Born in Königstein im Taunus, she made her first major appearance for West Germany at the 1977 European Athletics Junior Championships, where she finished seventh in the 1500 m.[1] The following year she won the national title in the 3000 m at the West German Athletics Championships and was also runner-up to Brigitte Kraus in the 1500 m.[2] She was selected to run the longer event at the 1978 European Athletics Championships, but failed to finish the race.

[2] This gained her selection for the 1980 World Championships in Athletics – a two-event competition created by the International Amateur Athletics Federation in response to the lack of the women's 400 metres hurdles and 3000 m run at the 1980 Summer Olympics.

[5] Friedmann defeated all-comers at the competition and became the first ever women's 3000 m world champion with a personal best run of 8:48.05 minutes (also a West German record).

[9] At the 1982 European Athletics Championships Friedmann achieved a West German and world junior record of 8:43.65 for the 3000 m,[8] but this was only enough for fifth place.

She is the chief physician of the Sports Medicine Ward of the University Clinic in Heidelberg.