Burglinde Pollak

Burglinde Pollak's career reads like a study in versatility and grit. Three world records and Olympic bronze in both 1972 and 1976, all in the pentathlon, where you have to master five disparate disciplines rather than perfect one. That breadth impresses me far more than a single specialty ever could. What I find most compelling, though, is her second act: trading the demands of elite sport for a physiotherapy practice of her own. An athlete who pushed her body to its limits then devoted herself to healing others has a rare narrative symmetry. She strikes me as someone who understood the body completely, from both sides.

Burglinde Pollak (later Grimm, born 10 June 1951) is a retired German pentathlete. She won bronze medals at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics and finished sixth in 1980. At the European championships she won three silver medals, in 1971, 1974 and 1978. Pollak set three world records, in 1970, 1972 and 1973. After retiring from competitions she worked as a physiotherapist at her own clinic.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Name (English)

Burglinde Pollak

Name (Japanese)

ブルクリンデ・ポラック

Reading

ぶるくりんで・ぽらっく

Born

June 10, 1951 (age 75)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Gemini / Rabbit

Origin

Werder (Havel), Brandenburg, Germany

Blood type

Private

Height

179 cm

Agency

Private

Occupation

athletics competitor

Elementary school

Private

Junior high

Private

High school

Private

University

Private

Spouse

Private

Children

Private

Parents

Private

Siblings

Private

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%96%E3%83%AB%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%87%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9D%E3%83%A9%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF

Tags

• Brandenburg
• athletics competitor

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.