Jürgen Schult

Jürgen Schult

Schult in 1988
Medal record
Men’s Athletics
Competitor for  East Germany /  Germany
Olympic Games
Gold 1988 Seoul Discus
Silver 1992 Barcelona Discus
World Championships
Gold 1987 Rome Discus
Silver 1999 Seville Discus
Bronze 1993 Stuttgart Discus
Bronze 1997 Athens Discus
European Championships
Gold 1990 Split Discus throw
Silver 1998 Budapest Discus throw
Bronze 1994 Helsinki Discus throw

Jürgen Schult (born May 11, 1960 in Amt Neuhaus, now in Niedersachsen) is a former German track and field athlete and the current world record holder in the discus throw since 1986, currently the longest standing record in men's track and field. Schult represented East Germany in the 1988 Olympic competition in the discus throw on October 1, 1988, where he won the gold medal.

Later in his long sport career Schult joined the reunified German team. He competed in a second Olympic Games in 1992, getting a silver medal, and the 1999 World Championships, again getting second place. He competed in his final Olympics in 2000 at the age of 40, finishing in 8th place.

After he was unable to compete in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles due to his country's boycott of the games, he set a world record in the discus in 1986. As an athlete under the East German program, his throw of 74.08 meters bested the previous record of Soviet athlete, Yuriy Dumchev, by 2.22 meters. This discus world record still stands today and is the longest-standing men's world record ever (having surpassed the length of Jesse Owens's long jump record, which stood for 25 years and 79 days).[1]

In 1988, at the first track and field competition ever between East and West Germany, Schult refused to shake hands with the man who had beaten him, Wolfgang Schmidt, who had very shortly before moved from East to West Germany.

Schult has a degree in sport and in 2002 became the trainer of the German track and field association's men's discus team.

Career results

Schult represented the Traktor Schwerin sport club and trained with Dr. Hermann Brandt, later he represented the Schwerin and Riesa sport clubs and trained with Thomas Schult. While he was actively competing he was 1.93 meters tall and weighed 110 kilograms.

References

  1. ↑ Post, Marty (2011-08-25). After 51 years, Owens' longevity record finally falls. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-09-21.

Sports Reference

Track and Field News

Records
Preceded by
Soviet Union Yuriy Dumchev		 Men's Discus World and European Record Holder
June 6, 1986 – 		Succeeded by
Incumbent