Roth was born Gabrielle Lippe in Lörrach-Brombach, Germany and represented West Germany until 1990. She won a bronze medal in the 60 m hurdles at the 1989 European Indoor Championships in The Hague. At the 1990 European Championships in Split, she won a silver medal in 4x100 m relay, together with Ulrike Sarvari, Andrea Thomas and Silke Knoll. She also reached the 100 m hurdles final, but failed to finish. She represented a united Germany at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and reached the semi-finals of the 100 m hurdles. A month later at the World Cup in Havana, she won a bronze medal in the 100 m hurdles.