Mr or Miss? Only his or her parents know the terrible truth!
Gretel Bergmann, who is Jewish, was replaced in the 1936 German Olympics team by one Dora Ratjen. The International Olympic Committee had insisted on Jewish participation as a condition of Berlin hosting the 1936 Olympic Games, but the organisers feared that Adolf Hitler would be embarrassed by a Jew winning gold. Two years later, Dora
was revealed to be a man, Horst Ratjen.
According to Gretel, who was also Dora's roommate:
She never came in the shower with us, so we thought she was a little weird, but I had absolutely no idea she was actually a man.
Margaret Gretel
Bergmann Lambert
So, Gretel had no idea that Dora
wasn't quite the full monty, despite them being roomies. I guess people led more sheltered lives back then, and girls didn't share intimate feminine hygiene tips.
Ratjen went on to take fourth place in the women's high jump in Berlin. But it was her later, greater success that was to become her downfall.
Ratjen set a new world high jump record for women in 1938 but was disqualified after a doctor discovered he had strapped up his genitals.
Bundesarchiv
strap-upRatjen.
This is Dora
Ratjen.
Come on! It took them two frigging years to work out that she
was a he
? Even for an olden days' German bint, she's a bit of a stunner.
Jeezuz, no wonder they lost the bloody war. (SMH)