German · West Berlin, West Germany · Born 15 February 1952West German freestyle swimmer who won three Olympic relay bronze medals at the 1968 and 1972 Games and was a multiple national champion in the 1960s and 70s.
Born in West Berlin on 15 February 1952, Heidemarie 'Heidi' Reineck represented West Germany at a time when the country's swimming program had yet to reach the heights East Germany would achieve later in the decade. She won seven West German national titles in the 100m freestyle between 1968 and 1971, along with the 200m and 400m freestyle titles in 1968. Reineck's international breakthrough came at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, where she won bronze as part of West Germany's 4x100m medley relay team. She repeated the feat at the 1972 Munich Olympics, adding a second medley relay bronze and a third in the 4x100m freestyle relay on home soil. Individually, her best Olympic result came in Munich, where she finished fifth in the 100m freestyle final. She added further relay bronze medals at the 1970 European Championships and the 1973 World Championships, and in 1973 was awarded the Silver Bay Leaf, one of Germany's highest sporting honours. Reineck's three Olympic relay medals represent a solid, if less decorated, career compared to the East German swimmers who would soon dominate the sport, and she remains a respected figure from West Germany's pre-reunification swimming era.
Three Olympic relay bronze medals for West Germany in 1968 and 1972
How They Played
Consistent freestyle relay swimmer
Lasting Impact
A steady contributor to West German swimming in the years before East Germany's rise to dominance
German Athletes