Therese Zenz

Therese Zenz (* October 15, 1932 in Merzig ) is a former German canoeist. She took from 1952 to 1960 in three Olympic Games and won it in part three silver medals. It was also 1954 World Champion.

Sporting successes

Therese Zenz began her athletic career in athletics and handball. "So for fun times " it is entered by his own admission in a canoe. However, they gathered in the Saarland to back titles and participated as a member of the Saarland Olympic Team at the Olympic Summer Games in 1952 in Helsinki. She won in the finals on the open sea on the 9th Place. This result was more than one could expect from the people living in the community Mettlach Saarland athlete. The participation in the Games and their good performance was strong motivation for them to participate in Helsinki she has driven in his own words, herunterzuspulen her training schedule even in winter iron. This and her longtime trainer nickel Ziegler have driven over again.

In 1954 she won at the Canoe World Championships in Mâcon the title of world champion in one kayak over 500 meters. They wrote sports history: This was the first and only time that a participant in a Saarland team became world champion at the World Championships and the flag of the Saarland was hoisted. At this time the Saarland was due to the political development after the Second World War, a member of the IOC before the National Olympic Committee of the Saarland was disbanded in October 1956. Only after this success they got on their own testimony, extra free time for training by their employer Villeroy & Boch, where she worked as Mosaiklegerin.

In 1956, she won the German Olympic excretion and was in Melbourne for the total German Olympic team in the one-person kayak over a distance of 500 meters favorite because she was undefeated for 2 years. However, the Russians were stronger than expected, Therese Zenz lost the final of the Russian Elisabeth Dementjewa conceivable just 0.7 seconds behind.

She then moved her coach. He did not accept the individual training of the athlete and even though it was from 1957 to 1960 for four consecutive times German champion, called the press after her 4th place finish at the World Championships after their bye. So she pulled her consistency and separated from her coach. She qualified for the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960.

It started on August 29, 1960 as a favorite on track 5 in the final. After a long leadership of the photo finish decision. Zenz subject with 0.14 seconds behind the Russian Antonina Seredina. She won not 80 minutes later in a double kayak with their sports companion Ingrid Hartmann the silver medal over 500 meters.

After the final in Rome, she ended her sports career. In 1964 she took part in the Olympic Games as a caregiver. The supervised by their double kayak in the cast Roswitha Esser and Anne Marie Zimmermann won the gold medal.

Source

• Volker Bernardi include: history of the Olympic Saarlandes.Gollenstein Verlag, Blieskastel 2004, ISBN 3-935731-54- X.