rival,
Marita Koch, complained in a letter that Bärbel received higher doses of steroids than her, because she had relatives in the company
Jenapharm
Jenapharm is a pharmaceutical company from Jena, Germany. Founded in 1950 in East Germany, the company focused from the beginning on the production and development of steroids. Due to the economic circumstances of the Eastern Bloc, the company ini ...
.
Awards Selection
* 1974:
Patriotic Order of Merit
The Patriotic Order of Merit (German: ''Vaterländischer Verdienstorden'', or VVO) was a national award granted annually in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was founded in 1954 and was awarded to individuals and institutions for outstanding ...
(German: ''Vaterländischer Verdienstorden'', or VVO) in Bronze
* 1976: Patriotic Order of Merit in silver
* 1980 and 1984: Patriotic Order of Merit in gold
* 2018:
DLV-Ehrennadel in gold
See also
*
German all-time top lists – 100 metres
*
German all-time top lists – 200 metres
*
List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
This article lists the individuals who have won at least four gold medals at the Olympic Games or at least three gold medals in individual events.
List of most Olympic gold medals over career
This is a partial list of multiple Olympic gold medalis ...
References
External links
*
1955 births
Living people
Athletes from Leipzig
East German female sprinters
Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Olympic athletes of East Germany
Olympic gold medalists for East Germany
Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit
European Athletics Championships medalists
Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
Olympic female sprinters
Friendship Games medalists in athletics
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