Sabine Busch

Sabine Busch (later Ascui; born 21 November 1962, in Erfurt) is a retired East German athlete, who specialised in the 400 metres and the 400 metres hurdles. In 1987, she became the World Champion at 400  m hurdles and the World Indoor Champion at 400  m.

At the 1982 European Championships she finished fourth in the 400 m, before winning a gold medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay, together with teammates Kirsten Siemon, Dagmar Rubsam and Marita Koch. At the 1983 World Championships she finished fifth in her 400 m semifinal and was eliminated, but won another gold medal in the relay, with teammates Gesine Walther, Koch and Rübsam. She set her 400 m lifetime best of 49.24 in Erfurt in June 1984, but could not compete in the 1984 Olympics due to the Eastern Bloc Boycott.

Busch switched to the 400 m hurdles in 1985, with immediate success, winning the European Cup in Moscow in 54.13 secs, before breaking Margarita Ponomaryova's world record of 53.58, with 53.55 in Berlin in September.^[1] She ended the season by winning at the World Cup in Canberra in 54.44.

Busch began 1986 by winning the 400 m title at the European Indoor Championships for the second time, having also won the 1985 Event. At the 1986 European Championships in Stuttgart, she won a silver medal in the 400 m hurdles, losing to Marina Stepanova, who in the process broke Busch's world record with 53.32, Busch ran 53.60. She won a gold medal in the relay with Emmelmann (Siemon), Petra Muller and Koch.

In 1987, Busch won the 400 m title at the World Indoor Championships in Indianapolis. The highlight of her career came at the 1987 World Championships in Rome, where she won a clear victory in the 400 m hurdles in 53.62 secs, to become world champion. She won a second gold medal in the relay with Emmelmann, Neubauer (Rubsam) and Muller. At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul she finished fourth in the final of the 400 m hurdles, being edged out of the bronze medal by her GDR teammate Ellen Fiedler (53.63 – 53.69). She did win a bronze medal in the relay alongside her teammates Neubauer, Emmelmann and Muller.

In 1991, Busch represented a United Germany at the World Championships in Tokyo, where she was eliminated in the semi-finals in 55.93 secs.

Busch's career best time at the 400 m hurdles was 53.24 seconds, achieved in August 1987 in Potsdam. As of 2024, this is still the German record.^[2] Her personal best time in the 400 metres of 49.24 seconds, places her second on the German all-time list, only behind Marita Koch.^[2] On the world all-time lists, she ranks 16th at 400 m and 24th at 400 m hurdles.

Busch represented the sports club SC Turbine Erfurt and was coached by Eberhard König.

• Sabine Busch at World Athletics
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