Photo: Ulrich Haessler—CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Marita Koch
- Born
- Feb 18, 1957 (69 years old)
- Birthplace
- Wismar, Germany
- Events
- 400 m · 200 m
- Height
- 1.71 m
- Weight
- 62 kg
Marita Koch is a German former sprinter, born on February 18, 1957, in Wismar. Representing East Germany throughout her career, she is widely regarded as one of the greatest female sprint athletes in the history of track and field.
Koch was one of the most prolific record-breakers the sport has ever seen, setting an extraordinary 30 world records over the course of her career, including 16 in outdoor events and 14 indoors. Her crowning achievement is the 400 metres world record of 47.60 seconds, set on October 6, 1985, a mark that has never been surpassed.
Koch's 400 metres world record remains one of the longest-standing records in all of track and field, a testament to the extraordinary level of performance she achieved. Her dominance across sprint distances, from 200 metres to 400 metres, both indoors and outdoors, places her in a class of her own among female sprinters.
As of Oct 28, 2026: 400 m 47.60 (#1 all-time), 200 m 21.71 (#10 all-time), 1986 season best 48.22 (Aug 28, 1986, Neckarstadion, Stuttgart (GER)) · Olympic Games: 1 gold, 1 silver · World Championships: 3 gold, 1 silver · World record (400 m) · 69 years old
Personal bests
WA points calculator →Medals
| Competitions | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | 1 | 1 | – | 2 |
| World Championships | 3 | 1 | – | 4 |
| Total | 4 | 2 | – | 6 |
Progression
| Season | Discipline | Result | Wind | Date | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 50Metres Indoor | 6.19 | – | Jan 25, 1986 | Berlin (GER) (i) |
| 1986 | 50Metres | 6.19 | – | Jan 25, 1986 | – |
| 1986 | 200m | 22.20 | +1.7 | Aug 20, 1986 | Berlin (GDR) |
| 1986 | 200m-short-track Indoor | 22.58 | – | Feb 23, 1986 | European Indoor Championships |
| 1986 | 200m-short-track | 22.77 | – | Feb 28, 1986 | – |
| 1986 | 400m | 48.22 | – | Aug 28, 1986 | Stuttgart European Championships |
| 1986 | 4x400m | 3:16.87 | – | Aug 31, 1986 | Stuttgart European Championships |
| 1985 | 50Metres Indoor | 6.21 | – | Mar 9, 1985 | Kobe (JPN) (i) |