Sylvia Gerasch

Gerasch was fifteen years old when she participated in the 1983 European Championships and placed second behind Ute Geweniger in the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke. In the subsequent European championships she won her first international title in the 100 m breaststroke.

Due to the boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she participated in Friendship Games, in which she won the gold medal and set a world record for 1 minute 08.29 seconds in 100 m breaststroke.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/24/sports/swim-mark-for-east-german.html|title=Swim Mark for East German|newspaper=The New York Times|date=24 August 1984}}

At the 1986 World Aquatics Championships, she won the 100 m breaststroke and the 4×100 m medley relay, together with teammates Kristin Otto, Kathrin Zimmermann and Kornelia Gressler.[http://www.german-swim-masters.de/robben-berlin/html/einleitung.php Willkommen im Berliner Schwimmverein Robben Berlin]. german-swim-masters.de[https://web.archive.org/web/20110718202137/http://www.berliner-sport.de/story1ag.htm Die Berliner Olympiateilnehmer]. berliner-sport.de In October 1986, she was awarded a Star of People's Friendship in gold (second class) for her sporting success.{{cite news |title=Hohe staatliche Auszeichnungen verliehen | trans-title=Awarded high state awards |url= http://zefys.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/ddr-presse/ergebnisanzeige/?purl=SNP26120215-19861015-0-6-65-0 |access-date=23 September 2018 |work=Neues Deutschland |volume=42 |issue=243 |date=15 October 1986 |page=6 | language=de |url-access=registration }}

Her first and only Olympic appearance was at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where she competed for a unified Germany and finished eighth in the 100 m breaststroke; she was also part of the fourth-place German 4×100 m medley relay team.

Dieter Lindemann was accused of giving Gerasch anabolics when she was thirteen years old.{{cite web | title =Die Meister-Macher | work =Berliner Zeitung | publisher =Berlin Online | date =19 March 1998 | url =http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-zeitung/archiv/.bin/dump.fcgi/1998/0319/none/0076/index.html | access-date =2 February 2009 }} Gerasch claimed that Lindemann gave her pink tablets which she did not take. She claimed that some competitors put the tablets in the aquarium, and that the female fish became more colourful like the male ones.{{cite web | last =Ludwig|author2=Mascolo | title =Das ist gut für die Zähne | work =Der Spiegel | publisher =Wissen Media Group | date =18 August 1997 | url =http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-8761021.html?name=Das+ist+gut+f%26uuml%3Br+die+Z%26auml%3Bhne | access-date =2 February 2009 }}

Following a test at the European Sprint Swimming Championships 1993 in Gateshead{{cite web | last =Johnson | first =William | title =German officials brew up storm in teacup with latest caffeine guidelines | work =The Standard | publisher =The Standard Newspaper Publishing | date =4 September 1996 | url =http://www.thestandard.com.hk/archive_news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=65163&sid=&con_type=1&archive_d_str=19960904 | access-date =2 February 2009 | url-status =dead | archive-url =https://archive.today/20130107160153/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/archive_news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=65163&sid=&con_type=1&archive_d_str=19960904 | archive-date =7 January 2013 }} in November 1993,{{cite web | last =Schulze | first =Rolf-Günther | title =Wer Nein sagt, ist ein Sünder | publisher =WOZ | date =14 August 2008 | url =http://www.woz.ch/artikel/inhalt/2008/nr33/Sport/16695.html | access-date =2 February 2009 }} Gerasch was suspended in January 1994 for two years for having 16 mg of caffeine, equivalent to six cups of coffee, in her blood compared to the permitted limit of 12 mg.{{cite book | last =Emsley | first =John |author2=Fell, Peter | title =What is caffeine and how does it work? | work =Was it something you ate? | year =2001 | publisher =Oxford University Press | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=khoGZWEAdy4C&pg=PA80|isbn=0198509669}} The German Swimming Association shortened the suspension for national competitions.{{cite web | title =Sylvia Gerasch kann weiter starten | work =Berliner Zeitung | publisher =Berlin Online | date =1 September 1994 | url =http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-zeitung/archiv/.bin/dump.fcgi/1994/0901/sport/0166/index.html | access-date =2 February 2009 }} In November 1995, the compulsory ban for caffeine was reduced from two years to three months, and in Autumn 2003, caffeine was removed from the list of banned substances.

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{{Reflist}}

{{Footer World LC Champions 100m Breaststroke Women}}

{{Footer World LC Champions 4x100m Medley Women}}

{{Footer European Champions 100m Breaststroke Women}}

{{Footer European Champions 4x100m Medley Women}}

{{Footer European SC Champions 50m Breaststroke Women}}

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Category:1969 births

Category:Living people

Category:Sportspeople from Cottbus

Category:Swimmers from Brandenburg

Category:East German female breaststroke swimmers

Category:German female breaststroke swimmers

Category:Doping cases in swimming

Category:German sportspeople in doping cases

Category:World record setters in swimming

Category:World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming

Category:European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming

Category:Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics

Category:Sportspeople from Bezirk Cottbus

Category:SC Dynamo Berlin sportspeople