Katrin's Story
1969 -
Katrin Borchert arrived on the world canoeing scene as part of the powerful East German women’s contingent of the late 1980s. She won numerous world championship medals for East and West Germany before representing the newly-unified Germany at Barcelona 1992. She was in the K4 crew, along with the great Birgit Fischer, that finished second to Hungary over 500 metres. In that event the Australian team, including Anna Wood, finished eighth.
Borchert arrived in Australia in 1994 and was in the national team in time for Atlanta 1996. She finished seventh in the K1 500 metres and with Anna Wood garnered the bronze medal in the K2 500 metres, behind Sweden and Germany. Wood, as Annemarie Cox, had won a bronze medal in the K2 500 metres at Seoul 1988 for her native Holland. Thus, Borchert and Wood’s bronze medal was unique because both had previously won Olympic medals for other countries. Borchert, singly and with Wood, had further successes at world championships. At Sydney 2000, Borchert won the bronze medal in the K1 500 metres behind Idem-Guerrini (ITA) and Brunet (CAN) and, with Wood, finished sixth in the K2 500 metres. At the 2001 world championships, Borchert finished second in the K1 500 metres, third in the K1 1000 metres and, with a new partner Katrin Kieseler, second in the K2 1000 metres.
