Gertrud Bacher

From a purely statistical point of view, Gertrud Bacher was undoubtedly the strongest heptathlete in the history of Italian athletics, scoring over 6,000 points a record 15 times. She was a member of the SV Lana Raika club where she was coached by Carlo Schopf who later became her husband.

Bacher won 10 Italian titles, competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, placed sixth at the 2003 World Championships, won two silver medals at the Mediterranean Games, and won five European titles, indoors and outdoors. In 2007 she placed seventh at the Götzis Hypo-Meeting, the most important of the season. She won a total of 28 international caps from 1993-2005. As of August 2022, Bacher still holds the Italian record with 6,185 set in Desenzano sul Garda on 9 May 1999, which broke Giuliana Spada’s record of 6,135 points.

Personal Best: Hep – 6185 (1999).