Detlef Wagenknecht

Detlef Wagenknecht (born 3 January 1959) is a German former middle-distance runner. Representing East Germany, he was a finalist in men's 800 metres at the 1980 Summer Olympics and the 1982 European Championships and placed third at the 1981 IAAF World Cup.

Detlef Wagenknecht
Erfurt: Leichtathletik-Sportfest-1984
Personal information
Born (1959-01-03) 3 January 1959
East Berlin, East Germany (now Berlin, Germany)[1]
Height193 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight74 kg (163 lb)
Sport
Country East Germany
SportAthletics
Event(s)800 metres
Coached byJürgen Haase
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)600 m: 1:15.68 (1983)
800 m: 1:44.81 (1981)
1000 m: 2:16.7a (1982)
Medal record
European Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place1977 Donetsk4 × 400 m relay
Silver medal – second place1977 Donetsk800 m

Career

At the 1977 European Junior Championships in Donetsk, Wagenknecht won gold in the 4 × 400 m relay (as part of the East German team) and silver in the individual 800 m (behind his teammate Andreas Busse).[2][3] In 1978 Wagenknecht became East German champion for the first time, running a personal best 1:45.84 at the national championships to defeat Jürgen Straub and Olaf Beyer;[4][5][6] at the European Championships in Prague later that summer he was eliminated in the semi-finals as Beyer won gold.[2]

Wagenknecht lost to Beyer in the 1979 East German championships, but regained his title in 1980.[4] At the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow he won his heat and placed a close second to Sebastian Coe in his semi-final; in the final he placed sixth, the second-best East German after Busse.[7]

At the 1981 East German championships in Jena, Wagenknecht again lost to Beyer, but placed second in a personal best 1:44.81.[2][4][8] He represented East Germany at the 1981 IAAF World Cup in Rome, placing third behind Coe and James Robinson; Track & Field News ranked Wagenknecht a career-best fifth in the world in its 1981 rankings, the second time (after 1978) that he'd been ranked in the top ten.[9][10]

In 1982, Wagenknecht won his third national title, ahead of Beyer; at the European Championships in Athens he placed sixth.[2][4] He was ranked seventh in the world by Track & Field News, his third and final top ten appearance.[10] In 1983 he was national champion both indoors and outdoors, but was eliminated in the semi-finals at the inaugural Athletics World Championships in Helsinki; he stayed with the leading group until the end, but was outkicked.[4][11][12]

Wagenknecht won his final East German titles in 1984, repeating as indoor and outdoor champion.[4][11] At the 1985 IAAF World Cup in Canberra he placed fourth.[9]

Nationally, Wagenknecht represented Sports Club Dynamo Berlin. He was coached by former long-distance runner Jürgen Haase.[1][13]

References
  1. "Detlef Wagenknecht Bio, Stats and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  2. Detlef Wagenknecht at Tilastopaja (registration required)
  3. "European Junior Championships (Men)". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  4. "Leichtathletik - DDR - Meisterschaften (800m - Herren)" (in German). sport-komplett.de. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  5. "East German Championships". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  6. "Detlef Wagenknecht". Track and Field Statistics. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  7. Siukonen, Markku; et al. (1980). Urheilutieto 5 (in Finnish). Oy Scandia Kirjat Ab. pp. 361, 371. ISBN 951-9466-20-7.
  8. Larsson, Peter. "All-time men's best 800 m". Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  9. Butler, Mark, ed. (2010). "IAAF Statistics Handbook Split 2010" (PDF). International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  10. "World Rankings — Men's 800" (PDF). Track & Field News. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  11. "East German Indoor Championships". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  12. Pekola, Tapio; et al. (1983). Yleisurheilun MM-kisakirja Helsinki '83 (in Finnish). Juoksija. ISBN 951-9465-05-7.
  13. "Jürgen Haase Bio, Stats and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
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