Gunhild Hoffmeister (born 6 July 1944) is a retired German middle-distance runner. She competed at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics and won two silver and one bronze medal, becoming the only German distance runner to win three Olympic medals. Together with Hans Grodotzki, she is the only German runner to win two medals at the same Olympics. Her personal best time in 1,500 metres was 4:01.4, achieved in July 1976 in Potsdam. This places her ninth on the German all-time list.[2]

Gunhild Hoffmeister
Hoffmeister at the 1972 Olympics
Personal information
Born (1944-07-06) 6 July 1944 (age 80)
Forst, Germany
Height172 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight56 kg (123 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)800 m, 1500 m
ClubSC Cottbus
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)800 m – 1:58.61 (1976)
1500 m – 4:01.4 (1976)[1]
Medal record
Representing  East Germany
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1972 Munich 1500 m
Silver medal – second place 1976 Montreal 1500 m
Bronze medal – third place 1972 Munich 800 m
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1974 Rome 1500 m
Silver medal – second place 1971 Helsinki 1500 m
Silver medal – second place 1974 Rome 800 m
European Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 1972 Grenoble 800 m
Bronze medal – third place 1974 Gothenburg 800 m

At the European Championships, Hoffmeister won five medals between 1971 and 1974: three outdoors and two indoors. She also won the European Cup in 1973 and placed second in 1970. Domestically, she collected 15 outdoor and two indoor East German titles. She set three world records: in the 1,000 m in 1972 and in two 4 × 800 m relays in 1969 and 1976.[3]

Hoffmeister was a sports teacher by training and after retiring from competitions became deputy chief of the Children and Youth School in Cottbus. She was also active in politics and was a member of East German Parliament in 1971–76. Until the German reunification in 1990, she served as a board member of the East German Sports Federation, and after that worked as a sports rehabilitation therapist in Berlin. Her daughter Kerstin also became a competitive runner.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Gunhild Hoffmeister. trackfield.brinkster.net
  2. ^ ""Ewige" Bestenliste der deutschen Leichtathletik" ["Eternal" list of the best in German athletics] (PDF). leichtathletik.de (in German). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2007.
  3. ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Gunhild Hoffmeister". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
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