Kristin Otto

Kristin Otto

Kristin Otto in 1982
Personal information
Full name	Kristin Otto
Nationality	East Germany
Born	7 February 1966 (1966-02-07) Leipzig, Sachsen
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	70 kilograms (150 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Stroke(s)	Freestyle
Club	Sportclub Deutsche Hochschule für Körperkultur Leipzig
Medal record Women’s swimming Competitor for East Germany Olympic Games Gold 1988 Seoul 50 m freestyle Gold 1988 Seoul 100 m freestyle Gold 1988 Seoul 100 m butterfly Gold 1988 Seoul 100 m backstroke Gold 1988 Seoul 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1988 Seoul 4×100 m medley World Championships (LC) Gold 1982 Guayaquil 100 m backstroke Gold 1982 Guayaquil 4×100 m medley Gold 1982 Guayaquil 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1986 Madrid 100 m freestyle Gold 1986 Madrid 200 m indiv. medley Gold 1986 Madrid 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1986 Madrid 4×100 m medley Silver 1986 Madrid 50 m freestyle Silver 1986 Madrid 100 m butterfly European Championships (LC) Gold 1983 Rome 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1983 Rome 4×200 m freestyle Gold 1987 Strasbourg 100 m freestyle Gold 1987 Strasbourg 100 m backstroke Gold 1987 Strasbourg 100 m butterfly Gold 1987 Strasbourg 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1987 Strasbourg 4×100 m medley Gold 1989 Bonn 100 m backstroke Gold 1989 Bonn 4×100 m medley Silver 1983 Rome 100 m freestyle Bronze 1989 Bonn 200 m backstroke

Kristin Otto (born 7 February 1966 in Leipzig, East Germany) is a German Olympic swimming champion. She is most famous for being the first woman to win six gold medals, doing so at the 1988 Seoul Olympic games. Otto was also the first woman to swim the short course 100 meter backstroke in under a minute, doing so at an international short course meet at Indiana University in 1983.

Career

Otto began swimming at the age of ten, training in an East German sports academy. Aged sixteen, she participated in her first world championships, the 1982 World Aquatics Championships, winning the gold medal in the 100 meter backstroke as well as two additional gold medals in the 4×100 m relays with the East German team.

After 1982, Otto changed coaches and began concentrating on other speed strokes. At the following European Championships in 1983, Otto finished second in the 100 meter freestyle, behind fellow East German Birgit Meineke.

In 1984, Otto set a world record in the 200 meter freestyle. She was expected to win gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic games, but was unable to compete due to the boycott by 14 Eastern Bloc countries, including East Germany. In 1985 she fractured her vertebra, rendering her unable to compete for most of the year or attend the European Championships.

Otto returned to competitive swimming at the 1986 World Championships in Madrid, where she won 4 gold medals (100 m freestyle, 200 m individual medley, 4×100 m medley relay and 4×100 m freestyle relay) and 2 silver medals (50 m freestyle, 100 m butterfly). Her success continued the following year at the 1987 European Championships where she won 5 gold medals.

At the 1988 Seoul Olympic games she once again was expected to win Olympic gold. She won six gold medals, as well as setting world records in the 50 m freestyle, 100 m freestyle, 100 m backstroke and 100 m butterfly.

Otto retired from swimming in 1989. She currently works as a sports reporter for German television.

She was named the Female World Swimmer of the Year in 1984, 1986 and 1988 by Swimming World magazine.

Otto's career was marred by the revelations of widespread performance enhancement drugs use by East German athletes: former teammate Petra Schneider openly admitted that she had used banned substances. However, Otto stated that she was not aware that she was being doped, saying: "The medals are the only reminder of how hard I worked. It was not all drugs."

See also

• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games
• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists

References

Records
Preceded by Barbara Krause	Women's 100 metre freestyle world record holder (long course) 19 August 1986 – 1 March 1992	Succeeded by Jenny Thompson
Preceded by Cynthia Woodhead	Women's 200 metre freestyle world record holder (long course) 23 May 1984 – 18 June 1986	Succeeded by Heike Friedrich
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Ute Geweniger	World Swimmer of the Year 1984	Succeeded by Mary T. Meagher
Preceded by Mary T. Meagher	World Swimmer of the Year 1986	Succeeded by Janet Evans
Preceded by Janet Evans	World Swimmer of the Year 1988	Succeeded by Janet Evans
Preceded by Ute Geweniger	European Swimmer of the Year 1984	Succeeded by Silke Hörner
Preceded by Silke Hörner	European Swimmer of the Year 1986	Succeeded by Silke Hörner
Preceded by Silke Hörner	European Swimmer of the Year 1988	Succeeded by Anke Möhring
Preceded by Silke Möller	East German Sportswoman of the Year 1988 – 1989	Succeeded by Incumbent