Inge Eckhoff
Inge Eckhoff, later Inge Bödding after marriage, is a retired West German sprinter who specialized in the 400 meters and won a bronze medal in the 4×400 meters relay at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. She competed internationally as Inge Eckhoff until about 1970 and as Inge Bödding thereafter, and she was a member of a world record setting 4×400 m relay team in 1969.1
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1947 in Hamburg; Olympedia gives 1947, the German biographical entry gives 19471 |
| World record | Member of the 4×400 m relay team that ran 3:33.9 at Athina (Athens) in 19691 |
| European indoor medals | Silver in the 400 m at Sofia 1971 and Grenoble 1972; gold in the 4×2 laps relay at Grenoble 19721 |
| National titles | Double German champion over 400 m in 1971, indoor (54.6) and outdoor (52.9)1 • 2 |
| Personal best | 400 m, 52.89 (1971)1 |
Career
1971 was her strongest season. Domestically she won both the indoor and outdoor German titles over 400 m in 1971, clocking 54.6 indoors in February and 52.9 outdoors in July.2 Her personal best of 52.89 dates from that year.1
At the European Indoor Championships she won silver in the 400 m at Sofia in 1971 and again at Grenoble in 1972, where she also won gold in the 4×2 laps relay.1 Nationally she had been runner-up indoors in 1969 behind Christel Frese, second outdoors in 1970 in 53.1 (still competing as Inge Eckhoff), and third indoors in 1972 in 54.1.2
1972 Olympics
Recognition and later life
In 1972 she received the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt (Silver Bay Leaf), a German sports honor, and the Hermann-Seiffart-Gedächtnispreis (Hermann Seiffart Memorial Award); in 2006 the German Athletics Federation (DLV) awarded her its silver pin.1 Inge Bödding was afterward the mother-in-law of Steffen Benecke, a marathon runner who wed Annkathrin, her daughter and a specialist in the 3,000 meters; neither of the two competed at the Olympics.1
In her active years she was 1.54 m tall; Olympedia lists her measurements as 154 cm and 48 kg, while the German biographical entry gives 49 kg.1
Name discrepancy
The two main biographical sources disagree on her exact birth date: Olympedia gives 1947 and the German-language biographical entry gives 19 March 1947, both in Hamburg.1 Both agree on the year, the birthplace, and the sequence of names, born Eckhoff and married name Bödding.
References
Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Athletics, gymnastics, and strength sports › Athletes of track and field and road running › Sprinters and hurdlers › Quarter-mile runners › Women's Olympic 400 m medalists
Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026
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