Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | 2 May 1925 Amsterdam, the Netherlands | (age 99)
Sport | |
Sport | Swimming |
Club | Undine Mönchen-Gladbach ETV – Hamburg [1] |
Erna Herbers (née Westhelle; born 2 May 1925) is a German retired swimmer. She competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in the 100 m backstroke event, but failed to reach the final. [2] In 1948 she won the German 100 m backstroke title, [1] but missed the 1948 Olympics because Germany was excluded from them. [3]
She was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and grew up in Hilversum, where she started swimming aged 12. Her family had bonds with Germany, as her father was German [4] and was employed by a German company. Westhelle herself worked as a stenographer at a Waffen-SS office in Hilversum [5] and competed for the German club Undine Mönchen-Gladbach. In 1943 she won the German 100 m backstroke title, [1] for which she received a personal present from the SS- Gruppenführer Karl Maria Demelhuber. [6] During World War II she met her future husband and in 1945 moved with him to Germany; there she changed her last name to Herbers. [1] She retired from swimming in 1953, and in 1970 moved to Hilden, a town near the German-Dutch border. [3] [5] [7]
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | 2 May 1925 Amsterdam, the Netherlands | (age 99)
Sport | |
Sport | Swimming |
Club | Undine Mönchen-Gladbach ETV – Hamburg [1] |
Erna Herbers (née Westhelle; born 2 May 1925) is a German retired swimmer. She competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in the 100 m backstroke event, but failed to reach the final. [2] In 1948 she won the German 100 m backstroke title, [1] but missed the 1948 Olympics because Germany was excluded from them. [3]
She was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and grew up in Hilversum, where she started swimming aged 12. Her family had bonds with Germany, as her father was German [4] and was employed by a German company. Westhelle herself worked as a stenographer at a Waffen-SS office in Hilversum [5] and competed for the German club Undine Mönchen-Gladbach. In 1943 she won the German 100 m backstroke title, [1] for which she received a personal present from the SS- Gruppenführer Karl Maria Demelhuber. [6] During World War II she met her future husband and in 1945 moved with him to Germany; there she changed her last name to Herbers. [1] She retired from swimming in 1953, and in 1970 moved to Hilden, a town near the German-Dutch border. [3] [5] [7]