Iris Völkner

Iris Völkner ( born October 16, 1960 in Hamburg) is a former German rower who won an Olympic bronze medal in 1984.

Iris Völkner from SV Hamburg police had begun in 1973 with the rowing. In 1979, she won her first German championship in four with coxswain. After the second place in 1980, she won again in 1981 and 1982 the title in four, since 1981, Ellen Becker sat in the quad. Becker and Völkner also teamed in pairs without coxswain and won in this class of boat from 1981 to 1984 four German league titles. 1983 occupied the two at the World Rowing Championships in fourth place.

When it became clear in the run-up to the 1984 Olympic Games that the teams of the Eastern bloc would not participate with the exception of Romania, Becker and Völkner went on to medal candidates, but the season results were rather mixed, as Iris Völkner could compete only with difficulty because of spinal problems. At the Olympic Games in Los Angeles just six boats were in two to without, Becker and Völkner occupied behind the boats from Romania and Canada third. The two rowers competed in the eighth, but there occupied only the sixth and last place. 1985 Becker won and Völkner again the German Championship title in four with coxswain.

The bronze medal by Iris Völkner and Ellen Becker was the first medal for rowers from the Federal Republic of Germany, had been Eckbauer Edith and Thea Einöder also won eight years earlier bronze. The two medals in pairs without coxswain were the only medals for West German rowers to the reunification with East Germany.