Gretel Bergmann
Encyclopedia
Gretel Bergmann, also known as Margaret Bergmann-Lambert (born 12 April 1914) is a German-born athlete
who competed as a high jump
er during the 1930s.
, Germany
, where she later began her career in athletics. In 1930 she joined Ulmer FV 1894, achieving a German record in high jumping in 1931 when, during the South German Championships, she crossed 1.51 metres. After the Nazis
' accession to power on 30 January 1933, she was expelled from the club for being Jewish. That April, her parents sent her to the United Kingdom
, where in 1934 she took part in the British Championships and won the high jump by crossing 1.55 metres.
The German government wanted her to return to Germany in order to help portray the nation as a liberal-minded, tolerant country. Members of her family, who had stayed behind, were threatened with reprisals if she did not return. She complied and returned to Germany, where she was allowed to prepare for the 1936 Olympic Games
. She won the Württemberg
ian Championships in the high jump in 1935. On 30 June 1936, one month prior to the opening of the Olympic Games, she tied the German record by crossing 1.60 metres. However, two weeks before the opening of the Olympics, her accomplishment was stricken from the record books and she received a letter from the German sports authorities that she was being removed from the national team for under-performance. She was replaced by high jumper Dora Ratjen
, who was later revealed to be a man who had been raised as a girl.
In 1937, Bergmann emigrated to the United States
, settling in New York City
, where she married Bruno Lambert, a doctor
. That year, she won the U.S. women's high jump and shotput championships, and in 1938 she again won the high jump. Her sports career ended after the outbreak of World War II
. In 1942, she received United States citizenship
.
was named after her on the recommendation of the German National Sports Federation. Bergmann, who had vowed never to set foot on German soil again, did not attend the festivities.
In 1996, she was admitted to the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in the United States. In 1999, she received the Georg von Opel-Preis for achievements in the sphere of sports and society without the prospect of material gains.
The stadium in Laupheim, from which she had been barred in the 1930s, was named after her in 1999. This time, Bergmann attended the dedication, saying:
In 2004, a documentary based on her life in Germany, Hitler's Pawn – The Margaret Lambert Story, debuted on HBO.
On 23 November 2009, her German national record (1.60m) from 1936 was officially restored by the German track and field association, which also requested she be admitted to the German sports hall of fame.
In September 2009, a movie about her life, Berlin 36
, debuted in German theaters.
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
who competed as a high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
er during the 1930s.
Biography
Bergmann was born in LaupheimLaupheim
Laupheim is a city in southern Germany in the state of Baden Württemberg. Laupheim was first mentioned in 778 and gained its city rights in 1869. One of the main trading routes, from Ulm to Ravensburg and then on towards Lake Constance ran through Laupheim...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where she later began her career in athletics. In 1930 she joined Ulmer FV 1894, achieving a German record in high jumping in 1931 when, during the South German Championships, she crossed 1.51 metres. After the Nazis
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
' accession to power on 30 January 1933, she was expelled from the club for being Jewish. That April, her parents sent her to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where in 1934 she took part in the British Championships and won the high jump by crossing 1.55 metres.
The German government wanted her to return to Germany in order to help portray the nation as a liberal-minded, tolerant country. Members of her family, who had stayed behind, were threatened with reprisals if she did not return. She complied and returned to Germany, where she was allowed to prepare for the 1936 Olympic Games
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
. She won the Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
ian Championships in the high jump in 1935. On 30 June 1936, one month prior to the opening of the Olympic Games, she tied the German record by crossing 1.60 metres. However, two weeks before the opening of the Olympics, her accomplishment was stricken from the record books and she received a letter from the German sports authorities that she was being removed from the national team for under-performance. She was replaced by high jumper Dora Ratjen
Dora Ratjen
Heinrich Ratjen was a German athlete who competed for Germany in the women's high jump at the 1936 Summer Olympics at Berlin, finishing fourth, but was later discovered to be male...
, who was later revealed to be a man who had been raised as a girl.
In 1937, Bergmann emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, settling in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where she married Bruno Lambert, a doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
. That year, she won the U.S. women's high jump and shotput championships, and in 1938 she again won the high jump. Her sports career ended after the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1942, she received United States citizenship
United States nationality law
Article I, section 8, clause 4 of the United States Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. The Immigration and Naturalization Act sets forth the legal requirements for the acquisition of, and divestiture from, citizenship of...
.
Honors and commemoration
In August 1995, a sports complex in Berlin-WilmersdorfWilmersdorf
Wilmersdorf is an inner city locality of Berlin, formerly a borough by itself but since Berlin's 2001 administrative reform a part of the new borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf.-History:...
was named after her on the recommendation of the German National Sports Federation. Bergmann, who had vowed never to set foot on German soil again, did not attend the festivities.
In 1996, she was admitted to the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in the United States. In 1999, she received the Georg von Opel-Preis for achievements in the sphere of sports and society without the prospect of material gains.
The stadium in Laupheim, from which she had been barred in the 1930s, was named after her in 1999. This time, Bergmann attended the dedication, saying:
In 2004, a documentary based on her life in Germany, Hitler's Pawn – The Margaret Lambert Story, debuted on HBO.
On 23 November 2009, her German national record (1.60m) from 1936 was officially restored by the German track and field association, which also requested she be admitted to the German sports hall of fame.
In September 2009, a movie about her life, Berlin 36
Berlin 36
Berlin 36 is a 2009 German film telling the fate of Jewish athlete Gretel Bergmann in the 1936 Summer Olympics. She was replaced by the Nazi regime by an athlete later discovered to be a man...
, debuted in German theaters.
See also
- 1936 Summer Olympics1936 Summer OlympicsThe 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
- List of Jews in sports
- List of Jewish American sportspeople
Film
- Die Angst sprang mit – Die jüdische Hochspringerin Gretel Bergmann (SWR 2004)
- Hitler's Pawn – The Margaret Lambert Story (HBO, 2004)
- Berlin 36Berlin 36Berlin 36 is a 2009 German film telling the fate of Jewish athlete Gretel Bergmann in the 1936 Summer Olympics. She was replaced by the Nazi regime by an athlete later discovered to be a man...
(Germany 2009), a faction film based on her story (website, IMDb)
External links
- Voices on Antisemitism Interview with Margaret Lambert from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Webpage about Gretel Bergmann
- Another article about Gretel Bergmann
- Webpage of Laupheim (in German)
- Her encyclopedia entry at the Jewish Women's Archive
- Los Angeles Times article: From Nazi pawn to U.S. champion