Ortrun Enderlein

Ortrun Zöphel-Enderlein (born 1 December 1943) is a former East German (GDR) luger, and one of the most successful lugers in the 1960s.

Enderlein started her working career at the SC Traktor Oberwiesenthal, and was first introduced to luge in her home village of Raschau in the Ore Mountains.

She was introduced to luge in 1961 in a section coached by Gotthold Meinhold.

Enderlein competed in five races in the winter of 1961 to 1962 and finished fifth at the German Junior Championships.

The section for luge at SC Traktor Oberwiesenthal was founded in 1962 and included Thomas Köhler, Michael Köhler, Klaus-Michael Bonsack and Ilse Geisler.

Enderlein said that her fast breakthrough as a top driver was the result of the team, her coach and her training as a mechanic.

She debuted at the FIL World Luge Championships 1963 in Imst, but achieved only 24th place after a fall, while her teammate Ilse Geisler won.

A few days later, Enderlein finished second behind Geisler, at the international event for the "Ehrenpreis der Stadt Innsbruck" on the newly created Bob-Rodel Igls run in Innsbruck-Igls.

Her first major win in a national competition was at the GDR Championships in Oberbärenburg in February 1963; Helga Meusinger, who had previously won at the European Junior Championships in 1961 and 1962 finished second, while Ilse Geisler did not reach the top three because of two falls.

As this was the only European Luge Championships which took place between 1963 and 1969, Enderlein never participated in any.

At the GDR Championships in Oberhof that year she finished second behind Anna-Maria Müller.

In the 1964 Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck, she became the first female luger to win gold at the Olympics.

Enderlein began her sporting career in as a handball player for the eight division BSG Rotation Raschau, sometimes playing as goalkeeper in 1964.

Enderlein debuted and won at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck with the best time in all four heats, each on 30, 31 January and 4 February, with a 0.75 second advantage over Ilse Geisler and Austrian Helene Thurner.

She set a new record of 50.87 seconds.

During the closing ceremony on 9 February 1964, she was awarded the honour of being flag carrier for the United Team of Germany.

Enderlein defended her title at the GDR Championships in Friedrichroda on 21 to 22 February 1964 against Ilse Geisler, and defeated Geisler at the Mitropa Cup.

In June 1964, together with Thomas Köhler, who was also victorious at the Olympics, Enderlein was awarded the Patriotic Order of Merit in Silver in celebration of the Week of Youth and Sports.

The GDR politicised its athletic achievements in its fight for recognition as an independent country and for the right to field its own teams at future Olympic Games.

Following that, Enderlein was part of the delegation to the Women's Congress in Berlin from 25 to 27 June 1964.

and won the World Cup in 1965 in Davos and 1967 in Hammarstrand.

The athletic achievements of the lugers Thomas Köhler and Enderlein were celebrated and politicised in the GDR during the Cold War when the GDR was not recognised by West Germany, and athletic events in either part of Germany with athletes from both countries were not permitted because of the Hallstein Doctrine.

Enderlein luged at the FIL World Luge Championships 1965 on 6 and 7 February in Davos and won her first World Championship title with an advantage of over one second after four heats, ahead of Petra Tierlich, Ilse Geisler and Barbara Winter.

A week later at the 1965 GDR Championships in Oberhof she won with a one-second advantage ahead of Petra Tierlich and Ilse Geisler, despite disqualification in the second heat – only two of the three heats were counted.

Because of her consistent achievements, Enderlein was ranked third in the vote for East German Sportswoman of the Year, behind Hannelore Suppe and Gabriele Seyfert.

The 1966 Luge Championships on the Spießbergbahn in Friedrichroda was cancelled due to föhn winds and the associated thaw; there were also no national championships that year.

Enderlein inaugurated a new open-air public bath in Raschau on 22 June 1966.

Enderlein defended her title at the FIL World Luge Championships 1967 in Hammarstrand, achieving the best time in all four heats on 18 and 19 February and achieved a position 1.39 seconds ahead of Petra Tierlich and Helene Thurner.

She also set a new luge record of 50.93 seconds.

Because of the Hallstein Doctrine, the East German lugers were not permitted to compete at the FIL European Luge Championships 1967 at Königssee.

The controversial disqualification of Enderlein and two other GDR sportswomen at the 1968 Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, involving the alleged heating of runners before the race start, was believed by GDR officials to be a staged incident against the first official GDR luge team.

After her sports career, Enderlein worked as a sales engineer and later presidium member of the Luge and Bobsleigh Association of the GDR and member of the National Olympic Committee of the GDR.

Ortrun Enderlein was born to forester Willy Enderlein and Hertha, née Müller.

Her father came from Hammerunterwiesenthal, part of Oberwiesenthal, and worked mainly in Reichstein, Oberwiesenthal, Mittweida and Trünzig.

After World War II, the family relocated to Raschau in the Ore Mountains.

Her older brother is motorcyclist Klaus Enderlein.

Enderlein trained as a mechanic in the Volkseigener Betrieb (VEB) Meßgerätewerk Beierfeld, where she was also active.

During her sports career she completed a distance learning course in mechanical engineering with a focus on manufacturing engineering.

She later worked as a sales engineer in the VEB Meßgerätewerk Beierfeld.

She is married to Bernd Zöphel, the former manager of KUKA Werkzeugbau Schwarzenberg GmbH.