Uta Pippig
Uta Pippig (born 7 September 1965) is a retired German Long-distance runner, and the first woman to officially win the Boston Marathon three consecutive times (1994–1996). She also won the Berlin Marathon three times (1990, 1992 and 1995); the 1993 New York City Marathon; represented Germany at the Olympic Games in 1992 and 1996, and won a bronze medal at the 1991 World 15km Road Race Championship. Her marathon best of 2:21:45 set in Boston in 1994, made her the third-fastest female marathon runner in history at that time. She obtained American citizenship in 2004.
Career
The daughter of two physicians, Pippig was born in Leipzig and began running at the age of 13 while a citizen of the former East Germany. She finished 14th in the marathon at the 1987 World Championships. In university, she was a medical student at the Humboldt University Berlin where, after passing her final exams, she chose to re-focus her attention exclusively on running professionally. She left East Germany in 1990 before German reunification. She won the Eurocross meeting in Luxembourg that year.[1]
Pippig's results on the track at 10,000 metres, include finishing sixth at the 1991 World Championships, seventh at the 1992 Olympic Games, and ninth at the 1993 World Championships. She also won a bronze medal at the 1991 World 15km Road Race Championship.
Pippig won the 1994 Boston Marathon in a lifetime best of 2:21:45, which at the time put her third on the world all-time list behind Ingrid Kristiansen and Joan Benoit. As of 2016, the time still ranks her second on the German all-time list behind Irina Mikitenko. Pippig won the 1996 Boston Marathon in the midst of menstrual bleeding and diarrhea.[2][3] At the 1996 Olympic Games, she dropped out of the marathon after 22 miles, having led earlier in the race.
In 1998, an out-of-competition drug test found Pippig had an elevated ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone, and the German Athletics Federation attempted to ban her for two years. Pippig contested the finding on the grounds that her testosterone levels were normal, and that the elevated ratio was due to a low level of epitestosterone from a long battle with chronic bowel disease and other factors. This claim was supported by a variety of independent medical experts,[4] and a German arbitration court ultimately dismissed the case.[5]
In 2004, Pippig founded "Take the Magic Step" to provide health information and charitable support to individuals and to organizations that promote wellness and education. In 2005, she was named to the board of advisors of the MIT Agelab.
Achievements
Personal bests
- 5000 metres - 15:04.87 (1991)
- 10,000 metres - 31:21.36 (1992)
- Half-marathon - 67:58 (1995)
- Marathon - 2:21:45 (1994)
References
- ↑ Civai, Franco & Gasparovic, Juraj (2009-02-28). Eurocross 10.2 km (men) + 5.3 km (women). Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-03-01.
- ↑ It's time to tell the bloody truth. (Uta Pippig's Boston marathon victory)(The Journalist's Beat) - Nieman Reports | HighBeam Research
- ↑ Boston Marathon history - Boston Globe
- ↑ In analyses, it was determined by independent specialists Dr. Robert Barbieri, the Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, who is also an expert in hormones and the use of steroids, and Dr. Horst Lüppert, the Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The Free University in Berlin, that Uta Pippig’s ratio imbalance was not due to high levels of testosterone, but rather low levels of epitestosterone. Separate expert opinions from both Dr. Barbieri and Dr. Lübbert, independently concluded that the use of oral contraceptives and active bowel disease both raise the T:E ratio. According to Dr. Barbieri, “The T:E ratio is not valid for women on oral contraceptives with active bowel disease.” According to Dr. Barbieri, “In April 1998, at or around the time that a urine specimen was taken for androgen matabolite analysis, Ms. Pippig was on oral contraceptive pills and had active bowel disease.” a) Letter from Dr. Horst Lübbert to German Track and Field Association, 1 October 1998. b) Letter from Dr. Robert Barbieri to Messieurs David Merz and Jens Peter Ketels, 22 January 1999
- ↑ "Pippig gets clear record". Boston Globe. 8 August 2000. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
External links
- Official Website of Uta Pippig
- Boston Globe Article on Uta
- IAAF Biography on Uta Pippig
- sports-reference
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Elana Meyer |
Women's half marathon world record holder]] March 19, 1995 – March 9, 1997 |
Succeeded by Elana Meyer |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by Birgit Weinhold |
Women's Leipzig Marathon winner 1986–1987 |
Succeeded by Beate Kauke |