Nils Schumann

Nils Schumann (German pronunciation: [niːls ˈʃuːman] ⓘ; born 20 May 1978) is a former German athlete, winner of the 800 m at the 2000 Summer Olympics, who retired in 2009.[1] For most of the five years before his retirement he had featured sparingly at an international level due to injuries.

Nils Schumann
Nils Schumann (center) with Justus Koech and Silas Kiplagat in 2008
Personal information
Full nameNils Schumann
Born (1978-05-20) 20 May 1978
Bad Frankenhausen, East Germany
Height1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)
Sport
Country Germany
SportAthletics
Event(s)800 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
  • 800 metres: 1:44.16 (Brussels; August 2002)
Medal record
Representing  Germany
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney800 m
IAAF World Cup
Gold medal – first place 1998 Johannesburg800 m
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1998 Budapest800 m
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Munich800 m
European Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 1998 Valencia800 m
Silver medal – second place 2000 Ghent800 m

Schumann, born in Bad Frankenhausen, began his career as a footballer in 1984 before switching to athletics.[2] He won a gold medal over 800 m at the 1998 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Valencia. At the European Championships in Budapest in the same year, he won the title in a close finish. A few weeks later he also won the 800 m race at the World Cup in Johannesburg.

He also made the final of the 1999 World Athletics Championships, but placed 8th and last. He had a quiet 2000 season, until the Olympics started in Sydney. Schumann cruised through the preliminaries, easily qualifying for the final. In the final, Schumann set in his final sprint at the last straight, taking the lead with just 50 m to go. Favourite Wilson Kipketer of Denmark gained in the closing meters, but was unable to prevent a surprise victory by the German runner. In the following year, Schumann finished in fifth place at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics in Edmonton.

Schumann, who also won a bronze medal at the 2002 European Championships, was unable to defend his Olympic title at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, suffering from injury throughout the 2004 season.

Competition record
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Germany
1996 World Junior Championships Sydney, Australia 5th 800 m 1:49.44
1997 European Junior Championships Ljubljana, Slovenia 1st 800 m 1:51.00
1998 European Indoor Championships Valencia, Spain 1st 800 m 1:47.02
European Championships Budapest, Hungary 1st 800 m 1:44.89
World Cup Johannesburg, South Africa 1st 800 m 1:48.66
1999 European U23 Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 1st 800m 1:45.21
1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:02.96
World Championships Seville, Spain 8th 800 m 1:46.79
2000 European Indoor Championships Ghent, Belgium 3rd 800 m 1:48.41
Olympic Games Sydney, Australia 1st 800 m 1:45.08
2001 World Championships Edmonton, Canada 5th 800 m 1:45.00
2002 European Championships Munich, Germany 3rd 800 m 1:47.60
World Cup Madrid, Spain 5th 800 m 1:45.34

Beyond retirement

On 3 March 2008 Schumann married the 400 meter runner Korinna Fink.[3] That was the year in which he set up his own business: he also advertises his services as a personal trainer, based in Erfurt.[4]

References
  1. "Former Olympic 800m-Champion Nils Schumann retires | marathonscene.com".
  2. Volker Kluge. "Schumann, Nils * 20.5.1978 Leistungssportler (Leichtathletik)" (in German). Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur: Biographische Datenbanken. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  3. leichtathletik.de: Nils Schumann im Hafen der Ehe, 3. März 2008
  4. "Schumann auf einer Vermittlungsplattform für Personal Trainer". Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2015-07-07.
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