Martina Steuk (née Kämpfert; born 11 November 1959) is a German former track and field athlete who represented East Germany. She competed in the 800 metres and occasionally the 400 metres.
Her first success came at the 1977 European Athletics Junior Championships, where she won the 800 m title.European Junior Championships (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-02-18. At the age of 20, she reached the final in the 800 metres at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and placed fourth in a lifetime best time of 1:56.21 behind the Soviet trio of Nadiya Olizarenko, Olga Mineyeva and Tatyana Providokhina, Olizarenko breaking the world record.Athletics at the 1980 Moskva Summer Games: Women's 800 metres. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2017-02-18. A successful 1981 season followed, which included a win at the 1981 European Cup,European Cup (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-02-18. and at the 1981 IAAF World Cup she won an 800 m silver behind Lyudmila Veselkova and a gold with the East German 4 × 400 metres relay team.IAAF World Cup. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-02-18. She ranked second in the world that year for the 800 m behind Vesselkova with a time of 1:57.16.WOrld Top Performers (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-02-18. That success continued into 1982 with a silver medal at the 1982 European Athletics Indoor Championships, finishing second only to Romania's Doina Melinte.European Indoor Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-02-18. She was top of the world indoor rankings that season with 1:59.24 minutes.World Top Performers Indoor (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-02-18.
She was a three-time national champion, winning the 800 m at the East German Athletics Championships in 1981 before taking a national indoor and outdoor double in 1982.East German Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-02-18.East German Indoor Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-02-18.
She holds one of the fastest times for the 1000 metres at 2:30.85 minutes. This was the second fastest ever when it was set in 1980, behind Soviet runner Tatyana Providokhina, though it remained the fastest recorded electronically recorded time for ten years.senior outdoor 1000 Metres women. IAAF. Retrieved on 2017-02-18. It remains the best mark by an under-23 athlete and she also holds the under-23 best for the 600 metres event with 1:24.56 minutes.World Under 23 Best Performances. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-02-18.
Steuk was born in Berlin and was a member of her local club Berliner TSC. She married East German hammer thrower Roland Steuk in 1991.Martina Steuk. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2017-02-18. The two subsequently divorced. She was awarded the Patriotic Order of Merit for her athletic feats in 1982.S. 1, Berliner Zeitung, 17 December 1982.
International competitions 1977European Junior ChampionshipsDonetsk, Soviet Union1st800 m2:01.71980Olympic GamesMoscow, Soviet Union4th800 m1:56.31981European CupZagreb, Yugoslavia1st800 m1:57.16World CupRome, Italy2nd800 m1:58.311st4 × 400 m relay3:20.621982European Indoor ChampionshipsMilan, Italy2nd800 m2:01.07
National titles East German Athletics Championships 800 m: 1981, 1982 East German Indoor Athletics Championships 800 m: 1982
Personal bests 400 metres – 52.88 sec (1987) 400 metres indoor – 52.8 sec (1980) 600 metres – 1:24.56 min (1981) 800 metres – 1:56.21 min (1980) 800 metres indoor – 1:59.24 min (1982) 1000 metres – 2:30.85 min (1980) 4 × 400 metres relay – 3:20.62 min (1981)
All information from All-Athletics.Martina KÄMPFERT-STEUK. All Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-02-18.
See also East Germany at the 1980 Summer Olympics
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