Michael Karst (born 28 January 1952 in Mannheim

Mannheim

Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....

) is a retired 3000 m steeplechaser from West Germany

West Germany

West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

.

He finished fifth at the 1976 Summer Olympics

1976 Summer Olympics

The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...

, first at the 1977 World Cup

1977 IAAF World Cup

The 1st IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on September 2–4, 1977, at the Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, West Germany.-Men:|width="50"| ...

 and fourth at the 1978 European Championships

1978 European Championships in Athletics

The 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 |...

. He also won two silver and one gold medal at the Summer Universiades in 1973

1973 Summer Universiade

The 1973 Summer Universiade, also known as the VII Summer Universiade, took place in Moscow, USSR.-Medal table:-Sports and venues at the 1973 Summer Universiade :...

, 1975

1975 Summer Universiade

The 1975 Summer Universiade, also known as the VIII Summer Universiade, took place in Rome, Italy. The 1975 Universiade only featured athletics, other disciplines having been cancelled, and was therefore referred to as the World University Championships in athletics.-Medal table:...

 and 1977

1977 Summer Universiade

The 1977 Summer Universiade, also known as the IX Summer Universiade, took place in Sofia, Bulgaria.-Medal table:...

. At the 1977 European Indoor Championships

1977 European Indoor Championships in Athletics

The 8th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in San Sebastián, a city in Spain, in 1977.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*...

 he finished sixth in 3000 metres

3000 metres

The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...

.

In June 1974 he set a new European record

European records in athletics

European records in the sport of athletics are ratified by the European Athletic Association. Records are kept for all events contested at the Olympic Games and some others. Unofficial records for some other events are kept by track and field statisticians...

 of 8:18.4 minutes, which he improved to a then-national record of 8:18.0 at the 1974 European Championships

1974 European Championships in Athletics

The 11th European Athletics Championships was held from 2 September to 8 September 1974 in the Stadio Olimpico of Rome, the capital of Italy.-Track:1969 |1971 |1974 |1978 |1982-Field:1969 |1971 |1974 |1978 |1982-Track:1969 |1971 |1974 |1978 |1982...

 where he won the gold medal. He improved his (West) German record on two occasions in Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

, first to 8:16.2 minutes in July 1975 and finally to 8:14.05 minutes in July 1977. This result places him sixth on the German all-time performers list, behind Damian Kallabis

Damian Kallabis

Damian Kallabis is a retired German runner who specialized in the 3000 metres steeplechase.In 1997 his personal best time was 8:37.35 minutes. The next year he sensationally won the European Championships, lowering his personal best time to 8:13.10 minutes...

, Hagen Melzer

Hagen Melzer

Hagen Melzer is a former German middle and long distance runner who specialized in the 3000 m steeplechase....

, Frank Baumgartl

Frank Baumgartl

Frank Baumgartl was an East German track and field athlete, who specialized in the 3000 meters steeplechase. He was born in Bad Schlema....

, Rainer Schwarz and Uwe Pflügner.

Karst won five German national titles, in the years 1974-1977 and 1979. He competed for the sports clubs SV Saar 05 Saarbrücken

SV Saar 05 Saarbrücken

SV Saar 05 Saarbrücken is a German sports association based in Saarbrücken, Saarland. The largest club in the state, it is best known for its athletics department, and also fields an association football team.-History:...

 and USC Mainz during his active career.