Hansjörg Kunze

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Medal record
Competitor for Flag of the German Democratic Republic East Germany
Men's athletics
Olympic Games
Bronze 1988 Seoul 5000 m
World Championships
Bronze 1983 Helsinki 10000 m
Bronze 1987 Rome 10000 m

Hansjörg Kunze (born December 28, 1959 in Rostock) is a German track and field athlete. He represented East Germany as a long distance runner.

His biggest success was the bronze medal in the 5,000 meter run at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea. He represented Empor Rostock sport club.

He had a spectacular win on September 9, 1981 in Rieti, Italy, when he set a European record in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 13:10.40 and beat Kenyan Henry Rono who had dominated that season. With this win he also set himself apart from his long time rival in East Germany, Werner Schildhauer.

[edit] Further sporting successes include

  • 6th place in the 10,000 metres at the 1988 Olympic Summer Games
  • Participant at the 1980 Olympic Summer Games in Moscow (eliminated in the 5,000 m semi-final)
  • 3rd place at the World Athletics Championships in 1983 and 1987 at 10,000 m
  • World Cup, 5,000 m: 2nd place 1981, 4th place 1979
  • European Cup, 5,000 m: 3rd place 1981, 4th place 1983
  • Junior European Championship, 3,000 m: 3rd place 1977
  • East German Championship: 1st place in the 5,000 m 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1st place in the 10,000 m 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988. Together with other victories in other classes he won a total of 15 titles.
  • Best time in the 10,000 m: 27:26.0 on July 2, 1988 in Oslo
  • In the Youth B age class (under 18 years) he ran times that are still German records (as of December 31, 2004):
2000 m steeplechase: 5:35.11, July 18, 1976 in Erfurt
5000 m: 14:20.2, August 8, 1975, Bansky Bystrica
3000 m: 7:56.4, June 27, 1976, Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz)

[edit] Further career

Since the end of his sport career he has worked as a journalist for a public relations agent for an athletic shoe manufacturer, as commentator for the 1993 World athletic championship in Stuttgart, as a radio and television reporter for a regional station and lastly as a spokesperson for a shipping company. In 2004 he worked for the Rostock Olympic bid committee (for the sailing competition that would be held in Leipzig).

He has been married since 1981 and has two children.

[edit] Reference

This article is based on a translation of an article from the German Wikipedia.

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