Maxi Gnauck

Maxi Gnauck (born 10 October 1964) is a retired artistic gymnast who represented East Germany. With a total of 27 medals at the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cups, and European Championships she is considered one of the most successful woman gymnasts that Germany has ever produced. In 1980 she was selected East German Sportspersonality of the Year.[1]

Maxi Gnauck
Gnauck in 1983
Personal information
Country represented East Germany
Born (1964-10-10) 10 October 1964
Berlin, East Germany
Height1.48 m (4 ft 10 in)
Weight33 kg (73 lb)
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team1977–85 (GDR)
ClubSC Dynamo Berlin
RetiredApril 1986

Her parents were expecting a boy and they planned to name him Max so, when the baby turned out to be a girl, they simply added an 'i', creating an uncommon name for Germany.[2] When Maxi was five, her mother took her to a gymnastics centre in their area. By age eight, Maxi had won her first medals at the Kreisspartakiade. When she was nine she changed her club to SC Dynamo Berlin, where she was coached by Jurgen Heritz. Considered one of the best uneven bars competitors of all time, Maxi was also an excellent tumbler. She was one of the first female gymnasts to perform a triple twist on floor.[3]

In April 1986, Maxi officially announced her retirement and began a four-year course in sports coaching at the University of Leipzig.[2] In 1988 she was severely injured while sliding down a waterslide while working as an aide at a children's summer camp by the Baltic Sea. She broke her C5 vertebra and was nearly paralysed. Three vertebrae were later reinforced with a metal plate.[3]

Facing a strong competition after the reunification of East Germany and West Germany, she first took temporary coaching positions in South Africa and Great Britain, both for a few months in 1990.[2] From 1993 until 2004 she worked as a full-time coach at the Harksheide Gymnastics Center in Norderstedt near Hamburg. Since 2005 she has worked at the Artistic and Apparatus Gymnastics Center (Kunst- und Gerätturnzentrum) at Liestal in Switzerland.[1] In 2000, she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.[4] She is the first German gymnast to be awarded that honour.[1][3]

Results

YearCompetitionPlacing(s)
1977East German Children's Spartakiade1st All-Around
1977East German Juniors Championships5th All-Around
1977East Germany-Czechoslovakia Juniors Dual Meet    1st Team, 1st All-Around
1978Chunichi Cup4th All-Around
1978DTV Cup5th All-Around
1978East Germany-Hungary Dual Meet1st team, 3rd All-Around
1978Junior Friendship Tournament2nd Team, 3rd All-Around, 2nd Floor, 4th Bars, 6th Vault
1979Cottbus International1st All-Around
1979European Championships2nd Vault, 3rd Bars, 6th All-Around
1979East German Championships2nd All-Around
1979East German Cup4th All-Around
1979East Germany-Norway-Sweden Tri-Meet1st Team, 1st All-Around
1979World Championships3rd Team, 2nd All-Around, 1st Bars, 4th Floor, 6th Vault
1980Cottbus International1st All-Around, 1st bars, 1st Beam, 1st Floor
1980East German Championships4th All-Around
1980East Germany-Hungary Dual Meet1st Team, 1st All-Around
1980Olympic Games3rd Team, 2nd All-Around, 1st Bars, 3rd Floor, 4th Beam, 6th Vault
1980World Cup2nd All-Around, 1st Bars, 1st Floor, 6th Vault
1981Cottbus International1st All-Around, 1st Bars, 1st Floor, 2nd Vault, 2nd Beam
1981European Championships1st All-Around, 1st Bars, 1st Beam, 1st Floor, 2nd Vault
1981East German Championships1st All-Around
1981East Germany-Norway-Sweden Tri-Meet1st All-Around
1981World Championships1st Vault, 1st Bars, 1st Beam, 3rd Team
1982East German Championships1st All-Around, 1st Vault, 1st Bars, 1st Floor
1982East Germany-Hungary Dual Meet1st Team, 1st All-Around
1982World Cup5th All-Around, 1st Bars, 3rd Floor, 7th Vault
1983    Chunichi Cup4th All-Around, 1st Floor
1983    Cottbus International1st Vault, 1st Floor, 3rd All-Around
1983    Tokyo Cup1st Bars, 1st Floor
1983    World Championships1st Bars, 3rd Team, 4th Vault, 4th Beam, 7th All-Around
1984    Cottbus International1st Vault, 1st Floor, 4th All-Around
1984    Friendship Games in Olomouc1st Bars, 1st Floor, 3rd All-Around, 3rd Vault, 5th Beam
1984    DTB Cup1st All-Around, 1st Bars, 1st Floor, 2nd Vault, 5th Beam
1984    East German Championships1st All-Around, 1st Bars, 1st Floor, 3rd Vault
1985    Cottbus International1st Floor, 2nd All-Around, 2nd Vault
1985    European Championships1st Bars, 2nd All-Around, 4th Vault

See also

References

  1. Maxi Gnauck. sports-reference.com
  2. Maxi Gnauck (GDR) Archived 28 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine. gymn.ca
  3. Maxi Gnauck (GDR). gymn-forum.net
  4. International Gymnastics Hall of Fame May 12 2007. ighof.com
Awards
Preceded by
Marita Koch
East German Sportswoman of the Year
1980
Succeeded by
Ute Geweniger
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