Kornelia Ender facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kornelia Ender

Ender during the European Cup in August 1973
Personal information
Nationality	German
Born	(1958-10-25) 25 October 1958 (age 66) Plauen, East Germany (now Saxony, Germany)
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	59 kilograms (130 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle, butterfly, medley
Club	SV Halle
Medal record Women's swimming Representing  East Germany Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 4 4 0 World Championships (LC) 8 2 0 European Championships (LC) 4 0 0 Total 16 6 0 Olympic Games Gold 1976 Montreal 100 m freestyle Gold 1976 Montreal 200 m freestyle Gold 1976 Montreal 100 m butterfly Gold 1976 Montreal 4×100 m medley Silver 1972 Munich 200 m individual medley Silver 1972 Munich 4×100 m freestyle Silver 1972 Munich 4×100 m medley Silver 1976 Montreal 4×100 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Gold 1973 Belgrade 100 m freestyle Gold 1973 Belgrade 100 m butterfly Gold 1973 Belgrade 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1973 Belgrade 4×100 m medley Gold 1975 Cali 100 m freestyle Gold 1975 Cali 100 m butterfly Gold 1975 Cali 4x100 m freestyle Gold 1975 Cali 4x100 m medley Silver 1973 Belgrade 200 m medley Silver 1975 Cali 200 m freestyle European Championships (LC) Gold 1974 Vienna 100 m freestyle Gold 1974 Vienna 200 m freestyle Gold 1974 Vienna 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1974 Vienna 4×100 m medley

Kornelia Ender, born on October 25, 1958, is a famous former swimmer from East Germany. She made history at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. There, she became the first woman swimmer to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games. What's even more amazing is that she set new world records in all four of those races!

Kornelia Ender: A Swimming Champion

Kornelia Ender started training for swimming when she was very young. Her hard work paid off quickly. At just 13 years old, she competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. She won three silver medals at these Games. One of these was in the 200 meter individual medley race.

Breaking World Records

After her first Olympics, Kornelia continued to improve. Over the next few years, she broke an incredible 32 world records in individual swimming events. This shows how incredibly talented and dedicated she was. Her biggest moment came at the Montreal Games. She won four gold medals, each with a new world record.

Challenges and Her Story

Years later, there were questions about how some East German athletes achieved such strong results. In 1991, Kornelia Ender shared her side of the story. She explained that team doctors and coaches had given her many injections. They told her these would help her "regenerate and recuperate" after tough training. She did not know what the substances were at the time. She was surprised by how much muscle she gained. However, she thought it was just from her intense training.

When she became suspicious in 1977 and refused to take certain substances, she was removed from the team. This shows her strong character and honesty.

Life After Swimming

Kornelia Ender was married to another famous East German swimmer, Roland Matthes, for four years. He was also an Olympic champion. Later, she married Steffen Grummt. He was a track and field athlete and bobsledder from East Germany.

See also

In Spanish: Kornelia Ender para niños