Heike Drechsler

[FieldThrower]

This German woman was a world class sprinter, jumper and heptathlete in the 1980s and 90s:

6.99M (about 23') in the long jump (she was a previous world record holder, but good news is she was replaced by a Russian jumper)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw0H-DIEXuY

21.72 in the 200M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jAs9XT6R5g

I always thought she was good for whites in athletics/T&F. Not many sprinters and long jumpers in the high ranks of this sport for either gender. If there was a white man of similar standing in these events, I wonder if half the caste system would hold together, as it would go a long way towards busting the idea that blacks are the only ones that are good at sprinting and jumping. T&F is the gold standard for pure sprinting and jumping ability.
Edited by: FieldThrower

 

[mastermulti]

Heike actually has 20 jumps at 7.30 (just under 24 ft) or better with a PR of
7.48 (24'6"+). She is the best of all time although two women have jumped
marginally further on just one occasion each.

Chystiakova (7.52WR) has only 5 jumps better than 7.30
Joyner-Kersee (PR 7.48) has 8 jumps better than 7.30.

She is listed as the =4th fastest women over 200 with 21.71 twice, one into
a headwind.........although those 4 others.... FLoJo, Jones, Ottey and Koch
......have all been condemned or at least regarded as suspicious concerning
doping.Edited by: mastermulti

 

[highschoolcoach]

Heike Drechsler was one of the greatest track AND field athletes ever. She may have (knowingly or unknowingly) used performance enhancing drugs as an East German athlete and may have not after the fall of the Soviet empire. She did not have the hyper-muscularity of the known (Marion Jones) and suspected (Florence Griffith)dopers, so it's possible that she was naturally one of history's greatest athletes.

And, as always, i wonder what the American Heike Drechlers are doing.