Anja Rücker

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Anja Rücker medal table

400 m , 4 × 400 m

Germany Democratic Republic 1949GDR German Democratic Republic , GermanyGermanyGermany 
Olympic games
bronze 1996 Atlanta 4 × 400 m
World championships
gold 1997 Athens 4 × 400 m
silver 1999 Seville 400 m
bronze 1999 Seville 4 × 400 m
European championships
bronze 1994 Helsinki 4 × 400 m
Junior European Championships
gold 1989 Varaždin 4 × 400 m
gold 1991 Thessaloniki 4 × 400 m
silver 1991 Thessaloniki 400 m

Anja Rücker (born December 20, 1972 in Lobenstein ) is a German athlete who became vice world champion over 400 meters in 1999 .

With the 4 x 400 meter relay , she became world champion in 1997 and won the bronze medal at the 1996 Olympic Games .

Personal best

discipline power date place
400 m 49.74 s August 26, 1999 Seville
400 meters (hall) 51.99 s February 13, 2000 Sindelfingen
200 metres 23.40 s August 20, 1996 Leverkusen
200 meters (hall) 23.34 s January 16, 2000 Chemnitz
60 meter hurdles (hall) 8.65 s January 16, 2000 Chemnitz

Athletic career

Anja Rücker was one of the most outstanding runners in the GDR even in the junior division . At the age of 13 she already ran the 400 meters in 56.25 s and at 16 she ran 54.47 s. She achieved a rare double success at the last children and youth spartakiad of the GDR in 1989, when she won over 100 meters and 400 meters. At the age of 19 she already had a best performance of 51.33 s. From 1992 to 1998, however, their development stagnated over 400 meters. One of the reasons was increasing Achilles tendon problems, which forced her to take a year off in 1995. She took part in the 1996 Summer Olympics, where she won a bronze medal with the 4x400m relay. For this win, she and the season were awarded the Silver Laurel Leaf by the Federal President. After winning the world championship title in 1997 with the 4 x 400 meter relay , she had to undergo surgery on both Achilles tendons at the end of 1997.

In the summer of 1998 she switched to Karin Balzer and Karl-Heinz Balzer's training group . Under their leadership, Anja Rücker exploited her potential, despite persistent Achilles tendon problems, and in 1999 became vice world champion over 400 meters in 49.74 s. In the indoor season of 2000 she ran over 200 meters and 400 meters personal bests. At the European Indoor Championships in Ghent in 2000, a DLV doctor administered an anesthetic injection to her left calf before the 400-meter run , which was incorrectly dosed. As a result of the loss of sensation in her left lower leg, she bent over during the advance and fell. As a result, a double ligament tear and a tear in the left Achilles tendon were diagnosed. This incident ruined her successful career. As a result of this injury, the left Achilles tendon tore 30% across and 8 cm lengthways in the summer of 2000. After surgery on the left Achilles tendon, she returned after 4 weeks of specific training in 2001 with a fifth place over 400 meters in 51.55 s at the German Championships in Stuttgart. So she had qualified as a substitute runner for the 4 x 400 meter relay, the World Championships in Edmonton , but waived. In 2002, the right Achilles tendon tore, which led to another operation. Shingles was previously diagnosed. In the summer of 2005 she started again with the specific training and in 2006 became the South German indoor champion over 400 meters. In April 2006 she contracted Pfeiffer's glandular fever . To rule out further complications, heel spurs were removed from both feet in July 2006 . After a short, unspecific training session, Anja Rücker took fourth place at the German Championships in Erfurt in summer 2007 over 400 meters. In 2008, after a sports accident, the middle finger of her right hand had to be amputated. At the Thuringian Championships in June 2012 Anja Rücker competed in her last athletics competition. Her focus is now on her career in bobsleigh, which began in 2011.

Professional career

After completing secondary school, she learned the trade of precision mechanic. She then completed an apprenticeship as a registrar in the middle service and was employed at the Jena Higher Regional Court until 2006 .

In 1997 she was made an honorary citizen of Bad Lobenstein .

In 2013 she founded the Bad Lobenstein TC athletics club, where she is the chairman.

successes

year success discipline
1986 GDR youth champion age group 13 400 m
1987 Spartakiade winner 400 m
1988 GDR youth champion age group 15 400 m
1989 Junior European Champion 4 × 400 m
Spartakiade winner 100 m
Spartakiade winner 400 m
1990 4th place Junior World Championships 4 × 400 m
8th place Junior World Championships 4 × 400 m
1991 Junior European Champion 4 × 400 m
2nd place Junior European Championships 400 m
Junior Champion 400 m
2nd place German youth championships 400 m
1992 German champion 400 m
6th place Olympic Games 4 × 400 m
6th place World Cup 400 m
5th place World Cup 4 × 400 m
1993 German champion 400 m
European Champion U23 400 m
5th place world championships 4 × 400 m
5th place European Cup 400 m
3rd place in the European Cup 4 × 400 m
1994 German champion 400 m
5th place European Championships 400 m
3rd place European Championships 4 × 400 m
8th place World Cup 400 m
1996 2nd place German championships 400 m
3rd place Olympic Games 4 × 400 m
1997 world champion 4 × 400 m
3rd place indoor world championships 4 × 400 m
2nd place German championships 400 m
2nd place German indoor championships 400 m
1999 Vice World Champion 400 m
3rd place world championships 4 × 400 m
3rd place in the European Cup 400 m
4th place indoor world championships 4 × 400 m
2nd place German championships 400 m
2nd place German indoor championships 400 m
2000 German indoor champion 400 m
2001 5th place German championships 400 m
2003 5th place German indoor championships 400 m
2007 4th place German championships 400 m

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 7. Sports report of the Federal Government of October 26, 1990 to the Bundestag - printed matter 14/1859 - ... the medal winners of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 1994 and 1996 were awarded the Silver Laurel Leaf ...
  2. ↑ Bildzeitung
  3. ↑ Honorary Citizen of Bad Lobenstein ( Memento from August 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ^ Newspaper article on the establishment of the Bad Lobenstein TC
personal data
SURNAME Rücker, Anja
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German athlete
DATE OF BIRTH December 20, 1972
PLACE OF BIRTH Lobenstein , GDR