Hildegard Falck

Hildegard Falck (née Janze on 8 June 1949) is a retired West German runner. At the 1972 Olympics she won a gold medal in the 800 m and a bronze medal in the 4 × 400 m relay with West German team. In the 800 m final she finished 0.1 seconds ahead of Nijolė Sabaitė and Gunhild Hoffmeister.

Hildegard Falck

Personal information
Born	8 June 1949 (1949-06-08) (age 74) Nettelrede, West Germany
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	58 kg (128 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	400 m, 800 m, 1500 m
Club	Hannover 96
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	400 m – 53.1 (1974) 800 m – 1:58.45 (1971)[1] 1500 m – 4:14.6 (1971)[2]
Medal record Representing  West Germany Olympic Games 1972 Munich 800 m 1972 Munich 4×400 m relay European Championships 1971 Helsinki 4×400 m relay European Indoor Championships 1971 Sofia 800 m

On 11 July 1971 Falck ran the 800 m in 1:58.5 minutes in Stuttgart, improving the world record of Vera Nikolic by two seconds. She was the first woman to clock a time under two minutes if the unratified marks of Sin Kim Dan are discounted. Her record stood until 1973.[3]

Before turning to athletics, Falck studied to become a secondary school teacher and trained in handball and swimming. In 1971, besides her 800 m world record, she won a gold medal in the 800 m at the European Indoor Championships and a silver in the 4 × 400 m relay at European Championships; she also helped Ellen Tittel, Sylvia Schenk and Christa Merten to break the 4 × 800 m world record.

Domestically she won the 800 m titles in 1970 and 1971 (both indoor and outdoor), and in 1973 outdoor. In 1972, she was awarded the Silver Bay Leaf of the German Track & Field Association.

Falck was coached by her husband Rolf Falck. They later divorced, and she married Dr. Klaus Kimmich, a pentathlete with whom she had two children.[1]