Ackermann, Rosemarie (1952—)
Ackermann, Rosemarie (1952–)
East German high jumper. Name variations: Rosi. Born on April 4, 1952.
Broke the world record with 1.94 meters in 1974; won the gold medal in women's high jump in Montreal Olympics at 1.93 meters (6'4", 1976); cleared the bar at 2.0 meters in West Berlin (1977).
Between 1974 and 1977, Rosemarie Ackermann was nearly unbeatable in the women's high jump. Until she endured an Achilles tendon operation, her only rival was the Italian champion Sara Simeoni . In the 1976 Olympic games in Montreal, Rosi Ackermann won the gold medal and was the first woman to jump two meters over her own height, while Simeoni took the silver. In a memorable encounter at the European games in Prague in 1978, Simeoni defeated Ackermann with a jump of 2.01 meters (6'7") to Ackermann's 1.99. The following year, 1979, Ackermann, using her "old fashioned" straddle-style jump, defeated Simeoni at the European Cup in Turin with 1.99 meters, but stress fractures took their toll and Ackermann never again regained her dominance. She took 4th in Moscow at the 1980 Olympic games while Simeoni took the gold with an Olympic record-breaking jump of 6'5.5".