Rita Kirst (née Schmidt on 21 October 1950) is a retired German high jumper. She competed at the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics and finished in fifth, fifth and 22nd place, respectively. Between 1968 and 1974 she won three gold and two bronze medals at the European indoor championships. Her personal best is 1.92 m (1974). In 1972 she married Joachim Kirst, an Olympic decathlete, and later competed as Rita Kirst. Her sister-in-law Jutta Kirst won a bronze medal in high jump at the 1980 Olympics.