Dagmar Kersten

Dagmar Kersten
Kersten in 1988
Personal information
Born (1970-10-28) 28 October 1970 (age 54)
Altdöbern, Bezirk Cottbus, East Germany
Height1.57 m (5 ft 2 in)
Weight45 kg (99 lb)
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
ClubSC Dynamo Berlin
Medal record
Representing  East Germany
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1988 Seoul Uneven bars
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Seoul Team
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1985 Montreal Uneven bars
Bronze medal – third place 1985 Montreal All-around
Bronze medal – third place 1985 Montreal Vault
Bronze medal – third place 1985 Montreal Team
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1985 Helsinki Vault

Dagmar Kersten (born 28 October 1970) is a German former gymnast. She represented East Germany at the 1988 Olympic Games, winning a silver medal on the uneven bars, and a bronze medal in the team event.[1] In 1985, she won four medals at the World Championships, including silver on the bars and bronze in the all-around.[2] She was awarded the Patriotic Order of Merit.[3]

Career

Kersten won a bronze medal on the vault at the 1985 European Championships, where she also finished fifth in the all-around and sixth on the balance beam. At the 1985 World Championships in Montreal, she won a bronze medal in the team event, and a bronze medal in the all-around behind joint winners Oksana Omelianchik and Elena Shushunova of the Soviet Union. She also made all four apparatus finals, winning silver on bars behind GDR teammate Gabriele Fahnrich, and a bronze on the vault. She was sixth on floor and eighth on beam.

Without her knowledge, Kersten was part of the East German doping program. In 1985 she suffered a serious spine injury and had to stop training. As part of her recovery treatment she was prescribed Oral Turinabol, an anabolic steroid. Her physician, Dr. Bernd Pansold, was later convicted in 1998 for the procurement of drugs to minors. Before the 1988 Olympics she was administered other performance-enhancing drugs under disguise of nutrition supplements.[3]

At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Kersten won two medals; bronze in the team event, followed by a silver medal on bars behind Romanian Daniela Silivas. She also finished sixth in the vault final and eighth in the all-around.

After German reunification, Kersten moved to Stuttgart and worked at the Swabian Gymnastics Federation.[4] Until 2002 she coached the German junior team. Later she worked as a speaker of the Lower Saxony Gymnastics Federation and a coach for an acrobatic show, which included her daughter Alina. She also holds second dan in taekwondo and teaches martial arts at a dojo she founded in Oldenburg. Her son Erik is a taekwondo practitioner.[3][5]

Kersten has appeared as a motivational speaker.[5] In 2022, Kersten launched a podcast about her experience as a gymnast called Ausgeturnt – Noch Lange Nicht! (English: Far From Being Done With Gymnastics).[6]

Competitive history

Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
Junior
1983 Children's and Youth Spartakiade 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
1984 Junior Friendship Tournament 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 24 8
Senior
1985 Cottbus International 4 1st place, gold medalist(s)
DTB Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 6 6 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Dynamo Spartakiade 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
European Championships 5 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6
GDR-HUN Dual Meet 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
GDR-NOR-SWE Tri-Meet 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 8 6
1987 DTB Cup 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
GDR Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s)
1988 China Cup 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Cottbus International 8 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6
GDR Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
GDR Olympic Trials 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Moscow News 5 9 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 8
Olympic Games 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 2nd place, silver medalist(s)

[7]

References

  1. ^ Dagmar Kersten Archived 2 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine. sports-reference.com
  2. ^ Turnen – Weltmeisterschaften Damen, Turnen – Europameisterschaften Damen. sport-komplett.de
  3. ^ a b c Schmidt, Sandra (13 March 2011) Ich bin nicht daran zerbrochen. dradio.de
  4. ^ Volker Kluge: Das große Lexikon der DDR-Sportler. Berlin 2000 ISBN 3-89602-348-9
  5. ^ a b Moody, Oliver (6 July 2024). "History's most ruthless doping programme". The Times & The Sunday Times. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  6. ^ "In Translation: "Far From Being Done With Gymnastics!" Episode 1". The Gymternet. 16 March 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Dagmar Kersten (GDR)". Gymn Forum. 25 August 2007. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
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