1. Early Life and Background
Margitta Gummel was born Margitta Helmbold on June 29, 1941, in Magdeburg, Germany. She later passed away on January 26, 2021. Her early life laid the foundation for a prominent career in athletics, particularly in the shot put event, where she would later achieve international recognition.
2. Athletic Career
Margitta Gummel's athletic career spanned over a decade, during which she competed in numerous major international championships, consistently ranking among the top shot putters in the world. Her journey included representing the Unified Team of Germany and later East Germany at the Olympic Games, as well as participating in European Championships.
2.1. Olympic Games
Gummel competed in three consecutive Summer Olympic Games. Her Olympic debut was at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where she participated in the shot put event but did not win any medals. Four years later, at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, she achieved a historic milestone by winning the gold medal in the shot put. In this event, she became the first woman in history to throw for more than 62 ft (19 m), achieving a distance of 64 ft (19.61 m). At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, she secured a silver medal, finishing second to her long-standing rival, Nadezhda Chizhova. Her throw in Munich was 66 ft (20.22 m).
2.2. European Championships
Gummel was a consistent presence and medal winner at various European Athletics Championships. In the European Athletics Indoor Championships, she won the gold medal in shot put in Dortmund, West Germany in 1966 with a throw of 57 ft (17.3 m). She later secured silver medals at the 1968 European Indoor Games in Madrid, Spain, with a throw of 58 ft (17.62 m), and again at the 1971 European Indoor Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, with a throw of 64 ft (19.5 m). In both 1968 and 1971 indoor events, she was beaten by Nadezhda Chizhova.
In the European Athletics Championships, Gummel won a silver medal at the 1966 European Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, with a throw of 56 ft (17.05 m), where Chizhova took the gold. She repeated this result at the 1969 European Athletics Championships in Athens, Greece, with a throw of 64 ft (19.58 m). At the 1971 European Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland, she earned a bronze medal, achieving a distance of 63 ft (19.22 m), while Chizhova once again claimed the gold.
2.3. Rivalry with Nadezhda Chizhova
Throughout her career, Margitta Gummel developed a notable rivalry with Soviet athlete Nadezhda Chizhova. This competitive dynamic was a recurring theme in many of their major international encounters. Chizhova frequently emerged victorious over Gummel, particularly in the later stages of Gummel's career. This was evident at the 1972 Munich Olympics, where Chizhova won gold over Gummel's silver. Their rivalry also played out in multiple European Indoor and Outdoor Championships, where Chizhova consistently placed ahead of Gummel, often securing gold medals to Gummel's silver or bronze.
2.4. Major Competition Results
| Year | Competition | Location | Event | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | European Indoor Athletics Championships | Dortmund (West Germany) | Shot Put | 1st | 57 ft (17.3 m) |
| 1966 | European Athletics Championships | Budapest (Hungary) | Shot Put | 2nd | 56 ft (17.05 m) |
| 1968 | European Indoor Athletics Championships | Madrid (Spain) | Shot Put | 2nd | 58 ft (17.62 m) |
| 1968 | Olympics | Mexico City (Mexico) | Shot Put | 1st | 64 ft (19.61 m) |
| 1969 | European Athletics Championships | Athens (Greece) | Shot Put | 2nd | 64 ft (19.58 m) |
| 1971 | European Indoor Athletics Championships | Sofia (Bulgaria) | Shot Put | 2nd | 64 ft (19.5 m) |
| 1971 | European Athletics Championships | Helsinki (Finland) | Shot Put | 3rd | 63 ft (19.22 m) |
| 1972 | Olympics | Munich (West Germany) | Shot Put | 2nd | 66 ft (20.22 m) |
3. Doping and Controversy
Margitta Gummel's athletic achievements are inextricably linked to the systematic state-sponsored doping program orchestrated by the East German government. It was later revealed that Gummel was among the first East German athletes to be administered steroids as part of this clandestine program, known as State Plan 14.25.
Her first dose of Turinabol, an anabolic steroid, was given to her on July 28, 1968, less than three months before the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Scientific reports, including a 1997 paper in the journal *Clinical Chemistry* which reproduced charts from a 1973 DVfl scientific report, detailed her Turinabol dosages and corresponding competition distances for 1968, 1969, and 1972. The 1968 data notably showed a remarkable 6.6 ft (2 m) improvement in her throws within just three months leading up to her Olympic gold medal, a significant leap for a highly trained athlete whose previous results had been consistent.
Initially, Gummel was administered a relatively low dosage of 0.0 oz (10 mg) of Turinabol daily before the 1968 Olympics, which saw her throws improve from 56 ft (17 m) to 62 ft (19 m) during that three-month cycle. In the years that followed, higher dosages of Turinabol were utilized, leading to further performance increases in a dose-dependent manner, with her throws eventually surpassing the 66 ft (20 m) mark. The scientifically produced graphs in the 1997 Werner Franke report demonstrated a profound "residual" effect from multiple steroid cycles; even when the steroids were stopped during breaks, Gummel's performances remained significantly better than her 1968 results before she began doping. East German researchers concluded that the use of anabolic steroids in female athletes produced performance increases far superior to years of natural training. This led to the expansion of Turinabol experiments to much younger females, as young as 13 to 14 years of age, particularly in sports like swimming, raising serious ethical concerns about the exploitation and harm inflicted upon athletes by the state.
4. Assessment and Legacy
Margitta Gummel's legacy is complex, marked by both her undeniable athletic achievements and the shadow of the East German doping program. Her gold medal at the 1968 Olympics and her record-breaking throw of over 62 ft (19 m) were significant milestones in women's shot put. However, the subsequent revelations of systematic steroid administration, particularly Turinabol, fundamentally altered the perception of her accomplishments.
Her case serves as a stark reminder of the ethical failures and human rights abuses inherent in state-sponsored doping. The scientific documentation of her performance improvements directly linked to steroid use, and the subsequent expansion of doping to younger athletes, underscore the profound impact of these programs on the integrity of sports and the well-being of the athletes involved. While her name remains in the record books, her career is now primarily viewed through the lens of the extensive doping scandal that characterized East German sports, prompting ongoing discussions about accountability, fairness, and the long-term consequences for athletes who were unwitting participants in such schemes.
5. Related Topics
- Doping in East Germany
- State-sponsored doping
- Anabolic steroids