Marita Koch ( German: Marita Meier-Koch ; born February 18, 1957 , Wismar , East Germany ) is an East German athlete who specialized in short and long sprints .
 Marita Koch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| general information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date and place of birth | February 18, 1957 (aged 62) Wismar , Rostock County , GDR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Citizenship |  GDR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Growth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sports career | 1976 - 1986 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IAAF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal records | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 100 m | 10.83 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 200 m | 21.71 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 400 m | 47.60 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal records in the room | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 60 m | 7.04 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 100 m | 11.15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 200 m | 22.39 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International medals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Biography
The early years
Marita Koch was born in the East German city ββof Wismar on February 18, 1957. Her athletic talent manifested itself in childhood, when at school sports competitions she surpassed high school boys. Here she was noticed by Wolfgang Meier ( German: Wolfgang Meier , b. 1942), a naval engineer who worked part-time as a track and field coach. At the age of 15, Maritaβs personal record in 400 meters running was 60.3 s [1] .
After passing school exams, Marita entered the medical faculty of Rostock University . Marita never received a higher education diploma, Wolfgang Meyer followed her to Rostock and persuaded to seriously engage in athletics. Soon they became husband and wife.
Beginning of a sports career
The results of the young athlete grew rapidly. The first international success came to 18-year-old Marita in 1975 at the European Championship among juniors in Athens, where she won a silver medal in 400 meters and became a champion in the relay team of the GDR [1] . This year she first hit the top ten strongest athletes in the world with a score of 51.60 s [2] .
A muscle break did not allow Marita to take part in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. [1] . Knowing the third place in the quarterfinal with a result of 51.87 s, she went to the semifinals, but refused to enter [3] . However, this year with a score of 50.19 she became fourth in the list of the strongest runners for 400 meters. Only three Olympic medalists ran faster - the legendary Polish athlete Irena Shevinska , who set a world record in Montreal (49.29 s), and two compatriots Marita - ex-world record holder (49.77 s) Kristina Bremer and Ellen Streidt [2] .
In 1977, Marita became the silver medalist of the World Cup at a distance of 400 m, having passed only Irena Shevinsk ahead. In the next 4 years, she will never lose at this distance [1] .
1978-1979
In 1978, Marita Koch climbed to the top of the sports Olympus. On May 28 in Erfurt, she set her first world record by running a distance of 200 meters in 22.06 seconds. On July 2 of that year in Leipzig she ran 400 meters in 49.19 s, having improved by one tenth the record of Irena Shevinsky. Marita participated in competitions at distances of 50, 100 and 200 meters, where her teammate Marlies GΓΆhr and American Evelyn Ashford competed seriously with her, having won Koch at the 200-meter distance at the 1979 World Cup. The 400-meter distance remained the crown discipline of Marita, where for several years she had no equal. Excellent preparation at distances of 100 and 200 meters, especially an explosive start, was a good help in a long sprint [1] . In 1978, she twice more improved the world record in 400 meters running - 49.03 and 48.94 s. She showed her last result on August 31 at the European Championships in Prague, where she won a gold medal in the 400m race and another one in the 4x400m relay [2] .
The 1979 season, Marita begins in great shape. On June 3, in Leipzig, she improves her world record at a distance of 200 m - 22.02 s. It takes only a week, and on June 10 in Karl-Marx-Stadt, for the first time in the history of athletics, she overcomes the distance faster than 22 seconds - 21.71.
The result of 21.71 seconds became significant for European runners: it was not possible to beat it for a long time, although it was possible to repeat it three times - once it was done by Marita Koch herself in 1984 and twice by her compatriot Heike Drexler in 1986. The result of 21.71 s kept the European record status until August 28, 2015 (on this day, as part of the World Athletics Championships in Beijing, the Dutch runner Daphne Schippers updated it by running a distance of 200 m in 21.63 s).
Following the records at the 200-meter distance, two records at the 400-meter followed. On July 29 and August 4, 1979 at competitions in Potsdam and Turin, Marita shows results of 48.89 and 48.60 s. On August 16 of the same year, she becomes the owner of the World Cup, for the fourth time in her sports career, having run a distance faster than 49 seconds - 48.97 s [4] .
1980 year. Moscow Olympics
Unconnected with professional athletics, the general public Marita Kokh became known only in 1980, when she won two medals at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow - gold at the 400-meter distance and silver in the relay race 4x400 meters [1] .
1981-1982
In 1981, Marita Koch suffered the first defeat in many years at a 400-meter distance from her main rival, Yarmila Kratokhvilova from Czechoslovakia.
In 1982, Marita set another world record. On September 8, at the European Championships in Athens, she won at a distance of 400 meters with a score of 48.16 seconds, and then won a gold medal in the relay race 4x400 meters.
1983 year. Helsinki World Championship
In 1983, Marita practically did not run her main distance of 400 meters and concentrated on a short sprint. At the first world championship in Helsinki, she wins three gold medals - at a distance of 200 meters and in relay races 4x100 and 4x400 meters. In addition, she wins a 100-meter silver medal. At the same championship, Yarmila Kratokhvilova took her world record in 400 meters from Marita Koch, for the first time in the history of athletics, having run a distance faster than 48 seconds - 47.99 seconds.
1984-1986
In 1984, Marita Koch was at the peak of her sports career. She was busy preparing for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, which were to become her high point. In June-July, she runs three times a distance of 400 meters faster than 49 seconds. However, Marita did not have to participate in the Olympics because of the Olympic boycott, organized by the leadership of the USSR and supported by all countries of the socialist camp, except Romania. Instead, she had to participate in the alternative Friendship-84 games, the women's athletics program in Prague on August 16-18. Marita Koch won the competition at a distance of 400 meters with a great time - 48.16 s, which was the repetition of her personal record and the second result in the history of athletics. It was almost 0.7 seconds better than the result of the winner of the Los Angeles Olympics, Valerie Briscoe-Hooks. Nevertheless, as Marita herself said, the Olympic boycott became one of the most powerful disappointments in her life.
She tried to make up for lost opportunities in 1985 at the World Cup in Canberra, where she won three gold medals (200 and 400 meters run, 4x400 meters relay) and set a phenomenal, still unbeaten world record at 400 meters - 47 , 60 s.
Marita was preparing to speak at the 1988 Olympics, but was forced to refuse to participate due to old injuries and left the big sport.
Suspected Doping
Like many other athletes of the former GDR , Marita came under suspicion of doping . For more than 30 years, none of the modern athletes can even remotely come close to its results.
In 1991, the efforts of anti-doping activists Brigita Berendonk and Werner Franke, published data on mass falsification in training athletes of the GDR. In particular, it was recognized that Marita Koch was taking doses of the anabolic steroid Oral-Turinabol in order to increase results. Marita herself refuses to comment on this investigation, reporting, for example, that in 1983, during the World Championships in Athletics, she repeatedly passed doping tests. [five]
Personal life
Since 1975, married to coach Wolfgang Meyer. Currently lives in Rostock , owns a fashion store. Daughter Ulrika (born 1989) studies German studies and politics at Rostock University [6] .
Results
Best results by years [2]
| Year | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 meter run (s) | 11.28 | 11.16 | 11.12 | 10.99 | 11.16 | 11.01 | 10.83 | 11.13 | 10.97 | |||
| World Listing | eleven | four | four | 3 | eight | five | 3 | 12 | 3 | |||
| 200 meters run (s) | 22.70 | 22.38 | 22.06 | 21.71 | 22.34 | 21.76 | 21.82 | 21.71 | 21.78 | 22,20 | ||
| World Listing | 7 | 2 | one | one | 6 | one | one | one | one | 6 | ||
| 400 meters run (s) | 51.60 | 50.19 | 49.53 | 48.94 | 48.60 | 48.88 | 49.27 | 48.16 | 48.16 | 47.60 | 48.22 | |
| World Listing | eight | four | 2 | one | one | one | 2 | one | one | one | one |
All results are better than 51.00 c at a distance of 400 meters [4]
| Res. | A place | Stadium | date | Competition | Etc. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | |||||||||
| 50.60 | 1h | Dresden | 05/08/1976 | PB | |||||
| 50.46 | 2 | Dresden | 05/09/1976 | PB | |||||
| 50.61 | 2h3 | Dresden | 05/19/1976 | ||||||
| 50.47 | 2 | Dresden | 05/19/1976 | ||||||
| 50.49 | 1h | Karl-Marx-Stadt | 05/29/1976 | ||||||
| 50.74 | one | Karl-Marx-Stadt | 05/30/1976 | ||||||
| 50.19 | 3 | Berlin | 07/10/1976 | PB | |||||
| 1977 | |||||||||
| 50.61 | one | Karl-Marx-Stadt | 06/25/1977 | ||||||
| 50.09 | one | Leipzig | 07/27/1977 | PB | |||||
| 49.68 | one | Dresden | 08/07/1977 | PB | |||||
| 49.53 | one | Helsinki | 08/13/1977 | PB | |||||
| 49.76 | 2 | Dusseldorf | 09/03/1977 | ||||||
| 1978 | |||||||||
| 50.72 | 1h2 | Leipzig | 07/01/1978 | GDR Championship | |||||
| 49.19 | one | Leipzig | 07/02/1978 | Wr | |||||
| 49.03 | one | Potsdam | 08/19/1978 | Wr | |||||
| 48.94 | Prague | 08/31/1978 | Europe championship | Wr | |||||
| 1979 | |||||||||
| 48.89 | one | Potsdam | 07/29/1979 | Wr | |||||
| 48.60 | one | Turin | 08/04/1979 | Wr | |||||
| 48.97 | Montreal | 08/26/1979 | world Cup | ||||||
| 1980 | |||||||||
| 49.95 | 1h1 | Jena | 05/17/1980 | ||||||
| 49.15 | one | Erfurt | 05/18/1980 | ||||||
| 49.74 | one | Potsdam | 07/13/1980 | ||||||
| 49.55 | one | Cottbus | 07/17/1980 | GDR Championship | |||||
| 50.57 | 1s1 | Moscow | 07/27/1980 | ||||||
| 48.88 | Moscow | 07/28/1980 | |||||||
| 1981 | |||||||||
| 49.65 | one | Tbilisi | 06/26/1981 | ||||||
| 49.64 | one | Jena | 08/08/1981 | GDR Championship | |||||
| 49.43 | one | Zagreb | 08/15/1981 | ||||||
| 49.27 | 2 | Rome | 09/06/1981 | ||||||
| 1982 | |||||||||
| 49.87 | 2 | Erfurt | 05/30/1982 | ||||||
| 49.49 | one | Cottbus | 06/25/1982 | ||||||
| 48.77 | one | Karl-Marx-Stadt | 07/09/1982 | ||||||
| 48.87 | one | Brussels | 08/27/1982 | ||||||
| 50.22 | 1h1 | Athens | 09/07/1982 | Europe championship | |||||
| 48.16 | Athens | 09/08/1982 | Wr | ||||||
| 49.58 | one | Tokyo | 09/24/1982 | ||||||
| 1984 | |||||||||
| 49.44 | one | Potsdam | 05/25/1984 | ||||||
| 49.96 | 1h1 | Erfurt | 06/01/1984 | GDR Championship | |||||
| 48.86 | one | Erfurt | 06/02/1984 | ||||||
| 48.89 | one | Berlin | 07/15/1984 | ||||||
| 48.26 | one | Dresden | 07/27/1984 | ||||||
| 50.29 | 2h1 | Prague | 08/16/1984 | ||||||
| 48.16 | 1rA | Prague | 08/17/1984 | PB = | |||||
| 1985 | |||||||||
| 48.97 | one | Berlin | 09/22/1985 | ||||||
| 47.60 | Canberra | 10/06/1985 | world Cup | Wr | |||||
| 1986 | |||||||||
| 49.24 | one | Dresden | 08/16/1986 | The Golden Oval | |||||
| 50.74 | 1s2 | Stuttgart | 08/27/1986 | Europe championship | |||||
| 48.22 | Stuttgart | 08/28/1986 | |||||||
| 49.28 | one | Brussels | 09/05/1986 | ||||||
| 49.17 | Rome | 09/10/1986 | Grand Prix Final | ||||||
Personal Records
| Discipline | Result | Year | A place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 m | 7.04 | 1985 | Senftenberg |
| 100 m | 10.83 | 1983 | Berlin |
| 200 m | 21.71 | 1979 | Karl-Marx-Stadt |
| 400 m (world record) | 47.60 | 1985 | Canberra |
Notes
- β 1 2 3 4 5 6 Marita Koch in: Encyclopedia of World Biography. - Gale, 2006 .-- 576 p. - ISBN 1414400977 , 978-1414400976 ..
- β 1 2 3 4 Track and Field Statistics. Women, 400 m> All-Years - trackfield.brinkster.net
- β Marita Koch - Olympic statistics at Sports-Reference.com
- β 1 2 Track and Field all-time performances. All-time women's best 400 m - on alltime-athletics.com.
- β "Sports and state secrets" Alexey Molostov - Kiev Telegraph October 21 - 27, 2005 No. 42 (284); link checked January 6, 2009
- β Shainsky E. Marita Koch: βMoscow gold hung in the balanceβ (inaccessible link) . - Sport Express, July 18, 2011.
Other Articles
- Chronology of world records in the 200-meter race (women)
- Chronology of world records in the 400 meter race (women)
Links
Statistics
- Marita Koch - profile on IAAF website
Articles
- Simon Turnbull After a quarter of a century, Koch remains untouchable . - The Independent, Sunday 05 September 2010.
- JΓΆrg Wenig Marita Koch's former coach sets up a sprint team in Rostock and aims for Athens . - IAAF News, Friday, 02 February 2001.
- Philip Hersh Ex-sprint Queen Hears Drug Doubts. Koch Defends Her Career . - Chicago Tribune, September 14, 2000.
- Marita Koch Leads East German Women . - Chicago Tribune, October 08, 1985.
- Hubertus von HΓΆrsten Marita Meier-Koch: Ich bin ein Olympia-Pechvogel . - Spiegel, 09/14/2000.
- Marita Koch - 400-m-Weltrekordlerin aus frΓΌheren Zeiten - a selection of photos on the website www.ndr.de.
- Andreas Schlebach Marita Koch - Viertelmeilerin von einem anderen Stern? - on the website www.ndr.de.
- Marita Kochs Top Ten ΓΌber 400 Meter at www.ndr.de.
Video
- Marita Koch Women's 400m World Record - video of the 400m final at the Canberra 1985 World Cup, where Marita Koch set a world record of 47.60 s.
- Marita Koch 47.60 RM 400 metros Canberra 6-Oct-1985 - video of the 400m final of the Canberra 1985 World Cup, where Marita Koch set a world record of 47.60 s.