Birgit Fischer

Olympic medal record Women's flatwater canoeingCompetitor for East GermanyGold 1980 Moscow K-1 500mGold 1988 Seoul K-2 500mGold 1988 Seoul K-4 500mSilver 1988 Seoul K-1 500mCompetitor for GermanyGold 1992 Barcelona K-1 500mGold 1996 Atlanta K-4 500mGold 2000 Sydney K-2 500mGold 2000 Sydney K-4 500mGold 2004 Athens K-4 500mSilver 1992 Barcelona K-4 500mSilver 1996 Atlanta K-2 500mSilver 2004 Athens K-2 500m

Birgit Fischer (born 25 February 1962 in Brandenburg an der Havel, then East Germany) is a kayaker, who has won 8 gold medals over a record 6 different Olympic Games: twice representing East Germany, then four times representing the reunited nation. After both the 1988 and 2000 games, she announced her retirement, only to return for the subsequent games. She has been both the youngest- and oldest-ever Olympic canoeing champion (ages 18 and 42). In 2004 she was voted German sportswoman of the year.

She attended an ASK (army sports club) boarding school in Potsdam, and worked as a sports instructor in the National People's Army, attaining a rank of major by the time of German reunification in 1990. She was married from 1984 to 1993 to canoeist Jörg Schmidt. She lives with their two children in Brandenburg. In 1999 she stood unsuccessfully as a candidate for the FDP in the European Parliament election.

Major Medals

1979 Flatwater Racing World Championships: gold in 500m K4.
1980 Olympics: gold in 500m K1.
1981 Flatwater Racing World Championships: gold in 500m K1, K2, and K4.
1982 Flatwater Racing World Championships: gold in 500m K1, K2, and K4.
1983 Flatwater Racing World Championships: gold in 500m K1, K2, and K4.
1984 Olympics: missed owing to Eastern Bloc boycott.
1985 Flatwater Racing World Championships: gold in 500m K1, K2, and K4.
1986: time off to give birth to her son Ole
1987 Flatwater Racing World Championships: gold in 500m K1, K2, and K4.
1988 Olympics: gold in 500m K2 and K4; silver in 500m K1.
1989–91: "retired"
1992 Olympics: gold in 500m K1; silver in 500m K4 (representing united Germany for the first time).
1993 Flatwater Racing World Championships: gold in 500m K1 and K4; bronze in 5000m K1.
1994 Flatwater Racing World Championships: gold in 500m K1 and K4; silver in 200m K2 and K4; bronze in 500m K2.
1995 Flatwater Racing World Championships: gold in 500m K4; silver in 200m K4.
1996 Olympics: gold in 500m K4; silver in 500m K2.
1997 Flatwater Racing World Championships: gold in 500m K2 and K4, 200m K2 and K4, and 1000m K2.
1998 Flatwater Racing World Championships: gold in 500m K4; silver in 500m K2 and 1000m K2.
1999 Flatwater Racing World Championships: silver in 500m K4.