Marlene Ahrens Ostertag-Ebensperger (July 27, 1933 – June 17, 2020) was a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-de ...

. She won the silver medal in Javelin throw at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, w ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

with a distance of 50.38 metres. She was the mother of journalist Karin Ebensperger.

Biography

Ostertag was born in

Concepción, Chile Concepción (; originally: ''Concepción de la Madre Santísima de la Luz'', "Conception of the Blessed Mother of Light") is a city and commune in central Chile, and the geographical and demographic core of the Greater Concepción metropolitan ...

, the daughter of German immigrants. In Melbourne, she was the Chilean flag bearer, and the only woman on the Olympic team. She participated in the Javelin throw, winning the silver medal with a distance of 50.38 metres. In doing so, she became the first and only Chilean woman who has won an Olympic medal. After the games, she won gold in both

1959 Pan American Games The 1959 Pan American Games were held in Chicago, Illinois, United States between August 28 and September 7, 1959. Host city selection One city initially submitted a bid to host the 1959 Pan American Games that was recognized by the Pan Am ...

, held in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, and

1963 Pan American Games The 1963 Pan American Games were held from April 20 to May 5, 1963, in São Paulo, Brazil. Host city selection For the first time, two cities submitted bids to host the 1963 Pan American Games that were recognized by the Pan American Sports O ...

held in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...

. Also, she again was the flag bearer in the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

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 ...

, although she didn't win a medal. Ahrens was forced to retire after having a dispute with the Chilean newspaper Clarín, and she was banned from competing in the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this h ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

. After athletics she began to play tennis and in 1967, won the Chilean national tournament in mixed doubles with Omar Pabst. Soon after that, she injured her knee and dedicated her life to

Equestrianism Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

. She competed in the

1995 Pan American Games File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake stri ...

Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" is a sh ...

. She retired from horse riding in 2012, at 79 years old. She married Jorge Roberto Ebensperger Grassau, a hockey player and another descendant of German settlers; they gave birth to 2 children: Karin Ebensperger and Roberto Ebensperger. She is the grandmother of Marlén Eguiguren, also a journalist like her mother Karin. On the night of June 17, 2020, Ahrens died of heart failure at the age of 86.

References

1933 births 2020 deaths Chilean people of German descent Chilean female javelin throwers Olympic athletes of Chile Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1959 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1963 Pan American Games Olympic silver medalists for Chile Sportspeople from Concepción, Chile Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for Chile Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field) Equestrians at the 1995 Pan American Games Chilean female equestrians Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1963 Pan American Games 20th-century Chilean women {{chile-athletics-bio-stub