Heike Drechsler

Heike Drechsler

Drechsler at the opening ceremony of the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
Personal information
Birth name	Heike Gabriela Daute
Nickname(s)	Heike Spix
Nationality	Germany
Born	(1964-12-16) 16 December 1964 (age 52) Gera, Thüringen, East Germany
Height	181 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	68 kg (150 lb)
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Medal record Women's Athletics Representing  East Germany Olympic Games 1988 Seoul Long jump 1988 Seoul 100 m 1988 Seoul 200 m World Championships 1983 Helsinki Long jump 1987 Rome 100 m 1987 Rome Long jump World Indoor Championships 1987 Indianapolis 200 m 1987 Indianapolis Long jump European Championships 1986 Stuttgart 200 m 1986 Stuttgart Long jump 1990 Split Long jump 1990 Split 200 m Representing  Germany Olympic Games 1992 Barcelona Long jump 2000 Sydney Long jump World Championships 1993 Stuttgart Long jump 1991 Tokyo Long jump 1991 Tokyo 4x100 m relay European Championships 1994 Helsinki Long jump 1998 Budapest Long jump
Updated on 30 June 2015.

Heike Gabriela Drechsler German pronunciation: [ˈhaɪ.kə ga.bʁiˈe.la ˈdʁɛks.lɐ] née Daute (born 16 December 1964) is a German and previously East German former track and field athlete. She is one of the most successful female long jumpers of all time and also had several successes in sprint disciplines. She is the only woman who has won two Olympic gold medals in the long jump (1992 and 2000).

Drechsler was born in Gera, Thuringia, then East Germany. As a teenager she was active in the Free German Youth (FDJ) and in 1984 she was elected to the Volkskammer of East Germany.

Initially a very competitive long jumper early in her career as a teenager, Drechsler made a transition into the world of elite sprinting in 1986 at the age of 21. She married Andreas Drechsler in July 1984 and competed as Heike Drechsler from then on. She was coached by her Father inlaw Erich Drechsler.

In addition to her Olympic success, Drechsler won two World Championships in the long jump (1983 and 1993), as well as gold medals in the long jump and the 200 m sprint in the World Indoor Championships 1987. She also had numerous successes in European and German championships. Drechsler's greatest rival in the long jump was Jackie Joyner-Kersee, with whom she was also very good friends.

In 1986, Drechsler twice equalled Marita Koch's 200 metres sprint (21.71 seconds) world record and set two long jump world records and equalled one in 1985 and 1986. As of 2000^[update], she had more than four hundred long jump competitions with results over seven meters, more than any other female athlete.