Heike Henkel (German pronunciation: [ˈhaɪkə ˈhɛŋkl̩] ; born Heike Redetzky; 5 May 1964) is a German former athlete competing in high jump. She was Olympic, World and European champion. She won the high jump gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Heike Henkel

Heike Henkel
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Germany
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1992 Barcelona High jump
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1991 Tokyo High jump
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 1991 Sevilla High jump
Silver medal – second place 1993 Toronto High jump
Bronze medal – third place 1989 Budapest High jump
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Barcelona High jump
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1990 Split High jump

Biography

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Henkel was born in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein. Having competed for West Germany at the Olympic Games in 1984 and 1988, she emerged as the world's leading female high jumper of the early 1990s. As well as her Olympic triumph, Henkel won World, World Indoor, European and European Indoor titles. She is one of only three female high jumpers in history (until August, 2021) to have won all five titles, the other two being Stefka Kostadinova and Mariya Lasitskene. She was also very successful at the Hochsprung mit Musik meeting, taking the title three times consecutively from 1991 to 1993 and securing a record fourth win in 1995.

From 1989 to 2001, she was married to swimmer Rainer Henkel. On 30 April 2004 she married decathlete Paul Meier.

Competition record

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Year Competition Venue Position Notes
Representing   West Germany
1981 European Junior Championships Utrecht, Netherlands 5th 1.84 m
1984 Olympic Games Los Angeles, United States 11th 1.85 m
1986 European Championships Stuttgart, West Germany 6th 1.90 m
1987 European Indoor Championships Liévin, France 5th 1.91 m
World Indoor Championships Indianapolis, United States 6th 1.91 m
World Championships Rome, Italy 6th 1.96 m
1988 European Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary 2nd 1.97 m
Olympic Games Seoul, South Korea 13th (q) 1.90 m
1989 World Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary 3rd 1.94 m
1990 European Indoor Championships Glasgow, United Kingdom 1st 2.00 m
European Championships Split, Yugoslavia 1st 1.99 m
Representing   Germany
1991 World Indoor Championships Seville, Spain 1st 2.00 m
World Championships Tokyo, Japan 1st 2.05 m
1992 European Indoor Championships Genoa, Italy 1st 2.02 m
Olympic Games Barcelona, Spain 1st 2.02 m
1993 World Indoor Championships Toronto, Canada 2nd 2.02 m
World Championships Stuttgart, Germany 11th (q) 1.90 m
1994 European Championships Helsinki, Finland 11th 1.85 m
1995 World Indoor Championships Barcelona, Spain 3rd 1.99 m
World Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 16th (q) 1.93 m
2000 European Indoor Championships Ghent, Belgium 8th 1.85 m

Note: Henkel was forced to withdraw from the 1993 World Championship final due to injury, having cleared 1.90 m in the qualifying round.

See also

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Awards
Preceded by Women's Track & Field Athlete of the Year
1991
Succeeded by
Preceded by German Sportswoman of the Year
1992
Succeeded by
Sporting positions
Preceded by Women's High Jump Best Year Performance
1991
Succeeded by