Ilona Slupianek

Career

Born in Demmin, in the East German Bezirk Neubrandenburg, as Ilona Schoknecht she finished fifth at the 1976 Montreal Olympics with 20.54m. In 1977, she was disqualified after she tested positive for anabolic steroids at the European Cup meeting in Helsinki, where she dominated her event with a superlative 21.20.

The International Amateur Athletics Federation suspended Slupianek for 12 months, a penalty that ended two days before the 1978 European championships in Prague. In the reverse of what the IAAF hoped, sending her home to East Germany meant she was free to train unchecked with anabolic steroids, if she wanted to, and then compete for another gold medal. Now competing as Ilona Slupianek, she did win the gold medal in Prague, with a put of 21.41m. She went on to win the European Indoor title in 1979. She then won the gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. In the next years she obtained gold at the European Indoor Championships in 1981 and the European Championships in 1982, followed by a bronze medal at the 1983 World Championships.

In 1984, she married fellow GDR shot putter Hartmut Briesenick. Competing as Ilona Briesenick, she won her final major medal when winning silver at the 1987 World Indoor Championships.

From 1976 to 1986 she was a deputy in the East German legislature, the Volkskammer, for the FDJ. She married for the third time in 2008. As of 2013, she lives in Italy. She had one daughter with Briesenick.