Heike Henkel

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Heike Henkel

Heike Henkel
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Germany
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place1992 BarcelonaHigh jump
World Championships
Gold medal – first place1991 TokyoHigh jump
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place1991 SevillaHigh jump
Silver medal – second place1993 TorontoHigh jump
Bronze medal – third place1989 BudapestHigh jump
Bronze medal – third place1995 BarcelonaHigh jump
European Championships
Gold medal – first place1990 SplitHigh jump

Heike Henkel (German pronunciation: [ˈhaɪkə ˈhɛŋkl̩] ; born Heike Redetzky; 5 May 1964) is a German former athlete competing in high jump. She was Olympic, World and European champion. She won the high jump gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Biography

[edit]

Having competed for West Germany at the Olympic Games in 1984, where as a 20-year-old she finished eleventh (with a jump of 1.85 meters), and 1988, where she failed to qualify for the final, she emerged as the world's leading female high jumper of the early 1990s. She won the gold medal at the 1990 European Athletics Championships in Split, and the 1991 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo with a then-German record of 2.05 metres. She then won gold at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona with a jump of 2.02 metres. That year, Henkel improved the indoor world record to 2.07 meters at the German Indoor Championships in Karlsruhe and only dipped below 2 metres twice in all her competitions that year (clearing 1.98 metres on both occasions).[1][2]

She became the first high jumper to become European Champion, World Champion, and Olympic Champion in three consecutive years (1990-1992). She also won World Indoor and European Indoor titles in titles and was a 20-time German champion.[3][2][1]

She is one of only four female high jumpers in history to have won all five titles, the other three being Stefka Kostadinova, Mariya Lasitskene and Yaroslava Mahuchikh. In 2021, Lasitskene joined Henkel to became the fourth female high jumper in history (with Kostadinova, and Anna Chicherova) to win gold at both the Olympic Games and the World Championships.[4]

Personal life

[edit]

Henkel was born in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein. From 1989 to 2001, she was married to swimmer Rainer Henkel and interrupted her career twice to give birth to their sons Ravn and Morten, in 1994 and 1997.[1][2]

On 30 April 2004 she married decathlete Paul Meier. Their daughter Marlene Meier is also an athlete and competed for Germany at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships.[5] She earned a degree in graphic design from the Cologne University of Applied Sciences.[2]

Competition record

[edit]
YearCompetitionVenuePositionNotes
Representing  West Germany
1981European Junior ChampionshipsUtrecht, Netherlands5th1.84 m
1984Olympic GamesLos Angeles, United States11th1.85 m
1986European ChampionshipsStuttgart, West Germany6th1.90 m
1987European Indoor ChampionshipsLiévin, France5th1.91 m
World Indoor ChampionshipsIndianapolis, United States6th1.91 m
World ChampionshipsRome, Italy6th1.96 m
1988European Indoor ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary2nd1.97 m
Olympic GamesSeoul, South Korea13th (q)1.90 m
1989World Indoor ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary3rd1.94 m
1990European Indoor ChampionshipsGlasgow, United Kingdom1st2.00 m
European ChampionshipsSplit, Yugoslavia1st1.99 m
Representing  Germany
1991World Indoor ChampionshipsSeville, Spain1st2.00 m
World ChampionshipsTokyo, Japan1st2.05 m
1992European Indoor ChampionshipsGenoa, Italy1st2.02 m
Olympic GamesBarcelona, Spain1st2.02 m
1993World Indoor ChampionshipsToronto, Canada2nd2.02 m
World ChampionshipsStuttgart, Germany11th (q)1.90 m
1994European ChampionshipsHelsinki, Finland11th1.85 m
1995World Indoor ChampionshipsBarcelona, Spain3rd1.99 m
World ChampionshipsGothenburg, Sweden16th (q)1.93 m
2000European Indoor ChampionshipsGhent, Belgium8th1.85 m

Note: Henkel was forced to withdraw from the 1993 World Championship final due to injury, having cleared 1.90 m in the qualifying round.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "High jump to Olympus: Heike Henkel turns 60". leichtathletik.de. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "Interview with high jump legend Heike Henkel – immense wealth of experience as a mental trainer". leichtathletik.de. 28 September 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  3. ^ "TrueTalk: Heike Henkel and why performance also needs breaks". Leichtathletik.de. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  4. ^ Filipova, Viliyana (January 24, 2024). "Mariya Lasitskene Cannot Accept The Fact That She Will Be Forced To Miss The Paris 2024 Olympics". Femisports. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  5. ^ "Driving license cost more nerves than the competitions". ksta.de. October 27, 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
[edit]


    Heike Henkel

    Heike Henkel
    Medal record
    Women's athletics
    Representing  Germany
    Olympic Games
    Gold medal – first place1992 BarcelonaHigh jump
    World Championships
    Gold medal – first place1991 TokyoHigh jump
    World Indoor Championships
    Gold medal – first place1991 SevillaHigh jump
    Silver medal – second place1993 TorontoHigh jump
    Bronze medal – third place1989 BudapestHigh jump
    Bronze medal – third place1995 BarcelonaHigh jump
    European Championships
    Gold medal – first place1990 SplitHigh jump

    Heike Henkel (German pronunciation: [ˈhaɪkə ˈhɛŋkl̩] ; born Heike Redetzky; 5 May 1964) is a German former athlete competing in high jump. She was Olympic, World and European champion. She won the high jump gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

    Biography

    Having competed for West Germany at the Olympic Games in 1984, where as a 20-year-old she finished eleventh (with a jump of 1.85 meters), and 1988, where she failed to qualify for the final, she emerged as the world's leading female high jumper of the early 1990s. She won the gold medal at the 1990 European Athletics Championships in Split, and the 1991 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo with a then-German record of 2.05 metres. She then won gold at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona with a jump of 2.02 metres. That year, Henkel improved the indoor world record to 2.07 meters at the German Indoor Championships in Karlsruhe and only dipped below 2 metres twice in all her competitions that year (clearing 1.98 metres on both occasions).[1][2]

    She became the first high jumper to become European Champion, World Champion, and Olympic Champion in three consecutive years (1990-1992). She also won World Indoor and European Indoor titles in titles and was a 20-time German champion.[3][2][1]

    She is one of only four female high jumpers in history to have won all five titles, the other three being Stefka Kostadinova, Mariya Lasitskene and Yaroslava Mahuchikh. In 2021, Lasitskene joined Henkel to became the fourth female high jumper in history (with Kostadinova, and Anna Chicherova) to win gold at both the Olympic Games and the World Championships.[4]

    Personal life

    Henkel was born in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein. From 1989 to 2001, she was married to swimmer Rainer Henkel and interrupted her career twice to give birth to their sons Ravn and Morten, in 1994 and 1997.[1][2]

    On 30 April 2004 she married decathlete Paul Meier. Their daughter Marlene Meier is also an athlete and competed for Germany at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships.[5] She earned a degree in graphic design from the Cologne University of Applied Sciences.[2]

    Competition record

    YearCompetitionVenuePositionNotes
    Representing  West Germany
    1981European Junior ChampionshipsUtrecht, Netherlands5th1.84 m
    1984Olympic GamesLos Angeles, United States11th1.85 m
    1986European ChampionshipsStuttgart, West Germany6th1.90 m
    1987European Indoor ChampionshipsLiévin, France5th1.91 m
    World Indoor ChampionshipsIndianapolis, United States6th1.91 m
    World ChampionshipsRome, Italy6th1.96 m
    1988European Indoor ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary2nd1.97 m
    Olympic GamesSeoul, South Korea13th (q)1.90 m
    1989World Indoor ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary3rd1.94 m
    1990European Indoor ChampionshipsGlasgow, United Kingdom1st2.00 m
    European ChampionshipsSplit, Yugoslavia1st1.99 m
    Representing  Germany
    1991World Indoor ChampionshipsSeville, Spain1st2.00 m
    World ChampionshipsTokyo, Japan1st2.05 m
    1992European Indoor ChampionshipsGenoa, Italy1st2.02 m
    Olympic GamesBarcelona, Spain1st2.02 m
    1993World Indoor ChampionshipsToronto, Canada2nd2.02 m
    World ChampionshipsStuttgart, Germany11th (q)1.90 m
    1994European ChampionshipsHelsinki, Finland11th1.85 m
    1995World Indoor ChampionshipsBarcelona, Spain3rd1.99 m
    World ChampionshipsGothenburg, Sweden16th (q)1.93 m
    2000European Indoor ChampionshipsGhent, Belgium8th1.85 m

    Note: Henkel was forced to withdraw from the 1993 World Championship final due to injury, having cleared 1.90 m in the qualifying round.

    See also

    References

    1. ^ a b c "High jump to Olympus: Heike Henkel turns 60". leichtathletik.de. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
    2. ^ a b c d "Interview with high jump legend Heike Henkel – immense wealth of experience as a mental trainer". leichtathletik.de. 28 September 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
    3. ^ "TrueTalk: Heike Henkel and why performance also needs breaks". Leichtathletik.de. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
    4. ^ Filipova, Viliyana (January 24, 2024). "Mariya Lasitskene Cannot Accept The Fact That She Will Be Forced To Miss The Paris 2024 Olympics". Femisports. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
    5. ^ "Driving license cost more nerves than the competitions". ksta.de. October 27, 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2025.


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