Kornelia Ender (laterMatthes nowGrummt, born 25 October 1958) is a formerEast Germanswimmer who at the1976 Summer Olympics became the first woman swimmer to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games, all in world record times. It was later proven that the East German team doctors had systematically administered steroids to their athletes[1] (albeit without the athletes' knowledge). As she had exhibited symptoms of steroid use in 1976 (deep voice, overdeveloped body), strong suspicion was cast on the validity of Ender's accomplishments.
Ender trained from a young age and won her first Olympic medals as a 13-year-old at the1972 Olympics inMunich: three silver medals, including one in the 200 m individual medley, finishing behindAustralia'sShane Gould. Over the following years she broke 32 world records in individual events, including the four at theMontreal Games. In 1991, she addressed the long-held suspicions about her physical condition at the 1976 Games, acknowledging that team doctors and coaches had given her numerous injections of drugs over the preceding months (cf.doping in East Germany). Ender said that she did not know at the time, nor had she ever subsequently found out, exactly what the drugs were. She said she was told only that the drugs would help her "regenerate and recuperate" and therefore, although she was surprised by the muscle mass she added, she nonetheless attributed it simply to her rigorous training.
When she became suspicious and refused to takechlorodehydromethyltestosterone in 1977 she was banned from the team byManfred Ewald.[2]
Ender was married for four years to East German backstroke swimmer and multiple Olympic championRoland Matthes. She is now married to former East Germantrack and field athlete andbobsledderSteffen Grummt.
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| Preceded by | Women's 100 metre butterfly world record holder (long course) 14 April 1973 – 21 August 1974 9 June 1975 – 28 August 1977 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Women's 200 metre individual medley world record holder (long course) 13 April 1973 – 4 September 1973 5 June 1976 – 10 July 1977 | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | East German Sportswoman of the Year 1973–1976 | Succeeded by |
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