Daniela HUNGER

Daniela Hunger was one of the few former GDR swimmers who were also successful after German reunification. The medley and long distance freestyle specialist won three golds and two silver medals for East Germany at the Long-Course European Championships and also four golds and one silver for the reunified German team. At the World Championships she won two bronze medals for reunified Germany in 1991 and 1994. Her outstanding performance was for East Germany at the 1988 Seoul Olympics when she won the 200 IM and won gold in the 4×100 free relay, adding a bronze in the 400 IM. Four years later she added one silver and two bronze medals for the reunified German team.

After German reunification in 1991 Hase came under doping suspicion by Brigitte Berendonk and the documents of the Military Medical Academy in Bad Saarow, which was also confirmed by the GDR doping investigation between 1998 and 2000. It was later announced that Hunger, along with Kristin Otto, Heike Friedrich and Dagmar Hase, had taken illegal performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) at the 1989 European Championships at Bonn. The testosterone levels of these female swimmers corresponded to normal male values.

Personal Bests: 100 freestyle – 58.13 (1994); 200 medley – 2:12.59 (1988); 400 medley – 4:39.76 (1988).