Hansjörg Kunze
Encyclopedia
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 longtime rival in East Germany, Werner Schildhauer
.
Kunze's bronze medal at 5,000 metres in the 1988 Seoul Olympics can be found, for example, in the Finnish "Great Olympic Book" / Suuri Olympiateos, volume 5, published in Finland in 1988. His bronze-medal performances at 10,000 metres in the 1983 and 1987 World Championships can be found, for example, in the Finnish-language books about those World Championships, edited and published by the
"Runner" / Juoksija magazine. Also Wolfgang Wünsche's class book about athletics, "The Heroes of Race Tracks," in its 1984 edition (translated into Finnish), includes references to Kunze's bronze medal in the 1983 World Championships, his decision not to run the 5,000 metres in those championships, his failure at 5,000 metres in the 1982 European Championships (he finished ninth after being pushed around in the crowded group of runners - see, for example, a Finnish book called "Highlights of Top Sports" / Huippu-urheilun tähtihetkiä), and his success at 5,000 metres in the 1981 European Athletics Cup. Kunze finished second to Eamonn Coghlan in the very slow World Athletics Cup 5,000-metre race in 1981 (see, for example, a Finnish sports book called "Events of Top Sports Until 1982" /
Huippu-urheilun tapahtumat vuoteen 1982).
He has been married since 1981 and has two children.
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
) 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 as a long distance runner.
His biggest success was the bronze medal in the 5,000 meter run at the 1988 Summer Olympics
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...
in Seoul, Korea. He represented Empor Rostock sport club.
He had a spectacular win on September 9, 1981 in Rieti
Rieti
Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, when he set a European record in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 13:10.40 and beat Kenyan Henry Rono
Henry Rono
Henry Rono is a Kenyan former athlete.-Biography:Rono was born in Nandi Hills, Kenya, into the Nandi tribe. He started running while at primary school. Starting in 1976 he attended the Washington State University, along with his compatriot Samson Kimobwa, who broke the 10,000 meter world record in...
who had dominated that season. With this win he also set himself apart from his longtime rival in East Germany, Werner Schildhauer
Werner Schildhauer
Werner Schildhauer is a retired German track and field athlete, who represented the former East Germany at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow in the 10,000 meter run and placed 7th behind his team mate Jörg Peter .-Career:At the...
.
Further sporting successes include
- 6th place in the 10,000 metresAthletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics - Men's 10000 metresThe men's 10,000 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea had an entrylist of 48 competitors, with two qualifying heats before the final took place on Monday September 26, 1988.-Medalists:-Records:...
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 (ChemnitzChemnitzChemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle...
)
Kunze's bronze medal at 5,000 metres in the 1988 Seoul Olympics can be found, for example, in the Finnish "Great Olympic Book" / Suuri Olympiateos, volume 5, published in Finland in 1988. His bronze-medal performances at 10,000 metres in the 1983 and 1987 World Championships can be found, for example, in the Finnish-language books about those World Championships, edited and published by the
"Runner" / Juoksija magazine. Also Wolfgang Wünsche's class book about athletics, "The Heroes of Race Tracks," in its 1984 edition (translated into Finnish), includes references to Kunze's bronze medal in the 1983 World Championships, his decision not to run the 5,000 metres in those championships, his failure at 5,000 metres in the 1982 European Championships (he finished ninth after being pushed around in the crowded group of runners - see, for example, a Finnish book called "Highlights of Top Sports" / Huippu-urheilun tähtihetkiä), and his success at 5,000 metres in the 1981 European Athletics Cup. Kunze finished second to Eamonn Coghlan in the very slow World Athletics Cup 5,000-metre race in 1981 (see, for example, a Finnish sports book called "Events of Top Sports Until 1982" /
Huippu-urheilun tapahtumat vuoteen 1982).
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.