Germany recognizes Jewish athlete's 1936 record

A 95-year-old former athlete banned by the Nazis from representing Germany in the 1936 Olympics because she was Jewish has had her high jump record recognized by the German athletics federation.

Bergmann fled to Britain when Hitler came to power and became national high jump champion in 1934.

Concerned that the United States might boycott the 1936 Berlin Olympics, which Hitler hoped would prove to the world the superiority of the Aryan race, the Nazis pressured Bergmann to return and compete for Germany.

She returned and duly broke the German high-jump record in the run-up to the 1936 Games.

BERLIN, AFP