Rica Reinisch facts for kids
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Rika Reinisch after winning the 200 metre backstroke
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | East German | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 6 April 1965 Seifhennersdorf, East Germany |
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| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 132 pounds (60 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Backstroke | |||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Sportclub Einheit Dresden | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Rica Reinisch (later Assmann then Neumann; born on April 6, 1965) is a former swimmer from East Germany. She was a super talented backstroke swimmer. At just 15 years old, she set four new world records at the Moscow Olympic Games. She won three gold medals there: one for the 100-meter backstroke, one for the 200-meter backstroke, and another as part of the 4x100-meter medley relay team.
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Becoming an Olympic Swimmer
Rica Reinisch was born in Seifhennersdorf, a town in what was then East Germany. She started swimming when she was only eight years old. Her amazing swimming skills helped her get a spot at the Dresden Sports School, a special school for young athletes.
Early Achievements
By the time she was 12, Rica was already swimming the 100-meter backstroke in a very fast time of 1 minute and 14.3 seconds. Just two years later, at 14, she was ranked among the top 20 female swimmers in the world for the 100-meter backstroke.
Road to the Olympics
In January 1980, Rica realized she had a real chance to become an Olympic champion. She competed in a big swimming event in Austin, Texas, which was like a mini "world championship" for female swimmers. She almost beat the American world champion, Linda Jezek.
A month later, Rica swam even faster, setting a time that was better than any other active swimmer at that moment. She was less than a second away from the world record! She also swam the 200-meter backstroke in a very impressive time. Rica was clearly on her way to breaking records. She worked hard, even when she faced tough competition at the national championships. She kept improving just in time for the Olympic Games.
Challenges and Retirement
Like many athletes from East Germany during that time, Rica Reinisch was given special substances by her coaches. These substances were not allowed in sports and were given to athletes without their full knowledge or consent.
Health Concerns and Retirement
After the Moscow Olympics, Rica started to experience health problems. Because of these issues, her mother insisted that Rica stop swimming. Rica retired from the sport at the young age of 16, shortly after her big Olympic wins.
Truth Comes Out
Years later, after the Berlin Wall came down and East Germany reunited with West Germany, official records showed what had happened. It was confirmed that many East German athletes, including Rica, had been given these banned substances.
Rica Reinisch later married and had two children. She was quoted saying, "The worst thing is they took away from me the opportunity to ever know if I could have won the gold medals without the steroids. That's the greatest betrayal of all." This shows how much it affected her to not know if her amazing achievements were truly all her own.
See also
- List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
External links
- Rica Reinisch for kids (in Spanish)
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