Quick Facts
Biography
Karen Forkel (born September 24, 1970 in Wolfen) is a German track and field athlete and an Olympic medal winner. In the 1990s she was among the world's best javelin throwers.Her biggest success came in the 1992 Summer Olympics when she took the bronze medal with a throw of 66.86 meters.
Her personal best throw with the new-type-javelin was 65.17 metres, achieved in July 1999 in Erfurt. This ranks her fifth among German javelin throwers, behind Christina Obergföll, Steffi Nerius, Tanja Damaske and Linda Stahl. With the old javelin type she threw 70.20 metres in May 1991 in Halle. This ranks her fifth among German old-type-javelin throwers, behind Petra Felke (who held the world record), Antje Kempe, Silke Renk and Beate Koch.
Forkel represented SC Chemie Halle, which after the German reunification was renamed SV Halle. During her career she was 1.72 meters tall and weighed 63 kilograms.
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  East Germany | ||||
| 1987 | European Junior Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 3rd | 57.00 m |
| 1988 | World Junior Championships | Sudbury, Canada | 1st | 61.44 m |
| 1989 | European Junior Championships | Varaždin, Yugoslavia | 1st | 70.12 m |
| 1990 | European Championships | Split, Yugoslavia | 2nd | 67.56 m |
Representing  Germany | ||||
| 1991 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 12th | 57.90 m |
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | 3rd | 66.86 m |
| 1993 | World Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | 2nd | 65.80 m |
| 1994 | European Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 2nd | 66.10 m |
| 1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 6th | 64.18 m |
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 6th | 64.18 m |
| 1997 | World Championships | Athens, Greece | 14th | 60.70 m |
| 1999 | World Championships | Seville, Spain | 12th | 54.65 m |
- 1993 European Cup (athletics) final: 2nd place (61.92)
- 1994 IAAF World Cup final: 3rd place (61.26); 1994 European cup final: 2nd place (65.58)
- 2000 European Cup (athletics) Final: 6th place (52.89)