Total Medals:
Olympics:
Worlds:
Euros:
Appearances:,,,

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Erika Zuchold’s career hit a rough patch from the very beginning. In an era where the World Championships were held just once every four years, Zuchold would have to wait until the 1964 Olympics to make her debut. When the time came to participate in her very first major international competition, Zuchold missed the Olympics due to injury. This delayed her debut by two additional years.

Zuchold has the unfortunate distinction of finishing 4th in the AA in back-to-back Olympics, and again at the World Championships. Her three career 4th place finishes in the AA is the most of any gymnast. Erika Zuchold did manage to win a silver medal in the AA at the 1970 World Championships. She finished 4th or better in the AA on every occasion from 1966-1972. This in an era with absolutely no country limits and Erika had to go up against the full might of the Soviets.

Erika was a revolutionary gymnast who played a big role in changing the makeup of the sport to favor younger gymnasts. Her flic-flac on beam proved a key moment in the development of WAG. It would be accurate to say Zuchold was a critical predecessor to both Nadia Comaneci and Olga Korbut. She would later be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

World Championships & Olympic Competition:

Results:

1964
East German Championships: 1st-AA, 4th-VT, 2nd-UB, 1st-BB, 1st-FX

1965
East German Championships: 2nd-AA, 1st-VT, 3rd-BB

1966
East German Championships: 1st-AA, 1st-VT, 6th-UB, 1st-BB, 2nd-FX
World Championships: 2nd-VT

1967
East German Championships: 2nd-AA, 1st-VT, 2nd-UB, 1st-BB, 1st-FX
European Championships: 2nd-VT

1968
East German Championships: 1st-AA, 2nd-VT, 2nd-UB, 1st-BB, 1st-FX
Olympic Games: 3rd-Team, 2nd-VT

1969
East German Nationals 2nd-AA, 2nd-VT, 2nd-UB, 2nd-BB
European Championships: 2nd-VT

1970
World Championships: 2nd-Team, 2nd-AA, 1st-VT, 1st-BB

1971
European Championships: 3rd-AA, 3rd-VT, 3rd-BB, 3rd-FX

1972
Olympic Games: 2nd-Team, 2nd-VT, 3rd-UB

Gallery:

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Results are taken from Score for Score, The Gymternet, GymnasticGreats, My Meet Scores, Gymn-Forum, the official websites of various national gymnastics federations, newspaper clippings, classic gymnastics magazines, and in some cases, were provided by the gymnasts themselves. An explanation for the meaning of these symbols can be found here.