Fuchs, Ruth (1946—)
Fuchs, Ruth (1946—)
East German javelin champion. Born in East Germany on December 14, 1946.
Won the gold medal for the javelin throw in Munich Olympics (1972); won the gold medal in Montreal Olympics (1976).
Called the "queen of javelin throwing," East Germany's Ruth Fuchs dominated the sport from 1972 to 1980. At Potsdam in 1972, she broke her first record, bettering the 62.70 meters of Poland's Ewa Gryziecka with a throw of 65.06 meters. Fuchs went on to win gold medals at both the 1972 Olympics in Munich and the 1976 Games in Montreal, where she was also the only woman to retain her Olympic title in the javelin event. In April 1980, she narrowly missed the 70-meter mark with a throw measuring 69.96 meters, although at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, she surprised everyone by finishing in ninth place. During her career, Fuchs also won the European title (1974 and 1978) and the World Cup (1977 and 1979).