Christa Bauch (born December 19, 1947) is a former professional

female bodybuilder Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s, when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions.

from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Background

Born in

Bad Schandau Bad Schandau (; hsb, Žandow) is a spa town in Germany, in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district of Saxony. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, at the mouth of the valley of the Kirnitzsch and in the area often described as S ...

East Germany 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 ...

, Bauch enjoyed music, riding and sprinting at school, before training as a

masseuse Massage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. In Eu ...

and

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...

medic. At 27 she left East Germany to settle in the

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

; this was done legally, as she married a West German citizen and waited the required five years for an exit permit. Her oldest son, Daniel, was five years old, and she was pregnant with her second child, Patricia. Shortly after she relocated to West Germany, her husband, employed by the German engineering company AEG, was transferred to

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

. Further spells followed in

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

and

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, before Bauch returned to Germany on her own with the children, to ensure they got a proper education. Her third child, Rene, was born a few years later. Looking for a challenge, Bauch took up

rifle shooting Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airguns, in forms such as ...

for several years before taking up bodybuilding. Bauch won several local and regional shows before her first big competitive year in 1987. After only two years training she took second places in the NABBA German, European and World championships (in the last of these losing out to American Connie McCloskey). In 1988 she switched to the WABBA organization, taking the overall European title as well as the couples title. The following year she move to the IFBB. After a disappointing second place in the German Nationals, Bauch won the World Games heavyweight title in Karlsruhe (only 20 miles from her home), beating out a strong field including countrywoman Jutta Tippelt and American

Kim King D. Kimbrough ("Kim") King (October 6, 1945 – October 12, 2004) was Georgia Tech's starting quarterback for three seasons beginning in 1965. During his career, he led the team in 712 plays, completing 243 passes for 2763 yards and 21 touchdowns ...

. With the World Games victory she earned her pro card. Bauch's first pro show was the 1990

Ms. International The Ms. International female bodybuilding contest was considered to be the second-most prestigious competition for female bodybuilders (second only to the Ms. Olympia competition), from its inception in 1986 through 2013. It was first held in 1 ...

, at age 43. After turning in an impressive fourth-place finish, she was disqualified as a result of a positive drug test (WPW, 1993

. More problems followed as Bauch had to have an operation later that year to remove a

vein Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated b ...

in her leg. A few months later she bounced back with a fourth-place finish in the Italian Grand Prix in

Rimini Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...

, missing a

Ms. Olympia The IFBB Ms. Olympia is both the highest ranking professional female bodybuilding competition and the title of the winner of the competition. It was first organized in 1980, and was held as part of the Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance ...

qualification by one slot. Bauch's highest placing as a professional was second at the 1994 Canada Cup. She retired from competition after the 1995 Jan Tana Classic. Although she no longer competes, she continues to train. At a height of 5'3", Bauch's normal contest weight ranged from 132 to 145 pounds. She was a renowned world class arm wrestler, defeating many male bodybuilders.

Contest history

*1987 German Championship - 2nd *1987 Europa Championship (NABBA) - 2nd *1987 World Championship (NABBA) - 2nd *1988 Europa Championship (WABBA) - 1st *1989 German Championship (IFBB) - 2nd *1989 World Games (IFBB) - 1st (Pro qualifier) *1990

- 4th (later disqualified) *1991 Grand Prix of Italy - 4th *1992 Jan Tana Classic - 11th *1993 Jan Tana Classic - 7th *1993 IFBB

- 18th *1994 Canada Cup - 2nd *1994 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 12th *1995 Jan Tana Classic - 5th

References

*"Germany's Mighty Mite - .44 Magnum Muscle", ''

Women's Physique World ''Women's Physique World'' was a magazine covering female bodybuilding and fitness and figure competition, published from 1984 to 2006. History and profile The first issue was dated Fall 1984, and featured Lori Walkup on the cover. Subsequent ...

'', January, 1993

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bauch, Christa 1947 births German female bodybuilders Living people Professional bodybuilders