Nicholas Pucci
Curious story in the pool of Kathleen Nordworld-class East German swimmer during the 1980s, specialist in medleys in which he obtains great results, but lacking that Olympic glory conquered in the butterfly.
Born in Magdeburg on December 16, 1965, At the beginning of her career, the North was brought to try her hand at the distances of the 200 and 400 medleywhere he collects the legacy of compatriots Petra Schneider and Ute Geweniger, standing out at the 1982 World Championships in Guayaquil where he won silver over the longest distanceswam in 4’43″51 behind Schneider’s record time of 4’36″10 which will remain unbeaten for 15 years.
The following year, on the occasion of the 1983 European Championships in Rome, the North took its revenge on Schneider, making the gold in the 400m medley its own (4’39″95 to 4’40″34), and then surrender to Geweniger (2’13″07 at 2’15″55) over the shortest distance and therefore having to give up, like her compatriots, the 1984 Los Angeles Games due to the boycott of the Soviet bloc countries.
That the North had all the credentials to compete with the American Tracy Caulkins for the Olympic gold in the medleys is confirmed on the occasion of the European Championships in Sofia in 1985, where the not yet 20-year-old East German scores the double, winning the continental title both in the 200m (2’16 “07) and in the 400m medleyswam in 4’47″08, to then appear again as a favorite at the 1986 Madrid World Championship.
In the swimming pool of the Spanish capital, the North is confirmed at an absolute level on the 400 medleyimposing himself (4’43″75 to 4’44″07) on the American Michelle Griglione, not going beyond the bronze over the shortest distancewhere compatriot Kristin Otto prevailed in 2’15″56, to then focus on the butterfly specialty.
At the European Championships in Strasbourg in 1987in fact, the North abdicates on the 400 medley, where she is only bronze in 4’44″09 behind the Romanian Noemi Lung and the Soviet Yelena Dendeberova, but takes the top step in the final of the 200 butterflywon preceding (2’08″85 to 2’09″60) his partner Birte Weigang, so as to present himself in these two tests at the following Games in Seoul in 1988, his first (and only) Olympic participation.
At the Korean Olympics the North confirms that she is no longer able to fight at the top of the medleys, finishing no better than fifth in 4’41″64 in the final of the 400m won by the American Janet Evans, while, on the contrary, renews the challenge with compatriot Weigang on the 200 butterfly, who wins by only 0 “40 cents (2’09″51 to 2’09″91) leaving behind the American world record holder, Mary T. Meagher.
Having achieved the longed-for perpetual glory, which only a gold medal at the Games can offer, Nord puts an end to her career by appearing in both butterfly distances at the 1989 European Championships in Bonn – last event in which the “walchirie” dell’ex Ddr – repeating the title of Strasbourg on the 200 butterflywon with a time of 2’09″33, to which he also adds the bronze out of the 100m, swum in 1’00″81 in the final which sees the gold prerogative of the French Catherine Plewinski in 59″08.
E if swimming in the pool has elevated Kathleen Nord to the rank of eternal champion, the same certainly cannot be said for her existential journey, having died too soon from a bad ailment, at the age of only 56.