Gesine Walther
Encyclopedia
Gesine Walther is a retired East German sprinter who competed mainly in the 200 metres
.
she became the first European indoor champion in the 200 metres event. At the 1982 European Championships
she finished fifth in the 100 metres
, fourth in the 200 metres
and won a gold medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay
together with teammates Bärbel Wöckel
, Sabine Günther
and Marlies Göhr
. The team finished in 42.19 seconds with Walther running the first leg.
At the 1983 World Championships
she won a gold medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay
, with teammates Sabine Busch
, Marita Koch
and Dagmar Rübsam. On 3 June 1984 in Erfurt
, Walther, together with Sabine Busch, Dagmar Rübsam and Marita Koch, set a world record
in the 4 x 400 metres relay of 3:15.92 minutes. Both the world record and the European record
was improved at the 1988 Olympics
.
Walther represented the sports club SC Turbine Erfurt, and won silver medals at the East German championships in 1984 (100 metres) and 1980 and 1982 (200 metres). Her personal best times were 11.13 in the 100 metres, achieved in August 1982 in Cottbus
, 22.24 in the 200 metres, achieved in July 1982 in Dresden
and 50.03 in the 400 metres
, achieved in May 1984 in Jena
.
Walther is 1.76 metres tall; during her active career she weighed 65 kg.
200 metres
A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
.
Biography
In 19821982 European Championships in Athletics
The 13th European Athletics Championships were held from 6 September to 12 September 1982 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece.-Track:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |1990 |-Field:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |1990 |-Track:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |...
she became the first European indoor champion in the 200 metres event. At the 1982 European Championships
1982 European Championships in Athletics
The 13th European Athletics Championships were held from 6 September to 12 September 1982 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece.-Track:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |1990 |-Field:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |1990 |-Track:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |...
she finished fifth in the 100 metres
1982 European Championships in Athletics - Women's 100 metres
These are the official results of the Women's 100 metres event at the 1982 European Championships in Athens, Greece. The final was held on 7 September 1982.-Final:-Semifinals:-See also:* 1978 Women's European Championships 100 metres...
, fourth in the 200 metres
1982 European Championships in Athletics - Women's 200 metres
These are the official results of the Women's 200 metres event at the 1982 European Championships in Athens, Greece. The final was held on 9 September 1982.-Final:-See also:* 1978 Women's European Championships 200 metres...
and won a gold medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay
1982 European Championships in Athletics - Women's 4 x 100 metres relay
These are the official results of the Women's 4x100 metres event at the 1982 European Championships in Athens, Greece. The final was held on 11 September 1982.-Final:-See also:* 1978 Women's European Championships 4x100m Relay...
together with teammates Bärbel Wöckel
Bärbel Wöckel
Bärbel Wöckel, née Eckert is a retired East German sprinter who specialized in the 200 metres.She won four Olympic gold medals, two each in the 1976 and 1980 Olympics...
, Sabine Günther
Sabine Günther
Sabine Günther, née Rieger is a retired East German sprinter who competed mainly in the 200 metres.She won the 200 metres gold medal at the 1981 European Junior Championships...
and Marlies Göhr
Marlies Göhr
Marlies Göhr is a former East German athlete, the winner of the 100 m at the inaugural World Championships in 1983. She ranked in the top 10 of the 100 m world rankings for twelve straight years, ranking first in six of those years...
. The team finished in 42.19 seconds with Walther running the first leg.
At the 1983 World Championships
1983 World Championships in Athletics - Women's 4 x 400 metres relay
The 4 x 400 metres relay at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on August 13 and August 14.-Medals:-Records:Existing records at the start of the event.-Heats:All times shown are in minutes.-Heat 1:...
she won a gold medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay
1983 World Championships in Athletics - Women's 4 x 400 metres relay
The 4 x 400 metres relay at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on August 13 and August 14.-Medals:-Records:Existing records at the start of the event.-Heats:All times shown are in minutes.-Heat 1:...
, with teammates Sabine Busch
Sabine Busch
Sabine Busch is a retired East German athlete who specialized in the 400 metres and the 400 metres hurdles. She was born in Erfurt.At the 1982 European Championships she finished fourth in the 400 metres hurdles, but won a gold medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay together with teammates Kirsten...
, Marita Koch
Marita Koch
Marita Koch , is a former sprint track and field athlete...
and Dagmar Rübsam. On 3 June 1984 in Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
, Walther, together with Sabine Busch, Dagmar Rübsam and Marita Koch, set a world record
World records in athletics
World records in the sport of athletics are ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Athletics records comprise the best performances in the sports of track and field, road running and racewalking....
in the 4 x 400 metres relay of 3:15.92 minutes. Both the world record and the European record
European records in athletics
European records in the sport of athletics are ratified by the European Athletic Association. Records are kept for all events contested at the Olympic Games and some others. Unofficial records for some other events are kept by track and field statisticians...
was improved at the 1988 Olympics
Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics
At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul a total number of 42 events in athletics were contested: 24 by men and 18 by women. There were a total number of 1617 participating athletes from 149 countries.-Men's events:...
.
Walther represented the sports club SC Turbine Erfurt, and won silver medals at the East German championships in 1984 (100 metres) and 1980 and 1982 (200 metres). Her personal best times were 11.13 in the 100 metres, achieved in August 1982 in Cottbus
Cottbus
Cottbus is a city in Brandenburg, Germany, situated around southeast of Berlin, on the River Spree. As of , its population was .- History :...
, 22.24 in the 200 metres, achieved in July 1982 in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
and 50.03 in the 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
, achieved in May 1984 in Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
.
Walther is 1.76 metres tall; during her active career she weighed 65 kg.