UPDATED : [an error occurred while processing this directive]Tuesday, 06-Apr-1999 17:58:21 EDT

Birthday:9th September, 1975
Birthplace:Rostock
Club: KTG Frankfurt
Coach: Hannelore Ziemmer

Kathleen Stark was already outstanding gymnast in GDR time, where she was in junior category. She has competed at Goodwill games in 1990. It was also the last appearance of GDR.

In Barcelona Olympic 1992 while many small-like-child gymnasts dominating, her strong performance, as her family name indicates--"Stark" means "strong" in German--, with a tall figure made her impressive presence shown.

In 1993 she left her hometown Rostock and moved to Frankfurt, in search of better medical opportunities where her sore foot can be healed.

She announced her retirement in 1993 and started exihibision tour with Ralph Kern, one of succesfull gymnasts in former West Germany who belongs to the same club as her, and also her partner of life later. But next year she came back.

In Sabae worlds 1995, though she was qualified for individual all-around, sudden stomachache from food poisoning withdrew her from competition. Fortunately it was not serious and she could enjoy watching competition on the next day with her fiance Ralph Kern. Kathleen had also latent popularity in Sabae. Her picutre has been on the top page of local newspaper.

In 1996, though she couldn't qualified for all around in Atlanta Olympic, her second appearance in Olympic, and that at the age of 21, attracted all attention as well as Svetlana Boginskaya (Belarus) or Henrietta Onodi (Hungary) who competed their second Olympic in their twenties.

In August Kathleen married to Ralph Kern after her return from Atlanta. She said she would concentrate on study of sports medicine as her future plan is to be a physical therapist. But she keeps competing. She finished 2nd at uneven bars in DTB Cup 1996, won vault final in Cottbus Grand Prix, April 1994. Also in the meets abroad, she was 4th at uneven bars next to former Soviets. (She was also 3rd at balance beam prerims)

Kathleen has been still trying new skills. She incorporates on vault "roundoff-1/2 twist-piked front" and on UB "piked Tkachev-Tkachev" which is the first and difficult element for women.
Though she injured her foot on May, Kathleen Kern competed at Bundesliga (German Federal League) and proved her recovery.

Gaining conficdence, she longed for medal of Lausanne worlds. But she failed at uneven bars of qualification and her dream never came true.

Though Kathleen wanted to compete in Europe championships, she had to give it up as she is expecting her first baby.

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photos and text by
Katja Pfeilinsel
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