Querfurt
Querfurt () is a town in the Saalekreis district, or ''Kreis'', in southern Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is located in a fertile area on the Querne, west from Merseburg. In 2020, the town had a population of 10,454. The town Querfurt consists of ...
,
Bezirk Halle
The Bezirk Halle was a district (''Bezirk'') of East Germany. The administrative seat and the main town was Halle.
History
The district was established, with the other 13, on 25 July 1952, substituting the old German states. After 3 October 1990 ...
) is a retired German
javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the wom ...
er.
She represented East Germany at the
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
, where she finished fifth, and at the 1990 European Championships where she finished fourth.
She then experienced her career highlight as she won the gold medal at the
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
in Barcelona, Spain. Renk won with a throw of 68.34 meters, defeating Natalya Shikolenko, who took home the silver medal, and compatriot
Karen Forkel
Karen Forkel (born 24 September 1970 in Wolfen) is a German track and field athlete and an Olympic medal winner. In the 1990s she was among the world's best javelin throwers. Her biggest success came in the 1992 Summer Olympics when she took t ...
knee injury
In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the h ...
problems, and never reached another international final despite starting at the 1995 World Championships and the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
.
Her personal best was 71.00 metres with the old javelin type, achieved in June 1988 in
Rostock
Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state, ...
. This ranks her third among German javelin throwers, only behind Petra Felke (who held the
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 ...