Ruth FUCHS

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East Germany

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Photo/Foto: George Herringshaw

Date: 20 June 1974

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- DATE OF BIRTH
  Saturday, 14 December 1946
- PLACE OF BIRTH
  Egeln, Germany. Died 20th September 2023 aged 76.

INTERNATIONAL
East Germany
- Event(s)
  Javelin
- Championship Performances
  Olympics: 1972 & 1976 Gold Javelin.
  European: 1971 bronze Javelin, 1974 & 1978 Gold Javelin.

Ruth FUCHS - East Germany - Double Olympic Games Javelin Champion.

Ruth Fuchs totally dominated the javelin throw in the international arena during the 1970s, winning two Olympic titles, two European titles, and setting six world records. From the days of competing as a junior under her maiden name of Gamm, Ruth steadily improved her performances prior to winning the bronze medal at the 1971 European Championships in Helsinki with a throw of 59.16m. The following year, Fuchs broke her first world record in quite remarkable circumstances. Ewa Gryziecka (Poland) broke the 8 year-old world record of Yelena Gorchakova (Soviet Union) at 5.45pm on 11 June 1972 with a throw of 62.70m at an international match in Bucharest. Only 35 minutes late, at 6.20pm, Fuchs smashed Gryziecka's newly set world record in an international match in Potsdam, setting a new global standard of 65.06m.

At the Olympic Games in Munich held later that year, Fuchs won the gold medal easily with and Olympic record distance of 63.88m, the second best throw in history behind her own world record. If there was any question as to who was the new Queen of javelin throwing, Fuchs quickly dispelled them in the European Cup final at Edinburgh on 7 September 1973, when her first throw in the competition reached 66.10m, increasing her own world record by over a metre. Fuchs was a stalwart supporter of international matches for her country, regularly competing in competition, including an easy win in an East Germany v United Kingdom match at London (Crystal Palace) on 20 June 1974 (see photo above) with a throw of 65.58m. Fuchs distanced herself further from the rest of the world's javelin throwers at the 1974 European Championships in Rome on 3 September, where she won the gold medal with another new world record throw of 67.22m. (Ron Casey)

By the end of 1974, there was no doubt that Ruth Fuchs was the best javelin thrower in the world, having won the Olympic and European titles in the preceding three years, as well as setting three new world records. As the rest of the world's throwers tried to close the gap on her, Fuchs drew further away from them. At an Olympic Test meet in Berlin on 10 July 1976, Fuchs set her fourth world record, reaching a distance of 69.12m. Two weeks later at the Olympic Games in Montreal, Fuchs gave her opposition no chance of beating her, sealing her second Olympic gold medal on her first throw with a new Olympic record of 65.94m. The following year, in the World Cup at Dusseldorf on 2 September 1977, it seemed that Ruth's winning streak in major international championships might come to an end, when she was only lying fourth at the start of the fourth round.

However, Fuchs recovered in the final round with a throw of 62.36m (see photo above photo G.H. © 2nd September 1977) to win the gold medal. At the 1978 European Championships in Prague, Ruth easily won her second European title, producing the year's longest throw of 69.16m. Fuchs had relinquished her world record in 1977 to Kathy Schmidt (USA), but on 13 June 1979, Ruth regained the record with a throw of 69.52m at an Olympic Day meet in Dresden. Early in the 1980 season, Fuchs set her final world record of 69.96m at Split on 29 April. However, Fuchs' days of dominance were quickly coming to an end. She lost her world record two weeks before the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow to Tatyana Biryulina (Soviet Union), and other athletes were also approaching her best mark. At Moscow, plagued by back injury, Fuchs could only finish in 8th place, prompting her subsequent retirement. (Ron Casey).

After retirement from track and field, Fuchs became a member of Parliament for

the Party of Democratic Socialism (now the Left Party) in the re-united Germany.

Fuchs admitted using steroids during her career, as part of the official East German sports programme.

Ruth Fuchs died at the University Hospital in Jena on 20 September 2023, at the age of 76.

Meisterschaft Rekord 1971 - 1980.


Speer Endrunde {Frauen}. Europameisterschaft 1971
1. Daniela JAWORSKA	POL	61.00m.
2. Aneli KOLOSKA	FRG	59.40m.
3. Ruth FUCHS	GDR	59.16m.
4. Angel RANKY	HUN	57.44m.
5. Anneliese GERHARDS	FRG	55.98m.
6. Eva GRYZIECKA	POL	55.96m.

Speer Endrunde {Frauen}. Olympische Spiele 1972
1. Ruth FUCHS	GDR	63.88m.
2. Jacqueline TODTEN	GDR	62.54m.
3. Kathryn SCHMIDT	USA	59.94m.
4. Liutvian MOLLOVA	BUL	59.36m.
5. Natasa URBANCIC	YUG	59.06m.
6. Eva JANKO	AUT	58.56m.
7. Ewa GRYZIECKA	POL	57.00m.
8. Svetlana KOROLYOVA	SOV	56.36m.

Speer Endrunde {Frauen}. Europameisterschaft 1974
1. Ruth FUCHS	GDR	67.22m.
2. Jacqueline TODTEN	GDR	62.10m.
3. Natasa URBANCIC	YUG	61.66m.
4. Lutwian MOLLOVA	BUL	60.80m.
5. Sabine KARGEL	GDR	57.10m.
6. Felicia KINDER	POL	57.02m.

Speer Endrunde {Frauen}. Olympische Spiele 1976
1. Ruth FUCHS	GDR	65.94m.
2. Marion BECKER	GER	64.70m.
3. Kathryn SCHMIDT	USA	63.96m.
4. Jacqueline HEIN	GDR	63.08m.
5. Sabine SEBROWSKI	GDR	63.08m.
6. Svetlana BABICH	SOV	59.42m.
7. Nadezhda YAKUBOVICH	SOV	59.16m.
8. Karin SMITH	USA	57.50m.

Speer Endrunde {Frauen}. Europameisterschaft 1978
1. Ruth FUCHS	GDR	69.16m.
2. Tessa SANDERSON	GBR	62.40m.
3. Ute HOMMOLA	GDR	62.32m.
4. Ute RICHTER	GDR	62.04m.
5. Eva ZORGO	ROM	61.14m.
6. Eva HELMSCHMIDT	FRG	60.96m.

Women's Javelin Final. Olympic Games 1980
1. Maria RUENES	CUB	68.40m.
2. Saida GUNBA	SOV	67.76m.
3. Ute HOMMOLA	GDR	66.56m.
4. Ute RICHTER	GDR	66.54m.
5. Ivanka VANCHEVA	BUL	66.38m.
6. Tatyana BIRYULINA	SOV	65.08m.
7. Eva RADULY-ZORGO	ROM	64.08m.
8. Ruth FUCHS	GDR	63.94m.