Karin Nathalie Ruckstuhl (born 2 November 1980 in Baden, Switzerland) is a former Dutch heptathlete.

Karin Ruckstuhl

Ruckstuhl in 2007
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing the  Netherlands
World Indoor Championships
Silver medal – second place 2006 Moscow Pentathlon
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 2006 Gothenburg Heptathlon
European Indoor Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Birmingham Pentathlon

Biography

edit

Her first major championship was the 2002 European Athletics Championships, and she finished 13th in the heptathlon. She came close to the podium at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships, finishing fourth, and took part in her first Olympics at the 2004 Athens Games, where she was 16th in the final rankings with a national record of 6108 points. She again just fell short of the podium with a fourth place at the 2005 European Athletics Indoor Championships and was eighth outdoors at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics later that season.

The 2006 season was a breakthrough for Ruckstuhl – she won silver medals at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships and the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg. Her new record performance of 6423 points at the European Championships (a Dutch record) meant that she was ranked fourth in the world in the heptathlon that year.[1] She also improved indoors, registering a national record of 4801 points in the women's pentathlon for the bronze medal at the 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships. However, she did not manage to finish the heptathlon at that year's major competition – the 2007 World Championships in Athletics.

She suffered a herniated disc in her back and underwent surgery in 2008. Her time out from the sport was extended even further after she injured her Achilles tendon in February 2010. Following such serious injuries and some two and a half years away from top level competition, she decided to stop competing in multi-sport events and focused her efforts on just long jumping.[2]

Achievements

edit
Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing   Netherlands
2001 European Athletics U23 Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands 13th Heptathlon 5582 pts
Summer Universiade Beijing, China 7th Heptathlon 5664 pts
2002 European Championships Munich, Germany 13th Heptathlon 5858 pts
2003 Hypo-Meeting Götzis, Austria 9th Heptathlon 6011 pts PB
2004 World Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary 4th Pentathlon 4640 pts NRi
Hypo-Meeting Götzis, Austria 10th Heptathlon 6118 pts
Summer Olympics Athens, Greece 16th Heptathlon 6108 pts NR
2005 European Indoor Championships Madrid, Spain 4th Heptathlon 4605 pts
Hypo-Meeting Götzis, Austria 6th Heptathlon 6318 pts
Décastar Talence, France 7th Heptathlon 6129 pts
World Championships Helsinki, Finland 8th Heptathlon 6174 pts
2006 World Indoor Championships Moscow, Russia 2nd Pentathlon 4607 pts
European Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 2nd Heptathlon 6423 pts NR
19th (q) Long jump 6.29 m
2007 European Indoor Championships Birmingham, England 3rd Pentathlon 4801 pts NRi
Hypo-Meeting Götzis, Austria 6th Heptathlon 6260 pts
World Championships Osaka, Japan Heptathlon DNF

References

edit
  1. ^ Heptathlon 2006. IAAF (2007-05-12). Retrieved on 2010-04-29.
  2. ^ No more Heptathlons for Ruckstuhl[permanent dead link]. European Athletics (2010-04-28). Retrieved on 2010-04-29.
  • Bijkerk, T. (2004) Olympisch Oranje. De Vrieseborch
edit
Awards
Preceded by KNAU Cup
2004
Succeeded byas Women's Dutch Athlete of the Year
Preceded by Women's Dutch Athlete of the Year
2006
Succeeded by