Memorial Page for Renate Boy (née Renate Garisch-Culmberger)

Renate Boy, born Renate Garisch-Culmberger (24 January 1939 in Pillau; died 5 January 2023 in Börgerende-Rethwisch), was a German shot putter. At the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo she won the silver medal for the unified German team.

Origins and Rostock

Renate Garisch-Culmberger was born in East Prussia. After the Second World War, her family moved through Thuringia and then to Rügen. In sport, Rostock later became her centre. With SC Empor Rostock she developed as a shot putter while also working in everyday jobs outside the stadium.

Rise in shot put

In 1961 she became the first German woman to put the shot beyond 17 metres. In the following years she won several East German titles and established herself internationally. At the 1962 European Championships in Belgrade she won silver. Her strength lay in a calm, powerful technique that kept her competitive across several Olympic cycles.

Three Olympic Games

In Rome in 1960, Garisch-Culmberger finished sixth. Four years later in Tokyo, her throw of 17.61 metres brought second place behind Tamara Press. In 1968, after her marriage, she competed for East Germany under the name Renate Boy and finished fifth in Mexico City.

Life after competition

After her active career, Boy remained rooted in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Her professional stations included work as a goods dispatcher and later as a shift forewoman in a Rostock fish combine. Rostock obituaries described her as an athlete of SC Empor and as a reference point for the regional athletics club.

Farewell

Renate Boy died in Börgerende-Rethwisch on 5 January 2023. She was 83 years old. Her sporting career remains especially connected with Tokyo 1964, SC Empor Rostock and the development of women's shot put in Germany.