Career
After both the 1988 and 2000 games, she announced her retirement, only to return for the subsequent games. In 2004 she was voted German sportswoman of the year. Fischer was born in Brandenburg an der Havel, then in East Germany.
In 1999 she stood unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Freie Demokratische Partei (Free Democratic Party) in the European Parliament election.
Fischer"s niece, Fanny, competed for Germany at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, winning a gold in the K-4 500 m event. Fischer"s career medal count was surpassed by Hungary"s Katalin Kovács at the 2011 championships in Szeged.