Background
She was born as Rosemarie Witschas in Lohsa, Sachsen.
She was born as Rosemarie Witschas in Lohsa, Sachsen.
She was the first female high jumper ever to clear the height of 2.00 m, on 26 August 1977 in Berlin. Under that name, she took part for East Germany in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, finishing seventh behind Ulrike Meyfarth. She lost her European title to Italian jumper Sara Simeoni in 1978, when they both cleared the world-record height of 2.01 m.
Simeoni was Ackermann"s rival.
However, Ackermann"s early celebrations caused the rod to fall, leaving her with second place. Ackermann retired from athletics after the 1980 Olympics, where she placed fourth, just outside the medals.
Ackermann is the last female high jumper to set a world record using the straddle technique.