Silke Hörner is a swimmer who has competed for East Germany. She competed at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games.
Hörner was considered one of the world's top female breaststrokers in the mid-to-late 1980s. She arrived at her first Olympics in 1988 as the current world-record holder and reigning world champion in the breaststroke double (100 and 200). She maintained a lead from the start to set a new world record of 2:26.71 for the gold in the 200 metres breaststroke, cutting off Allison Higson's four-month-old mark by more than half a second. She was also expected to challenge Tania Dangalakova in the 100 after sharing the fastest time earlier from the heats. She powered a steady lead on the initial length until the Bulgarian duo of Dangalakova and Antoaneta Frenkeva passed her near the wall to snatch the top two spots, leaving Horner with a bronze. On the rear of her breaststroke leg, she helped the East German women solidify their gold-medal triumph in the 4x100 metres medley relay.
Shortly after the Games, Hörner retired from competitive swimming but her career was marred by the revelations of performance-enhancing drugs used by East German athletes after the country's reunification. According to her fellow East German swimmers, she was involved in the East Germany's state-prescribed doping system but this case was never verified at a public trial.[1]
She is married to Seoul 1988 canoeist Alexander Schuck.
Olympic Results[]
| Year | Event | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Women's 100m breaststroke | 
|
| Women's 200m breaststroke | 
| |
| Women's 4x100m medley relay |
|
1988[]
| Discipline | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 metres breaststroke | Heats | 1:08.35 | OR |
| A Final | 1:08.83 | ||
| 200 metres breaststroke | Heats | 2:27.63 | OR |
| A Final | 2:26.71 | WR | |
| 4x100 metres medley relay | Heats | 4:08.53 (1:09.37 split) |
|
| Final | 4:03.74 (1:08.20 split) |
OR |
References[]
- ↑ "Stripped! Swimming World Vacates Awards of GDR Drug-Fueled Swimmers", Swimming World Magazine, 1 December 2013. Retrieved on 31 December 2023.