Introduction

Gunhild Hoffmeister (born 06 July 1944) is a retired East German middle-distance runner. She competed at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics and won two silver and one bronze medal, becoming the only German distance runner to win three Olympic medals. Together with Hans Grodotzki she is the only German runner to win two medals at the same Olympics. Her personal best time in 1500 metres was 4:01.4, achieved in July 1976 in Potsdam. This places her ninth on the German all-time list.

At the European Championships Hoffmeister won five medals between 1971 and 1974: three outdoors and two indoors. She also won the European Cup in 1973 and placed second in 1970. Domestically she collected 15 outdoor and two indoor East German titles. She set three world records: in the 1000 m in 1972 and in the 4 × 800 m relay in 1969 and 1976.

Hoffmeister was a sports teacher by training and after retiring from competitions became deputy chief of the Children and Youth School in Cottbus. She was also active in politics and was a member of East German Parliament in 1971-1976. Until the German reunification in 1990 she served as a board member of the East German Sports Federation, and after that worked as a sports rehabilitation therapist in Berlin. Her daughter Kerstin also became a competitive runner.

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