Karen Forkel
- Born
- Mar 24, 1970 (56 years old)
- Birthplace
- Wolfen, Germany
- Events
- Javelin Throw
- Height
- 1.73 m
- Weight
- 63 kg
Karen Forkel (born 24 September 1970 in Wolfen) is a German track and field athlete and an Olympic medal winner. In the 1990s she was among the world's best javelin throwers. Her biggest success came in the 1992 Summer Olympics when she took the bronze medal with a throw of 66.86 meters.
Her personal best throw with the new-type-javelin was 65.17 metres, achieved in July 1999 in Erfurt. This ranks her fifth among German javelin throwers, behind Christina Obergföll, Steffi Nerius, Tanja Damaske and Linda Stahl. With the old javelin type she threw 70.20 metres in May 1991 in Halle.
This ranks her fifth among German old-type-javelin throwers, behind Petra Felke (who held the world record), Antje Kempe, Silke Renk and Beate Koch. Forkel represented SC Chemie Halle, which after the German reunification was renamed SV Halle. During her career she was 1.72 meters tall and weighed 63 kilograms.
As of Nov 1, 2026: Javelin Throw 65.17 (#47 all-time), 2000 season best 62.35 (Jul 7, 2000, Regensburg (GER)) · Last competition: German Championships, Jul 29, 2000, 57.20 · Olympic Games: 2 bronze · World Championships: 1 silver · 56 years old
Personal bests
WA points calculator →Medals
| Competitions | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | – | – | 2 | 2 |
| World Championships | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| Total | – | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Progression
| Season | Discipline | Result | Wind | Date | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | JT | 62.35 | – | Jul 7, 2000 | Regensburg (GER) |
| 1999 | JT | 65.17 | – | Jul 4, 1999 | Erfurt (GER) |
| 1998 | JT | 63.83 | – | Sep 6, 1998 | Gengenbach (GER) |
| 1998 | JavelinThr | 63.83 | – | Sep 6, 1998 | Gengenbach (GER) |
| 1997 | JavelinThr | 64.92 | – | May 18, 1997 | Halle (GER) |
| 1997 | JT | 64.92 | – | May 18, 1997 | Halle (GER) |
| 1996 | JT | 60.84 | – | Jul 29, 1996 | The XXVI Olympic Games, Olympic Stadium, Atlanta, GA |
| 1996 | JavelinThr | 66.78 | – | Jun 23, 1996 | Köln (GER) |