German Olympic legend Fischer aiming for comeback

Birgit Fischer, an eight-time Olympic gold medallist over six different Games who will be 50 in February, has set her sights on a comeback in time for next year’s Olympics. “I want to test my limits. Why should I no longer set myself goals at the age...

Birgit Fischer, an eight-time Olympic gold medallist over six different Games who will be 50 in February, has set her sights on a comeback in time for next year’s Olympics.

“I want to test my limits. Why should I no longer set myself goals at the age of 50?” Fischer told Bild.

“I’ve got blisters all over my hands and feet, I’m giving my all but nothing beats competition.”

Her participation in the German championships in April remains uncertain.

“I know that Birgit has fixed a deadline to decide on how well she’s performing. Everyone’s free to test,” said head German coach Reiner Kiessler.

Should Fischer take part in the London Games, she would become the first German sportsperson to compete in seven Olympics.

Fischer won her first gold medal in the K-1 500m in the 1980 Moscow Games in East German colours.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.