Born: 4 May 1956

Birthplace: Köln (Germany)

Nationality: Germany

Sport: Athletics

ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Munich 1972

Montreal 1976

Los Angeles 1984

AWARDS

Olympic medals:

Gold: 2

Other results:

World Championships

Silver: 1 (83)

High Jump Gold At 16

When Ulrike Meyfarth was sixteen years old, she finished third in the high jump at the 1972 West German Olympic trials and qualified for the Olympics. In Munich, she beat her personal best by seven centimeters to tie the world record and earn the gold medal. To this day, she is the youngest person of either sex to win an athletics gold medal in an individual event. At the 1976 Olympics, Meyfarth failed to qualify for the final, and in 1980 her nation boycotted. However, she returned to the Olympics in 1984 and jumped 2.02m to earn a second gold medal. This time she became the oldest person to win an Olympic high jump competition. She is also one of only two women to earn athletics gold medals twelve years apart.