Betty Kretschmer

Betty Kretschmer’s first international medals for Chile came at the 1943 South American Championships in Athletics, when she won silver in the 100 and 200 metres, as well as in the 4x100 metres relay alongside the non-Olympians Ilse Barends, Betty Morales, and Edith Klempau. Two years later she won the 100 metres and was third in the 200 metres, in addition to again taking silver in the relay with Annegret Weller and the non-Olympians Morales and Ines Kriwizan. At the unofficial championships the following year, she won the 100 metres, 80 metres hurdles, long jump, and 4x100 metres relay. Her next stop was the 1948 London Olympics, where she was eliminated in the first round of the 100 and 200 metres, as well as the relay with Weller, Adriana Millard, and Maríon Huber.

Kretschmer had better luck at the 1951 Pan American Games, where she won the long jump and took silver in the 4x100 metres relay with Millard and the non-Olympians Hildegard Kreft and Eliana Gaete. She also just missed a medal in fourth in the 200 metres. Although she did not take part in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, she did take bronze in the relay at that year’s South American Championships, alongside Millard and the non-Olympians Norma Díaz and Aurora Bianchi. At the 1954 edition she, Bianchi, and Gaete took gold in that event with the non-Olympian Elda Selamé, and at the 1955 Mediterranean Games they were third, with Teresa Venegas replacing Bianchi. Her final major international medals came at the 1956 South American Championships, where she won the 200 metres and was runner-up in the 100. After her retirement, she worked as a sports journalist.

Personal Bests: 100 – 12.0 (1956); 200 – 25.1 (1956).