Stecher, Renate (1950—)

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Stecher, Renate (1950—)

East German track-and-field champion. Born Renate Meissner in Suptitz, East Germany, on May 12, 1950; married Gerd Stecher (a hurdler); children: two daughters.

Was a top international sprinter who was undefeated in the 100 and 200 meters (1970–74); won the Olympic gold medal in both the 100 and 200 meters (1972); won Olympic silver in the 100 meters, bronze in the 200 meters, and silver in the 400-meter relay (1976); ran the first sub-11-second 100 meters ever (1973).

An elite group of women sprinters have won Olympic gold in both the 100 and 200 meters, including Fanny Blankers-Koen, Marjorie Jackson, Betty Cuthbert, Wilma Rudolph , and Renate Stecher. In the early 1970s, Stecher was a dominant force in women's track and field. A product of the powerful East German sports machine, she was coached by Horst-Dieter Hille who produced some of the world's finest runners.

Carefully groomed, Stecher burst onto the scene in 1970 when she ran the 100 meters in 11 seconds, tying Wyomia Tyus ' 1968 world record. Just before the European Cup in Budapest, Stecher endured an attack of appendicitis and emergency surgery. Persuading her doctor to let her compete, she went from the hospital to the games where she came in second in the 100 meters, first in the 200 meters, and anchored the winning team in the 4x100-meter relay. In 1971, she defended her European Indoor title in the 60 meters. In the European Cup, Stecher won the 100 meters in 11.4 seconds, the 200 in 22.7, and finished second with her team in the 4x100-meter relay.

When the 1972 Olympics began in Munich, Renate Stecher was a clear favorite. In the 100 meters, the competition trailed Stecher who crossed the finish line in 11.07 seconds, while Australia's Raelene Boyle and Cuba's Silvia Chibás lagged behind at 11.23 and 11.24. In the 200 meters, the race was closer. Stecher arrived first with a time of 22.40 (an Olympic record), followed by Raelene Boyle at 22.45 and Poland's Irena Szewinska with 22.74. Stecher also took a silver while anchoring the 400-meter relay team.

Renate Stecher continued to compete after the Olympics and on June 7, 1973, clocked a 10.9 world record, the first sub-11-second 100 meters ever. On July 20 in the East German championships in Dresden, she clocked 10.8 for another world record. From 1970 to 1974, Stecher dominated the track, but as the Olympics approached, she was increasingly challenged by Poland's Szewinska whose performance continued to improve. In 1974, when Szewinska was named World Athlete of the Year, Stecher replied to an interviewer, "Irena had a great year and being named Athlete of the Year was a natural conclusion…. I really don't feel I 'lost' this past year; Irena just won and I finished second."

In the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Stecher won the silver in the 100 meters in 11.13, five seconds behind West Germany's Annegret Richter who took the gold. In the 200 meters, Stecher won the bronze with a time of 22.47, finishing behind East Germany's Bärbel Wöckel-Eckert (22.37) and Richter (22.39). With silver and bronze medals, however, Stecher remained one of the world's best sprinters. She retired after the 1976 Games. "The main thing for me always was that I simply loved the sport," she said. "I loved to run fast, and worked to get even faster. Most of all, I loved the sensation of speed."