Karin Balzer facts for kids
Karin Balzer at the East German track and field athletics Olympic preselections in Halle an der Saale in October 1963
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Quick facts for kids Personal information |
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| Born | 5 June 1938 Magdeburg, Germany |
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| Died | 17 December 2019 (aged 81) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 64 kg (141 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 80, 100 m hurdles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | SC DHfK SC Leipzig |
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| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 80 mH – 10.61 (1968) 100 mH – 12.6 (1971) |
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Medal record
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Karin Balzer (born Richert; 5 June 1938 – 17 December 2019) was an amazing East German hurdler. She was famous for her speed and skill in hurdle races.
Karin competed in the 80 meter hurdles at the 1960, 1964, and 1968 Olympic Games. Later, she raced in the 100 meter hurdles at the 1972 Olympics. She won a gold medal in 1964 and a bronze medal in 1972. Throughout her career, Karin set 37 world records or best performances!
Contents
Karin Balzer's Early Life and Career
Karin Richert was born in Magdeburg, Germany. As a teenager, she loved track and field sports. She was especially good at the 80 meter hurdles.
Karin qualified for the 1960 Summer Olympics. At that time, athletes from both East and West Germany competed together. She almost made it to the final race, finishing fourth in her semifinal.
Marriage and First Medals
The next year, Karin married her coach, Karl-Heinz Balzer. He was a former pole vaulter. After marrying, she competed as Karin Balzer.
In 1962, she won her first international medal. It was a silver medal at the 1962 European Athletics Championships. In 1964, Karin tied a world record in the hurdles. This happened during a pentathlon competition. Even though she was good at pentathlon, she focused on hurdles for major events.
Olympic and European Success
Gold Medal at the Tokyo Olympics (1964)
At the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, Karin won a gold medal! She competed in the 80 meter hurdles final. It was a very close race. The top three runners all finished in 10.5 seconds.
Electronic timing showed that Karin was just a tiny bit faster. She beat the other medalists by one and two hundredths of a second. This made her an Olympic champion!
Continued Victories and New Hurdles (1966-1971)
Two years later, Karin won another big title. She took gold at the 1966 European Athletics Championships. In 1968, she competed in the Olympic final again. She finished fifth this time. Karin was also chosen to carry the Olympic flag for East Germany at those Games.
After 1968, the 80 meter hurdles event changed. From 1969 onwards, the race became the 100 meter hurdles. Karin was amazing at this new distance too! She set the very first world record for the 100 meter hurdles in June 1969. She then broke her own record twice that same year.
Karin also kept winning European titles. She won gold in Athens in 1969 and again in Helsinki in 1971. Because of her success, she was voted German Sportspersonality of the Year in 1971.
Bronze Medal at the Munich Olympics (1972)
Karin trained hard for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. During this time, her son, Andreas, was in a serious accident. He passed away the day before her 100 meter hurdles final race. Her husband decided not to tell her until after she competed.
Despite this terrible news, Karin ran incredibly well. She won her second Olympic medal, a bronze! This showed her incredible strength and determination.
Karin's second son, Falk Balzer (born 1973), also became a hurdler. He won a silver medal in the 110 meter hurdles at the 1998 European Championships.
Life After Athletics
Karin Balzer was trained as a chemist. She worked as a lab technician for several years. Later, she became a sports school teacher. She taught in Frankfurt and then in Leipzig.
She also studied at a special sports university and earned a degree in physical education. From 1973 to 1976, she coached athletics at SC Leipzig with her husband.
In 1976, Karin and Karl Balzer faced a difficult decision. They were asked to give certain substances to their athletes that they believed were harmful. They refused to do this. Because of their refusal, they were suspended from coaching.
They then moved to Dresden. Karin worked as a school teacher there for many years. In 1997, Karin and Karl Balzer were able to coach athletics again. Karl passed away in 2007.
See also
