Uta Pippig
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Uta Pippig (born September 7, 1965 in Leipzig) is a female long-distance runner, and the first woman to win the Boston Marathon three consecutive times (1994-1996). She also won the Berlin Marathon three times (1990, 1992 and 1995), the New York City Marathon once (1993), and she represented Germany in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. Her best times include 15:03 for 5,000 meters, 31:21 for 10,000 meters, 67:58 for the half marathon and 2:21:45 for the marathon.
The daughter of two physicians, Pippig began running at the age of 13 while a citizen of the former East Germany. In university, she was a medical student at the Free University Berlin where, after passing her final exams, she chose to re-focus her attention exclusively on running professionally. She left East Germany in 1990 before German reunification.
In 1998, an out-of-competition drug test found Pippig had an elevated ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone, and the German Athletics Federation attempted to ban her for two years. Pippig contested the finding on the grounds that her testosterone levels were normal, and that the elevated ratio was due to a low level of epitestosterone from a long battle with chronic bowel disease and other factors. This claim was supported by a variety of independent medical experts[1], and a German arbitration court ultimately dismissed the case.[2]
Pippig obtained American citizenship in 2004, and now holds an American passport. In 2005, she was named to the Board of Advisors of the MIT AgeLab. In 2006, she founded Take The Magic Step, LLC, an international health and fitness philanthropic organization.
Bold text==References==
- ^ In analyses, it was determined by independent specialists Dr. Robert Barbieri, the Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, who is also an expert in hormones and the use of steroids, and Dr. Horst Lüppert, the Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The Free University in Berlin, that Uta Pippig’s ratio imbalance was not due to high levels of testosterone, but rather low levels of epitestosterone. Separate expert opinions from both Dr. Barbieri and Dr. Lübbert, independently concluded that the use of oral contraceptives and active bowel disease both raise the T:E ratio. According to Dr. Barbieri, “The T:E ratio is not valid for women on oral contraceptives with active bowel disease.” According to Dr. Barbieri, “In April 1998, at or around the time that a urine specimen was taken for androgen matabolite analysis, Ms. Pippig was on oral contraceptive pills and had active bowel disease.” a) Letter from Dr. Horst Lübbert to German Track and Field Association, October 1, 1998. b) Letter from Dr. Robert Barbieri to Messieurs David Merz and Jens Peter Ketels, January 22, 1999
- ^ In an interview published in the August 9, 2000 issue of Der Tagespiegel, Judge Dr. Eike Ullmann, who chaired the panel of judges that decided on the Uta Pippig vs. DLV case in the arbitration proceedings of the German Sports Federation (DSB), concluded, “De facto there was a ban (on Uta Pippig competing), but its existence has not been legally justified.”
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| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
Preceded by Elana Meyer |
Women's Half Marathon World Record Holder 1995-03-19 – 1997-03-09 |
Succeeded by Elana Meyer |
| Sporting positions | ||
Preceded by Birgit Weinhold |
Leipzig Women's Marathon Winner 1986 – 1987 |
Succeeded by Beate Kauke |
Preceded by Päivi Tikkanen |
Berlin Women's Marathon Winner 1990 |
Succeeded by Renata Kokowska |
| Preceded by Renata Kokowska |
Berlin Women's Marathon Winner 1992 |
Succeeded by Renata Kokowska |
Preceded by Junxia Wang |
Women's Fastest Marathon Race 1994 – 1995 |
Succeeded by Katrin Dörre |
| Preceded by Katrin Dörre-Heinig |
Berlin Women's Marathon Winner 1995 |
Succeeded by Colleen De Reuck |
