Detlef Michel
Encyclopedia
Detlef Michel, born in Berlin
, is a German
track and field
athlete. He represented East Germany during the 1980s and was one of the world's best in the javelin throw
. His most important result came when he won the World Championship title in Helsinki 1983 with a throw of 89.48 meters in adverse conditions (rain), beating world record holder Tom Petranoff
(99.72m, 5 May 1983) of the USA
by a comfortable margin. In fact, Michel threw the four longest throws of the final.
He competed in the Olympic Games
twice, in 1980
and 1988
, but went out in the qualifying round both times. He was unable to compete in 1984 due to his country's boycott of the games in Los Angeles
and retired from professional sports in 1990.
Michel represented the Berlin sport club and trained with Peter Börner. During his career he was 1.84 meters tall and weighed 93 kilograms.
Michel's personal best under the old (pre-1986) javelin design specifications of 96.72 meters, thrown in Berlin
on June 8, 1983, was for a while tied with Ferenc Paragi
for second best in the world, behind only Petranoff's world record; it was later also exceeded by Uwe Hohn
.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, is a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete. He represented East Germany during the 1980s and was one of the world's best in the javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
. His most important result came when he won the World Championship title in Helsinki 1983 with a throw of 89.48 meters in adverse conditions (rain), beating world record holder Tom Petranoff
Tom Petranoff
Thomas Alan Petranoff is a former world record holder in the javelin throw; his May 1983 effort was greater than the length of an entire American football field at 99.72 meters . Tom Petranoff's world record added precisely three meters to the previous global standard of 96.72, set in 1980 by...
(99.72m, 5 May 1983) of the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by a comfortable margin. In fact, Michel threw the four longest throws of the final.
He competed in the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
twice, in 1980
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
and 1988
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
, but went out in the qualifying round both times. He was unable to compete in 1984 due to his country's boycott of the games in Los Angeles
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
and retired from professional sports in 1990.
Michel represented the Berlin sport club and trained with Peter Börner. During his career he was 1.84 meters tall and weighed 93 kilograms.
Michel's personal best under the old (pre-1986) javelin design specifications of 96.72 meters, thrown in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on June 8, 1983, was for a while tied with Ferenc Paragi
Ferenc Paragi
Ferenc Paragi is a Hungarian athlete who, on April 23, 1980, established a world record of 96.72 in the javelin throw, eclipsing the global standard set by fellow countryman Miklós Németh at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.This effort added more than two meters to the previous world record,...
for second best in the world, behind only Petranoff's world record; it was later also exceeded by Uwe Hohn
Uwe Hohn
Uwe Hohn is a German athlete and coach. Hohn was the only athlete to throw a javelin more than 100 meters....
.
Results at the European Athletics Championships
- 19781978 European Championships in AthleticsThe 12th European Athletics Championships were held from 29 August to 3 September 1978 in Prague, the capital city of Czechoslovakia.-Track:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |-Field:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |-Track:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |...
: 4th place (85.46) - 19821982 European Championships in AthleticsThe 13th European Athletics Championships were held from 6 September to 12 September 1982 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece.-Track:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |1990 |-Field:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |1990 |-Track:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |...
: 3rd place (89.32) - 19861986 European Championships in AthleticsThe 14th European Athletics Championships were held from 26 to 31 August 1986 at the Neckarstadion in Stuttgart, a city in West Germany.-Track:1978 | 1982 | 1986 | 1990 | 1994-Field:1978 | 1982 | 1986 | 1990 | 1994-Track:...
: 2nd place (81.90)