{{short description|German javelin thrower}}

{{Infobox sportsperson | name = Karen Forkel | nationality = {{GDR}}<br />{{GER}} | birth_date = {{birth-date and age|24 September 1970}} | birth_place = Wolfen, Saxony-Anhalt, East Germany | height = 1.72 m | weight = 63 kg | headercolor = lightsteelblue | sport = Athletics | country = {{GDR}}<br />{{GER}} | event = Javelin throw | club = SV Halle | pb = 71.20 (1991) | show-medals = yes | medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport|Women's athletics}} {{Medal|Country|{{GDR}} }} {{Medal|Comp|European Championships}} {{Medal|Silver|1990 Split |Javelin}} {{Medal|Country|{{GER}} }} {{MedalCompetition|Olympic Games}} {{Medal|Bronze|1992 Barcelona |Javelin}} {{Medal|Comp|World Championships}} {{Medal|Silver|1993 Stuttgart|Javelin}} {{Medal|Comp|European Championships}} {{Medal|Silver|1994 Helsinki |Javelin}} }}

'''Karen Forkel''' (born 24 September 1970 in Wolfen) is a German track and field athlete and an Olympic medal winner. In the 1990s she was among the world's best javelin throwers. Her biggest success came in the 1992 Summer Olympics when she took the bronze medal with a throw of 66.86 meters.<ref>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fo/karen-forkel-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174937/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fo/karen-forkel-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Karen Forkel}}</ref>

Her personal best throw with the new-type-javelin was 65.17 metres, achieved in July 1999 in Erfurt.<ref name="alltime-list">{{cite web |url=http://www.iaaf.org/statistics/toplists/inout=o/age=n/season=0/sex=W/all=y/legal=A/disc=JT/detail.html |title=Alltime toplist javelin throw |access-date=4 April 2010 |date=4 April 2010 |publisher=IAAF}}</ref> This ranks her fifth among German javelin throwers, behind Christina Obergföll, Steffi Nerius, Tanja Damaske and Linda Stahl.<ref name="alltime-list"/> With the old javelin type she threw 70.20 metres in May 1991 in Halle. This ranks her fifth among German old-type-javelin throwers, behind Petra Felke (who held the world record), Antje Kempe, Silke Renk and Beate Koch.<ref name="GERlist">{{cite web |url=http://www.leichtathletik.de/dokumente/ergebnisse/images/ewige_dlv_bestenliste.pdf |title="Ewige" Bestenliste der deutschen Leichtathletik |trans-title="Eternal" list of the best in German athletics |website=leichtathletik.de |publisher=Deutscher Leichtathletik-Verband |date=1 September 2006 |access-date=4 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080413183552/http://www.leichtathletik.de/dokumente/ergebnisse/images/ewige_dlv_bestenliste.pdf |archive-date=13 April 2008}}</ref>

Forkel represented SC Chemie Halle, which after the German reunification was renamed SV Halle. During her career she was 1.72 meters tall and weighed 63 kilograms.

==International competitions== {| {{AchievementTable}} |- !colspan="5"|Representing {{DDR}} |- |1987 |European Junior Championships |Birmingham, United Kingdom |bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd |57.00 m |- |1988 |World Junior Championships |Sudbury, Canada |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |61.44 m |- |1989 |European Junior Championships |Varaždin, Yugoslavia |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |70.12 m |- |1990 |European Championships |Split, Yugoslavia |bgcolor="silver" | 2nd |67.56 m |- !colspan="5"|Representing {{GER}} |- |1991 |World Championships |Tokyo, Japan |12th |57.90 m |- |1992 |Olympic Games |Barcelona, Spain |bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd |66.86 m |- |1993 |World Championships |Stuttgart, Germany |bgcolor="silver" | 2nd |65.80 m |- |1994 |European Championships |Helsinki, Finland |bgcolor="silver" | 2nd |66.10 m |- |1995 |World Championships |Gothenburg, Sweden |6th |64.18 m |- |1996 |Olympic Games |Atlanta, United States |6th |64.18 m |- |1997 |World Championships |Athens, Greece |14th |60.70 m |- |1999 |World Championships |Seville, Spain |12th |54.65 m |}

* 1993 European Cup (athletics) final: 2nd place (61.92) * 1994 IAAF World Cup final: 3rd place (61.26); 1994 European cup final: 2nd place (65.58) * 2000 European Cup (athletics) Final: 6th place (52.89)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{World Athletics}} * {{Olympics.com profile|karen-forkel}} * {{Olympedia|69981}}

{{Footer World Junior Champions women's javelin throw}} {{Authority control}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forkel, Karen}} Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Bitterfeld-Wolfen Category:German women javelin throwers Category:East German women javelin throwers Category:Olympic athletes for Germany Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Germany Category:Olympic bronze medalists in athletics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Germany Category:World Athletics Championships medalists Category:European Athletics Championships medalists Category:Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Category:FISU World University Games bronze medalists for Germany Category:Medalists at the 1997 Summer Universiade Category:Athletes from Bezirk Halle Category:SC Chemie Halle athletes Category:East German Athletics Championships winners