Anke Borchmann

Anke Borchmann

Personal information
Birth name	Anke Grünberg
Born	(1954-06-23) 23 June 1954 (age 70) Neukalen, East Germany
Height	176 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	65 kg (143 lb)
Sport
Sport	Rowing
Club	SC Dynamo Berlin (until 1976) SG Dynamo Potsdam (from 1977)
Medal record Women's rowing Representing  East Germany Olympic Games 1976 Montreal Coxed quad sculls World Rowing Championships 1975 Nottingham Coxed quad sculls 1977 Amsterdam Double sculls

Anke Borchmann (née Grünberg; born 23 June 1954) is a rower who competed for East Germany in the 1970s.

Early life

Grünberg was born in Neukalen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, East Germany in 1954.^[1]

Rowing career

Grünberg competed for SC Dynamo Berlin.^[2] Under her maiden name, she came third at the 1971 East German national championships in quad scull. At the 1973 East German national championships she came second in the same boat class. At the 1974 East German national championships she won the quad scull title, came second in the single scull (beaten by Christine Scheiblich), and came third in the double scull alongside Sabine Jahn.^[3][4][5] She travelled to the 1974 World Rowing Championships as a reserve but did not compete.^[6] At the 1975 East German national championships she defended her quad scull title.^[3] She was nominated for the 1975 World Rowing Championships in Nottingham, Great Britain,^[7] where her quad scull team took out the world title.^[2][8][9]

From the 1976 rowing season, she started under her married name Borchmann. She was nominated for the Olympic team and did therefore not compete at the national championships that year.^[10] She won at the 1976 Summer Olympics in the coxed quad sculls.^[1][11] For her Olympic performance, Borchmann was awarded a Patriotic Order of Merit in silver.^[12]

In 1977, Borchmann changed to the double sculls and teamed up with Roswietha Zobelt; she also transferred to SG Dynamo Potsdam where Zobelt was also based.^[13][14] They won the 1977 national championships in that boat class.^[5] At the 1977 World Rowing Championships, the East German women's team took all six gold medals, with Borchmann and Zobelt having achieved the largest margin to the second-placed boat at 3.21 seconds.^[15]

In the 1978 season, Borchmann and Zobelt could not retain their dominance. At a regatta in Moscow, they were beaten by the Soviet team Ludmila Parfenova and Eleonora Kaminskaitė with an 8-second margin.^[16] At an international regatta in Grünau near Berlin, they came third after the Bulgarians Svetla Otsetova and Zdravka Yordanova and the Soviet rowers.^[17] At the annual Rotsee regatta in Switzerland, two finals were rowed over two days and the Bulgarians won the first contest while the East Germans won the next day.^[18] A week later at the East German national championships, Borchmann and Zobelt were the favourites in the double scull but were beaten by the previously little-noticed Gisela Medefindt and Petra Boesler.^[5] They also started with the coxed quad scull where they surprised by beating the favourites.^[3][19] Borchmann and Zobelt were nominated in the double scull for the 1978 World Rowing Championships in New Zealand.^[20] In difficult conditions, they were passed by the whole field close to the finish line and came sixth.^[21] She retired after the 1978 season.

Post-rowing

Borchmann worked in the administration of the National People's Army in Potsdam. After the German reunification, she transferred to the Wasserschutzpolizei. She lives in Werder.^[22]

References

1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Anke Borchmann". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
2. "Anke Borchmann-Gruenberg". International Rowing Federation. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
3. Hoffmann, Wilfried. "DDR-Rudermeisterschaften: Doppelvierer – Frauen (Plätze 1–3)" [GDR rowing championships: Quad scull – women (places 1–3)] (in German). Rüsselsheimer Ruder-Klub 08. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
4. Hoffmann, Wilfried. "DDR-Rudermeisterschaften: Einer – Frauen (Plätze 1–3)" [GDR rowing championships: Single scull – women (places 1–3)] (in German). Rüsselsheimer Ruder-Klub 08. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
5. Hoffmann, Wilfried. "DDR-Rudermeisterschaften: Doppelzweier – Frauen (Plätze 1–3)" [GDR rowing championships: Double scull – women (places 1–3)] (in German). Rüsselsheimer Ruder-Klub 08. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
6. Allmert, Hans (3 September 1974). "Bei der Siegerehrung noch eine Anfängerin..." [At the award ceremony still a beginner ...]. Neues Deutschland (in German). Vol. 29, no. 243. p. 5. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
7. "DDR-Ruderer für WM in Nottingham nominiert" [DDR rower nominated for World Cup in Nottingham]. Neues Deutschland (in German). Vol. 30, no. 192. 14 August 1975. p. 5. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
8. Allmert, Hans (25 August 1975). "Einmaliger Triumph unserer Ruderfrauen in Nottingham" [Unique triumph of our rowing women in Nottingham]. Neues Deutschland (in German). Vol. 30, no. 201. p. 7. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
9. Hoffmann, Wilfried. "Ruder-Weltmeisterschaften seit 1962: Deutsche Medaillenerfolge – Gold, Silber und Bronze" [Rowing World Championships since 1962: German medal series – gold, silver and bronze] (in German). Rüsselsheimer Ruder-Klub 08. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
10. "Sie vertreten die DDR bei den Olympischen Sommerspielen" [They represent the GDR at the Summer Olympics]. Neues Deutschland (in German). Vol. 31, no. 147. 22 June 1976. p. 6. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
11. "Goldenes Wochenende für DDR-Sportler in Montreal" [Golden weekend for GDR athletes in Montreal]. Neues Deutschland (in German). Vol. 31, no. 176. 26 July 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
12. "Hohe staatliche Auszeichnungen verliehen" [High state awards awarded]. Neues Deutschland (in German). Vol. 31, no. 216. 10 September 1976. p. 4. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
13. "Zwölf DDR-Erfolge bei Moskauer Ruderregatta" [Twelve East German successes at the Moscow Rowing Regatta]. Neues Deutschland (in German). Vol. 32, no. 132. 6 June 1977. p. 6. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
14. "Überlegene DDR-Ruderer auf dem Luzerner Rotsee" [Superior GDR rower on the Lucerne Rotsee]. Neues Deutschland (in German). Vol. 32, no. 162. 11 July 1977. p. 7. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
15. "Doppelzweier mit klarem Vorsprung" [Double sculls with a clear lead]. Neues Deutschland (in German). Vol. 32, no. 204. 29 August 1977. p. 7. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
16. "In Moskau dominierten UdSSR- und DDR-Boote" [USSR and GDR boats dominated in Moscow]. Neues Deutschland (in German). Vol. 33, no. 130. 5 June 1978. p. 6. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
17. "Gastgeber 7 mal vorn" [Hosts 7 times in front]. Neue Zeit (in German). Vol. 34, no. 142. 19 June 1978. p. 6. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
18. "In 28 Finalrennen gab es 21 DDR-Rudersiege" [In 28 final races there were 21 GDR rowing victories]. Berliner Zeitung (in German). Vol. 34, no. 160. 10 July 1978. p. 6. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
19. "Christine Scheiblich holte zweimal Gold" [Christine Scheiblich got gold twice]. Neues Deutschland (in German). Vol. 33, no. 166. 17 July 1978. p. 7. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
20. "DDR-Ruderaufgebot für die Weltmeisterschaft" [GDR rowing roster for the World Cup]. Neues Deutschland (in German). Vol. 33, no. 240. 11 October 1978. p. 5. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
21. "Vierter Einer-Sieg in ununterbrochener Folge" [Fourth single scull victory in unbroken series]. Neues Deutschland (in German). Vol. 33, no. 262. 6 November 1978. p. 7. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
22. Kluge, Volker (2004). Das große Lexikon der DDR-Sportler: Die 1000 erfolgreichsten und populärsten Sportlerinnen und Sportler aus der DDR, ihre Erfolge, Medaillen und Biographien [The big lexicon of the GDR athletes: The 1000 most successful and popular athletes from the GDR, their successes, medals and biographies.] (in German). Berlin: Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf Verlag. p. 59. ISBN 3-89602-538-4.