Sylvia Gerasch

Sylvia Gerasch in the GDR Schwimmeisterschaften (1987 )

Sylvia Gerasch ( born March 16, 1969 in Cottbus ) is a German former swimmer who started both the GDR as well as for Germany.

Career

She could already enjoyed success at a young age. So she was 14 years old at the European Championships in 1983 behind Ute Geweniger Second over 100 m and 200 m breaststroke. In the subsequent European Championships she then reached over 100 m breaststroke her first international title. At the World Championships in 1986 then the world title over the same distance and the victory with the 4 × 100 m medley relay followed in the cast Kristin Otto, Kathrin Zimmermann, Sylvia Gerasch and Kornelia Greßler.

In the last year of her career, she was about 100 m breaststroke German champion in 2000 and was thus able to first qualify for the Olympics. For races in Sydney she won as the second- best european eighth over 100 m breaststroke. In the 4 × 100 m medley relay she finished with Antje Schulte Busch, Franziska van Almsick and Katrin Meissner fourth place.

Gerasch last competed for the SC Berlin. In 1984 she was awarded the Patriotic Order of Merit in gold. In 1986 she was awarded the Star of People's Friendship in gold.

Doping

GDR doping

Like many other former East German top swimmers also, such as Kristin Otto, Heike Friedrich, Dagmar Hase or Daniela Hunger, was also Sylvia Gerasch related to the held in 1998 doping case against the former East German coach Dieter Lindemann and Volker Frischke with the accusation of systematic doping 1982-1988, accusations of use of illegal performance-enhancing substances and thus unlawfully reached world and European champion title aloud.

Caffeine Doping

After the sprint European Swimming Championships in 1993 in Gateshead increased caffeine levels were observed at Gerasch, whereupon she locked the World Swimming Federation until 21 January 1996 in two years.

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