Erika Zuchold
Zuchold in 1972
Personal information
Country represented East Germany
Born19 March 1947 (1947-03-19)
Lucka, Soviet occupation zone, Germany
Died22 August 2015 (2015-08-23) (aged 68)
Asunción, Paraguay
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
Retired1972
Medal record
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1968 Mexico City Vault
Silver medal – second place 1972 Munich Team
Silver medal – second place 1972 Munich Vault
Silver medal – second place 1972 Munich Uneven Bars
Bronze medal – third place 1968 Mexico City Team
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1970 Ljubljana Vault
Gold medal – first place 1970 Ljubljana Balance Beam
Silver medal – second place 1966 Dortmund Vault
Silver medal – second place 1970 Ljubljana Team
Silver medal – second place 1970 Ljubljana All-around
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 1967 Amsterdam Vault
Silver medal – second place 1969 Landskrona Vault
Bronze medal – third place 1969 Landskrona All-Around
Bronze medal – third place 1971 Minsk All-Around
Bronze medal – third place 1971 Minsk Vault
Bronze medal – third place 1971 Minsk Balance Beam
Bronze medal – third place 1971 Minsk Floor Exercise

Erika Zuchold (née Barth; 19 March 1947 – 22 August 2015) was an East German gymnast who competed at the European, World, and Olympic level from the mid-1960s to early 1970s.[1][2]

She and Karin Janz were the two most significant (in terms of medals won at major championships) female German gymnasts of the era, leading the East German team to a bronze medal at the 1968 Olympics and a silver medal at the 1972 Olympics.

The highlight of Zuchold's career came at the 1970 World Championships, where she placed second in the individual all-around behind the Soviet Ludmilla Tourischeva and returned to win gold on both vault and balance beam in event finals.[2]

Zuchold is credited as being the first woman to perform a back handspring on balance beam in World or Olympic competition (at the 1966 World Championships), as well as one of the first two women, along with Věra Čáslavská at the 1968 Olympics, to complete a front handspring on balance beam.[3] She also had a transition element named after her on uneven bars.[2]

In her post-gymnastics career, she was a trapeze artist, a curator, an educator, and an abstract painter. In 2005, she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.[2]

She was married to the cyclist Dieter Zuchold (1937–2014).[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ LVZ-Online. "Leipziger Turnerin Erika Zuchold ist tot – Beerdigung in Paraguay". lvz.de.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Turner, Amanda (27 August 2015). "Five-Time Olympic Medalist Erika Zuchold Dies at 68". International Gymnast Magazine. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  3. ↑ Poe, Debbie. "Gymn Forum: Innovators in Gymnastics". Gymn Forum.
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