Birgit Meineke (later Heukrodt, born 4 July 1964) is a retired East German swimmer.
[2] Meineke was strongest in the early 1980s, winning a gold medal as part of the East German team for the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay in the 1981 European Aquatics Championships, as well as two silver medals in the same year for the 200 meter and 100 meter freestyle.
Like many other East German female athletes, Meineke was subject to systematic administration of performance-enhancing drugs.
These caused health problems for her in later life, including a liver tumor she attributed to the use of anabolic steroids and birth control pills.
[5] In 1998, former coach Rolf Gläser admitted to administering steroids to Meineke and her teammates and was fined $4000 for causing bodily harm.