Marlene Ahrens
Marlene Ahrens Ostertag (July 27, 1933 – June 17, 2020) was a Chilean athlete.[1] She won the silver medal in Javelin throw at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne with a distance of 50.38 metres.[2] She was the mother of journalist Karin Ebensperger.
![](../I/m/Marlene_Ahrens_2013.jpg)
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Women's Athletics | ||
Representing ![]() | ||
Olympic Games | ||
![]() | 1956 Melbourne | Javelin throw |
Pan American Games | ||
![]() | 1959 Chicago | Javelin throw |
![]() | 1963 São Paulo | Javelin throw |
Biography
Ostertag was born in Concepción, Chile, the daughter of German immigrants. In Melbourne, she was the Chilean flag bearer,[3] and the only woman on the Olympic team. She participated in the Javelin throw, winning the silver medal with a distance of 50.38 metres. In doing so, she became the first and only Chilean woman who has won an Olympic medal. After the games, she won gold in both 1959 Pan American Games, held in Chicago, and 1963 Pan American Games held in São Paulo. Also, she again was the flag bearer in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, although she didn't win a medal. Ahrens was forced to retire after having a dispute with the Chilean newspaper Clarín, and she was banned from competing in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[4]
After athletics she began to play tennis and in 1967, won the Chilean national tournament in mixed doubles with Omar Pabst. Soon after that, she injured her knee and dedicated her life to Equestrianism. She competed in the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata. She retired from horse riding in 2012, at 79 years old.
On the night of June 17, 2020, Ahrens died of heart failure at the age of 86.[5]
References
- Sports Reference: Marlene Ahrens
- Marlene Ahrens: Siempre que representé a Chile lancé como dos metros más, Radio Cooperativa, May 16, 2005
- "Olympic History of Chile". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
- "Marlene Ahrens Una ganadora en serie - Revista Caras". Revista Caras. 2013-11-27. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
- "Falleció Marlene Ahrens, histórica figura del deporte chileno y única medallista olímpica".