Gretel Bergmann
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | American |
| Born |
12 April 1914 Laupheim, Württemberg, Germany |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Track and field |
| Event(s) | High jump |
| Updated on 28 July 2016. | |
Margaret "Gretel" Bergmann-Lambert (née Bergmann; born 12 April 1914), is a German Jewish athlete who competed as a high jumper during the 1930s. Because of her Jewish origins, the Nazis prevented her from taking part in the 1936 Summer Olympics, after which she left Germany and vowed never to return. Bergmann turned 100 in April 2014 at her home in Queens, New York City, NY.
Bergmann was born in Laupheim, Germany, the daughter of Paula (Stern) and Edwin Bergmann, a businessman. She later began her career in athletics in Laupheim. In 1930 she joined Ulmer FV 1894, achieving a German record in high jumping in 1931 when, during the South German Championships, she jumped 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 with a height 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 Württembergian 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.
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