She competed at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, where she won the gold medal in 200 m breaststroke.

[1] She also competed in the women's 200 metre breaststroke at the 1952 Summer Olympics.

[2] Happe died in Dortmund on 26 March 2021 at the age of 94.

[3][4] Her son Thomas Happe is a former international handball player for West Germany.

This article about a swimming Olympic medalist for Germany is a stub.