German field hockey defender Denise Klecker competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics when the team finished seventh. Four years later at Athens the team won the gold medal and was named Team of The Year in Germany. Also, all team members were awarded the Silver Bay Leaf, Germany’s highest sports award.
Internationally, Klecker won a silver medal at the 1999 European Championship, and a bronze medal at the 2003 Europeans, when she also added the Champions Trophy. Klecker won gold medals at the 1998 and 2002 European Indoors, and at the 2003 World Indoors. She he played 185 international matches (including 21 indoor), scoring 45 goals (12 indoor) from 1998-2008. Domestically, Klecker played with TSV Schott Mainz (until 1989) and then Rüsselsheimer RK 08. By profession, she became a graduated special education schoolteacher.
Germany