Lina Radke
Overview
 
Karoline Radke-Batschauer (October 18, 1903 – February 14, 1983) was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 runner
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...

. She was the first Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

 champion in the 800 m for women.

Born as Lina Batschauer in Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...

, she started competing in athletics in an era when women involved in sports were still frowned upon. Sports such as running where considered to be far too exhausting for women. This vision was shared by many, including the originator of the modern Olympic movement, Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin was a French educationalist and historian, founder of the International Olympic Committee, and is considered the father of the modern Olympic Games...

.

Together with her husband and coach, Georg Radke, Lina Radke was one of the pioneers of female athletics in the mid-1920s.
 
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