Petra Thümer
East German swimmer (born 1961)
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Petra Thümer (later Deckert then Katzur, born 29 January 1961) is a former swimmer from East Germany. She won gold medals in the 400 m and 800 m freestyle at the 1976 Summer Olympics[1] and the 1977 European Aquatics Championships. During her career she set five world records in the 400 m and 800 m freestyle. In 1987 she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.[2]
Petra Thümer in 1976 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | East German | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 29 January 1961 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 62 kg (137 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Freestyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | SC Karl-Marx-Stadt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Later she admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs as part of the East German training system.[3][4] For this reason she missed the 1978 World Championships – coaches feared she would not pass the doping test and excluded her from the East German team, officially explaining her absence by injuries.[5]
In 1979 she retired from swimming and worked as a photographer.[3]
She was married to the German Olympic athletes Klaus Katzur (swimmer) and Alf-Gerd Deckert (cross-country skier).[1]
