The Most Famous

ATHLETES from Germany

This page contains a list of the greatest German Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 354 of which were born in Germany. This makes Germany the birth place of the 2nd most number of Athletes.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary German Athletes of all time. This list of famous German Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of German Athletes.

1. Marita Koch (b. 1957)

With an HPI of 60.04, Marita Koch is the most famous German Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 38 different languages on wikipedia.

Marita Koch (later Meier-Koch; born 18 February 1957) is a German former sprint track and field athlete. During her career she set 16 world records in outdoor sprints as well as 14 world records in indoor events. Her record of 47.60 in the 400 metres, set on 6 October 1985, still stands. Born in Wismar, East Germany, Marita Koch displayed exceptional speed even as a young child and was defeating boys much older than herself in sprint races whilst at school. By the time she had turned 15 years old, she was training under Wolfgang Meier. Meier worked as a naval engineer, but also coached athletics part-time. Koch and Meier moved to Rostock where Koch began to study medicine. However, she decided to stop her studies and focus on running instead. Koch was coached by Meier for her entire career, and they later married. She retained her maiden name, and is now known as Marita Koch-Meier. She and her husband have a daughter named Ulrike. Koch has held world records over several distances from 50 m to 400 m. Some of her best performances are as follows: 100 m 10.83 seconds (+1.7) West Berlin (FRG) 8 June 1983 200 m 21.71 seconds (+0.7) Karl Marx Stadt (GDR) 10 June 1979 400 m 47.60 seconds Bruce Stadium, Canberra (AUS) 6 October 1985 Koch ran a 400 m quarterfinal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal (51.87 seconds), but withdrew due to injury. She set her first world record in 1977 in Milan, when she ran a 400 m indoors in 51.8 seconds. The following year, she set her first outdoor record at 400 m in 49.19 seconds. She topped this with another two world records within a month. In 1979 Koch became the first woman to run a 200 m in under 22 seconds. Her time of 21.71 seconds (wind +0.7 m/s) set at Karl Marx Stadt stood as the world record for nine years. She tied her own 200 m world record in 1984 (21.71 seconds +0.3 m/s Potsdam). However, her 200 m world record was equaled twice in 1986 by Heike Drechsler. One of Drechsler's 21.71 second 200 m performances was achieved into a headwind whereas both of Koch's performances of 21.71 had a tailwind. At the Moscow Olympics of 1980 Koch won the 400 m race. Three weeks before the 1984 Olympic Games, she equaled her own record, but the East German boycott prevented her from competing in the games. She also won the European Championships at 400 m in 1978, 1982 and 1986. She remained the European record holder for the 200 m until 28 August 2015 when Dafne Schippers won the 200 m final at the 2015 World Championships with a time of 21.63 seconds. As a member of East Germany's relay teams, Koch also set more world records. They set new world records in the 4 × 100 m in 1979 and 1983. The same team became second in the 4 × 400 m relay in the 1980 Olympic Games. They also set world records over the same distance in 1980, 1982 and 1984. In October 1986, she was awarded a Star of People's Friendship in gold (second class) for her sporting success. Koch retired from running in 1987 as one of Germany's most successful athletes. She had suffered from an Achilles tendon injury She and Meier own a sports goods store in Rostock. On 6 October 1985 at the year's World Cup meet, Koch set the current 400 m world record of 47.60 seconds. That time is considered far out of reach of even the best of today's athletes. The meet was held at Bruce Stadium in Canberra, Australia, which is at 605 metres altitude. The world record 400 m run had been well planned, and her basic speed and speed endurance proven in several training runs in the weeks prior. One week prior to her 400 m world record run, anecdotal reports suggest that Koch had run the 200 m in 21.56 seconds (fully automatic time). This 200 m performance was never verified by the IAAF and remains unofficial. In her world record run, Koch, running in lane 2, came out of the blocks at a scorching pace and eliminated the stagger on most of her competitors by the end of the first bend. Her 100 m split time was reported to be 11.3 seconds, while her 200 m split time was reported to be 22.4 seconds. At the halfway point in the race, she had completely destroyed most of a world class field. Her 300 m split was reported to be 34.1 seconds (hand timed), the all-time best performance for this distance. During the final stages of the race, the original video footage only captured Koch and Olga Bryzhina (née Vladykina) of the former USSR, who was trailing behind, but closing the gap. The rest of the field had been left so far behind that they were not captured by the camera as Koch and Vladykina crossed the finishing line. Third place was Lillie Leatherwood, more than two seconds behind Vladykina. Koch had gained too much of an advantage in the early stages of the race, and Vladykina was unable to pull in Koch before the finish line. Vladykina also ran her all-time best performance (48.27 seconds) in that race. In a 400 m race, the only women to have broken the 48-second barrier are Koch and Jarmila Kratochvílová (47.99 seconds, Helsinki, 1983). Kratochvílová was Koch's main rival over the distance and also a 400 m world record holder in the early 1980s. To this day, no other woman has come within a half a second of Koch. Koch's achievements, along with the performances of other East German female athletes, have long been under suspicion that they were achieved with the aid of illegal performance-enhancing drugs. These drugs were not detectable at the time. In 1991, German anti-drug activists Brigitte Berendonk and Werner Franke were able to save several doctoral theses and other documents written by scientists working for the East German drug research programme. The documents list the dosage and timetables for the administration of anabolic steroids to many athletes of the former DDR, with one of them being Marita Koch. According to the sources, Koch did use the anabolic steroid Oral-Turinabol (4-Chlorodehydromethyltestosterone) from 1981 to 1984 with dosages ranging from 530 to 1460 mg/year. Berendonk and Franke also discovered a letter written by Koch, complaining that her rival, Bärbel Wöckel, was receiving higher doses of steroids than her because Wöckel's uncle was president of the pharmaceutical company Jenapharm. German all-time top lists – 100 metres German all-time top lists – 200 metres Marita Koch at World Athletics

2. Luz Long (1913 - 1943)

With an HPI of 59.98, Luz Long is the 2nd most famous German Athlete. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Carl Ludwig "Luz" Long (27 April 1913 – 14 July 1943) was a German Olympic long jumper, notable for winning the silver medal in the event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin and for his friendship with Jesse Owens, who went on to win the gold medal for the long jump. Luz Long won the German long jump championship six times: in 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, and 1939. Long was killed while serving in the German Army during World War II. Long studied law at the University of Leipzig, where in 1936 he joined the Leipziger Sport Club. After graduating, he practiced as a lawyer in Hamburg while continuing his interest in sport. The 21-year-old, 1.84-metre-tall (6'½") Long had finished third in the 1934 European Championships in Athletics with 7.25 metres (23'9½"). By the summer of 1936, Long held the European record in the long jump and was eager to compete for the first time against Jesse Owens, the American world-record holder. The long jump on 4 August was Long's first event against Owens, and Long met his expectations by setting an Olympic record during the preliminary round. In contrast, Owens fouled on his first two jumps. Knowing that he needed to reach at least 7.15 metres (about 23 feet 5½ inches) on his third jump in order to advance to the finals in the afternoon, Owens sat on the field, dejected. In the 1964 documentary Jesse Owens Returns to Berlin, Owens relates a story that Long came over to offer advice before Owens's third jump. According to the story, Long said that Owens should jump from a few inches before the takeoff board. This would reduce the measured distance but avoid the risk of another fault; the theory was that Owens would still clear the required distance even with the handicap of jumping early. However, this conversation is apocryphal; Grantland Rice was watching Owens the entirety of the qualifying round and did not see him speak to Long. Tom Ecker relates that he asked Owens about the story in 1965 and Owens admitted that it was not true, but just a good story. On his third qualifying jump, Owens was calm and jumped with at least four inches (10 centimeters) to spare, easily qualifying for the finals. In the finals competition later that day, the jumpers exceeded the old Olympic record five times. Owens went on to become Olympic champion in the long jump with 8.06 metres (26'5¼") while besting Long's own record of 7.87 metres (25'9¾"). Long won the silver medal for second place and was the first to congratulate Owens: they posed together for photos and walked arm-in-arm to the dressing room. Owens said, "It took a lot of courage for him to befriend me in front of Hitler... I would melt down all the medals and cups I have and they wouldn't be a plating on the twenty-four karat friendship that I felt for Luz Long at that moment". Long's competition with Owens is recorded in Leni Riefenstahl's documentary Olympia – Fest der Völker. Two days later, Long finished 10th in the triple jump. He went on to finish third in the 1938 European Championships in Athletics long jump with 7.56 metres (24'9½"). Luz Long served in the Wehrmacht during World War II, having the rank of Obergefreiter. During the Allied invasion of Sicily in Italy, Long was wounded on 10 July 1943, in the battle for the Biscari-Santo Pietro airfield, and died four days later in a British military hospital. He was buried in the war cemetery of Motta Sant'Anastasia in Sicily. There is an urban myth that Long sent a letter to Owens from the battlefield, requesting that Owens visit Long's son if Long were to die. Long is supposed to have asked Owens to explain to the boy how life was before people were divided by the war. Such a letter has never been seen by the families of Owens or Long, nor would it be likely that Long could send a letter to the United States while in the German military. Additionally, the letter is often reported as having come from North Africa, a theatre that Long did not serve in. After the war, Owens travelled to Germany to meet Kai-Heinrich Long. Long is seen with Owens in the documentary Jesse Owens Returns To Berlin, where he is in conversation with Owens in the Berlin Olympic Stadium. Roads near sports facilities in Long's home town of Leipzig, and in the Munich Olympia Park of 1972, are named after him. His medal, photos, and documents were donated to the Sportmuseum Leipzig. In the film The Jesse Owens Story (1984), he is portrayed by Kai Wulff. In the film Race (2016), he is played by David Kross. Karl-Heinrich Long: Luz Long – eine Sportlerkarriere im Dritten Reich. Sein Leben in Dokumenten und Bildern. Arete Verlag, Hildesheim 2015, ISBN 978-3-942468-26-8. Transcript of letter sent by Luz Long to Jesse Owens from Sicily while he was serving in the Wehrmacht. "Tell him about his father" Photo of Long and Owens Luz Long at Find a Grave

3. Walter Schröder (1932 - 2022)

With an HPI of 56.61, Walter Schröder is the 3rd most famous German Athlete. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Walter Schröder (29 December 1932 – 18 October 2022) was a German rower who competed for the United Team of Germany in the 1960 Summer Olympics. In 1960, he was a crew member of the West German boat which won the gold medal in the eights event. In 1959 they had won already the European Championships. After his career as rower he finished his physical education studies, researched and published extensively mainly on rowing and motor learning. He was hired by the University of Hamburg, where he moved up from rowing instructor to Associate Professor for movement studies. Into his section of the department he brought other former athletes, e.g. Arnd Krüger.

4. Jürgen Schult (b. 1960)

With an HPI of 56.14, Jürgen Schult is the 4th most famous German Athlete. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Jürgen Schult (German pronunciation: [ˈjʏʁɡn̩ ˈʃʊlt], ; born 11 May 1960) is a German former track and field athlete and, from 1986 until 2024, the world record holder in the discus throw. Schult represented East Germany in the 1988 Olympic discus competition, where he won the gold medal.

5. Fritz Hofmann (1871 - 1927)

With an HPI of 55.81, Fritz Hofmann is the 5th most famous German Athlete. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Fritz Hofmann (born 19 June 1871 in Berlin, German Empire; died 14 July 1927 in Berlin, Weimar Republic) was a German athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.

6. Armin Hary (b. 1937)

With an HPI of 55.31, Armin Hary is the 6th most famous German Athlete. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Armin Hary (German pronunciation: [ˈaʁmiːn ˈhaːʁi] ; born 22 March 1937) is a retired German sprinter who won the 1960 Olympic 100 meters dash. He was the first non-American to win the event since Percy Williams of Canada took the gold medal in 1928, the first non-North American since Harold Abrahams in 1924, the first man to run 100 meters in 10.0 seconds and the last White man to establish a world record in 100 meters dash.

7. Dora Ratjen (1918 - 2008)

With an HPI of 54.91, Dora Ratjen is the 7th most famous German Athlete. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Heinrich Ratjen (20 November 1918 – 22 April 2008), born Dora Ratjen, was a German athlete who competed for Germany in the women's high jump at the 1936 Summer Olympics at Berlin, finishing fourth, but was later determined to be male and/or intersex. In some news reports, he was erroneously referred to as Hermann Ratjen and Horst Ratjen.

8. Friedrich Traun (1876 - 1908)

With an HPI of 54.21, Friedrich Traun is the 8th most famous German Athlete. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Friedrich Adolf "Fritz" Traun (29 March 1876 – 11 July 1908) was a German athlete and tennis player. Born into a wealthy family, he participated in the 1896 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal in men's doubles. He committed suicide after being accused of fathering a child out of wedlock.

9. Tilly Fleischer (1911 - 2005)

With an HPI of 54.17, Tilly Fleischer is the 9th most famous German Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Ottilie "Tilly" Fleischer (2 October 1911 – 14 July 2005) was a German athlete who competed in a variety of track and field athletic events. She competed for Germany in the 1932 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles in three different events, taking the bronze medal in the javelin. Four years later in her home country at the 1936 Games she won the gold medal in the javelin in front of the Berlin crowds. The reaction of Olympic officials to the congratulations given to her by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was put forward as the reason why Hitler never congratulated American athlete Jesse Owens after his first gold medal victory. Rumours appeared in 1966 as to who was the father of one of her daughters, after her daughter Giselle claimed in a book to be the daughter of Adolf Hitler.

10. Waldemar Cierpinski (b. 1950)

With an HPI of 53.90, Waldemar Cierpinski is the 10th most famous German Athlete. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Waldemar Cierpinski (born 3 August 1950) is a former East German athlete and two-time Olympic champion in the marathon.

People

Pantheon has 808 people classified as German athletes born between 1808 and 2007. Of these 808, 689 (85.27%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living German athletes include Marita Koch, Jürgen Schult, and Armin Hary. The most famous deceased German athletes include Luz Long, Walter Schröder, and Fritz Hofmann. As of April 2024, 452 new German athletes have been added to Pantheon including Walter Schröder, Gretel Bergmann, and Klaus Bonsack.