Marie Dollinger

Marie Dollinger

Marie Dollinger winning an 800 m semifinal at the 1928 Olympics
Personal information
Born	28 October 1910 Langenzenn, Germany
Died	10 August 1994 (aged 83) Nürnberg, Germany
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	50 kg (110 lb)
Sport
Sport	Running
Club	Turnverein Langenzenn/1. Fußball Club Nürnberg
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	1928, 1932, 1936
Medal record Representing  Germany Women's World Games 1934 London 4×100 m relay 1930 Prague 800 metres

Maria "Marie" Dollinger-Hendrix (28 October 1910 – 10 August 1994) was a German track and field athlete who competed in sprinting events and the 800 metres. She represented Germany at three consecutive Olympic Games: 1928, 1932 and 1936.

She set an early Olympic record for the 800 m then the 100 m four years later. She was an 800 m finalist in 1928 and placed fourth in the 100 m at both the 1932 and 1936 Olympics. She had most success with the 4×100 metres relay team, setting a world record at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, although the team were disqualified in the final for a dropped baton. Outside of the Olympics she won an 800 m silver medal at the 1930 Women's World Games, a relay gold medal at the 1934 Women's World Games, and several medals at the Olympics of Grace competition.

Individually, in her career she won six titles at the German Athletics Championships and equalled the 800 m world record as well as the European record in the 200 m (neither were ratified). After retirement in 1936 she married fellow Olympic sprinter Friedrich Hendrix and their daughter, Brunhilde Hendrix, later won an Olympic medal in the relay in 1960.

Born in Langenzenn in Bavaria, Dollinger appeared at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics at the age of seventeen and competed in the first ever women's Olympic 800 metres. As the winner of the very first 800 m heat, her time of 2:22.4 minutes was the first Olympic record for the discipline. She reached the final of the competition and finished seventh while her older compatriot Lina Radke took the gold in a world record time. She improved her best to 2:17.5 minutes the following year, being ranked first in the world that year. She entered the 1930 Women's World Games among the favourites but was beaten into second place by British runner Gladys Lunn. In Magdeburg in 1931 she matched Radke's world record time of 2:16.8 minutes, but this has not subsequently been officially recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations