Karin Krebs

Summary

Karin Krebs (née Burneleit, born 18 August 1943) is a retired East German middle-distance runner. She won the 800 metres race at the 1968 European Indoor Games, but failed to reach the 800 m Olympic final the same year. She then focused on the 1500 m event and won it at the 1971 European Championships, setting a new world record at 4:09.6 minutes. She placed fourth at the 1972 Olympics, and her world record was broken earlier in July 1972 by the future Olympic gold medalist Lyudmila Bragina.[2] Krebs had her last intentional success in 1974 when she won the silver medal over 1500 m at the European Indoor Championships.[3]

Karin Krebs
Krebs at the 1972 Olympics
Personal information
Born18 August 1943 (1943-08-18) (age 80)
Gumbinnen, Germany
Height167 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Weight51 kg (112 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event1500 m
ClubSC Dynamo Berlin
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)800 m – 2:00.1 (1971)
1500 m – 4:04.11 (1972)[1]
Medal record
Representing  East Germany
European Athletics Championships
Gold medal – first place 1971 Helsinki 1500 m
European Athletics Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 1968 Madrid 800 m
Silver medal – second place 1974 Gothenburg 1500 m

Domestically Krebs won the East German 800 m title in 1968 outdoors[4] and in 1966 and 1968 indoors.[5] She also held the national 1500 m indoor title in 1971 and 1974.[6]

While passing the gender test at the 1968 Olympics Krebs learned that she was three-month pregnant. After the 1972 Olympics she married her teammate, long-distance runner Joachim Krebs. Their daughter Nadja (born 1976) also became a runner. Krebs was a horticulturist by profession, but worked for the East German Track and Field Association. After the Unification of Germany in 1990 she became a self-employed sports and event manager.[3]

References edit

  1. ^ Karin Krebs (née Burneleit). trackfield.brinkster.net
  2. ^ Women's 1500m. World Record Progression Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  3. ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Karin Krebs". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020.
  4. ^ East German championships, women's 800 metres – Sport-Komplett. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  5. ^ East German indoor championships, women's 800 metres – Sport-Komplett. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  6. ^ East German indoor championships, women's 1500 metres – Sport-Komplett. Retrieved 2 August 2008.