Ulf was born in East Berlin to an athletic family and took up shot put at 13. He broke his first world record in 1985 with a throw of 22.62 meters. On May 22, 1988 he became the first person to throw over 23 meters with a throw of 23.06 meters at Khania, Greece.
He won gold for East Germany at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, ahead of Randy Barnes of the US. At the 1992 Olympics he finished a disappointing fifth.