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 (born on April 6, 1965) is a former swimmer from East Germany. She was very good at backstroke swimming. When she was just fifteen years old, she set four new world records at the Moscow Games. She won three gold medals there: one in the 100-meter backstroke, one in the 200-meter backstroke, and another as part of the 4x100-meter medley relay team.
Rica's Swimming Journey
Rica Reinisch was born in Seifhennersdorf, a town that is now in Saxony, 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 talented young athletes.
By the time she was 12, Rica could swim the 100-meter backstroke in 1 minute and 14.3 seconds. Just two years later, at age 14, she was ranked among the top 20 female swimmers in the world for the 100-meter backstroke.
In early 1980, Rica began to realize she could become an Olympic champion. She competed in a big swimming event in Austin, Texas, where she almost beat the American world champion, Linda Jezek. A month later, Rica swam even faster, getting very close to the world record. She also improved a lot in the 200-meter backstroke. She worked hard and got ready for the Olympic Games, even after a tough national championship.
Challenges and Discoveries
Rica Reinisch, like many athletes from East Germany during that time, was given special substances by her coaches. These substances were meant to make athletes stronger and faster. However, Rica's mother noticed that Rica was having serious health problems, including severe pain. Because of these health concerns, her mother made her stop swimming when she was only sixteen, right after the Moscow Olympics.
Years later, after East and West Germany became one country again, it was discovered that many East German athletes had been given these substances without their full knowledge. Rica later received money as part of a court case about this issue. She has two children now. Rica once said, "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 meant to her to know if her wins were truly her own.
See also
In Spanish: Rica Reinisch para niños
- List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
External links
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