Raúl Spank
Encyclopedia
Raúl Roland Spank (born 13 July 1988) is a German
athlete from Dresden
who specialises in the high jump
.
He competed on the world stage for the first time at the 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics
in Marrakesh. He finished in seventh in the final, jumping a personal best of 2.11 metres. The following year he moved up to the junior level, taking part in the 2006 World Junior Championships
. He finished the tournament in Beijing
with another personal best of 2.23 m, ending up in fifth position. In February 2008 he improved his indoor best to 2.26 m and further improvement came outdoors later that year at his first Olympic Games
. Representing Germany at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he finished in fifth place with a personal best of 2.32 m, just two centimetres away from a medal position.
After winning the 2009 indoor national championships, Spank competed for Germany at continental level for the first time, forming part of the team at the 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships. Although he had equalled his new indoor best of 2.30 m in the qualifying rounds, he only managed 2.25 m in the final of the competition, resulting in a seventh place finish. He went to the first European Team Championships
in Leiria
, Portugal in June but he finished in tenth with a sub-par jump of 2.15 m.
At the World Championships in Berlin he won the bronze medal with personal best-equalling jump of 2.32 m. He improved his best shortly afterwards, winning the Internationales Hochsprung-Meeting Eberstadt
meeting with 2.33 m. He won at the 2010 German Athletics Championships
, but did not make the team for the 2010 European Athletics Championships as he had not achieved the standard set by the German Athletics Federation. He jumped 2.30 m at the Eberstadt meeting and took his second consecutive victory.
Spank is coached by Erika Falz and Jörg Elbe and is a member of Dresdner SC 1898's athletics team.
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...
athlete from Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
who specialises in the high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
.
He competed on the world stage for the first time at the 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics
2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics
The 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics is the 2005 version of the World Youth Championships in Athletics. It was held in Marrakesh, Morocco.The host stadium was Stade Sidi Youssef Ben Ali.-Boys:-Girls:-Medals table:...
in Marrakesh. He finished in seventh in the final, jumping a personal best of 2.11 metres. The following year he moved up to the junior level, taking part in the 2006 World Junior Championships
2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2006 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held from 15 August to 20 August at the Chaoyang Sports Center in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China....
. He finished the tournament in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
with another personal best of 2.23 m, ending up in fifth position. In February 2008 he improved his indoor best to 2.26 m and further improvement came outdoors later that year at his first Olympic Games
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. Representing Germany at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he finished in fifth place with a personal best of 2.32 m, just two centimetres away from a medal position.
After winning the 2009 indoor national championships, Spank competed for Germany at continental level for the first time, forming part of the team at the 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships. Although he had equalled his new indoor best of 2.30 m in the qualifying rounds, he only managed 2.25 m in the final of the competition, resulting in a seventh place finish. He went to the first European Team Championships
European Team Championships
The European Team Championships is an athletics competition, between different countries of Europe, over 4 leagues. It is the successor of the former Europa Cup.-History:...
in Leiria
Leiria
Leiria is a city in Leiria Municipality in the Centro Region, Portugal. It is the capital of Leiria District. The city proper has 50,200 inhabitants and the entire municipality has nearly 120,000...
, Portugal in June but he finished in tenth with a sub-par jump of 2.15 m.
At the World Championships in Berlin he won the bronze medal with personal best-equalling jump of 2.32 m. He improved his best shortly afterwards, winning the Internationales Hochsprung-Meeting Eberstadt
Internationales Hochsprung-Meeting Eberstadt
The Internationales Hochsprung-Meeting is an annual high jumping competition which takes place in Eberstadt, Germany. Established as a men's competition in 1979, it quickly became an important meeting in the high jump calendar, with Jacek Wszoła setting a world record in 1980, and Zhu Jianhua...
meeting with 2.33 m. He won at the 2010 German Athletics Championships
2010 German Athletics Championships
The 2010 German Athletics Championships were held at the Eintracht-Stadion in Braunschweig on 17–18 July 2010.- Men :- Women :- References :* Results source: - External links :*...
, but did not make the team for the 2010 European Athletics Championships as he had not achieved the standard set by the German Athletics Federation. He jumped 2.30 m at the Eberstadt meeting and took his second consecutive victory.
Spank is coached by Erika Falz and Jörg Elbe and is a member of Dresdner SC 1898's athletics team.
Personal bests
| Event | Best (m) | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| High jump High jump The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years.... (outdoor) |
2.33 | Eberstadt Eberstadt Eberstadt is a municipality in the district of Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is best known for its winegrowing and its yearly international high jump meeting .-External links:*... , Germany |
23 August 2009 |
| High jump High jump The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years.... (indoor) |
2.31 | Arnstadt Arnstadt Arnstadt is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, situated on the Gera River. It is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia and is nicknamed Das Tor zum Thüringer Wald, The Gate to the Thuringian Forest.... , Germany |
19 February 2011 |
- All information taken from IAAF profile.
Major competition record
| 2005 | World Youth Championships 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics The 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics is the 2005 version of the World Youth Championships in Athletics. It was held in Marrakesh, Morocco.The host stadium was Stade Sidi Youssef Ben Ali.-Boys:-Girls:-Medals table:... |
Marrakesh, Morocco | 7th | |
| 2006 | World Junior Championships 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2006 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held from 15 August to 20 August at the Chaoyang Sports Center in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China.... |
Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... , PR China |
5th | |
| 2008 | Olympic Games 2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events... |
Beijing, PR China | 5th | |
| 2009 | European Indoor Championships | Turin Turin Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat... , Italy |
7th | |
| European Team Championships 2009 European Team Championships The first SPAR European Team Championships took place on 20 and 21 June 2009. The track and field athletics tournament run by European Athletics was the successor of the old European Cup competition which was held annually until 2008... |
Leiria Leiria Leiria is a city in Leiria Municipality in the Centro Region, Portugal. It is the capital of Leiria District. The city proper has 50,200 inhabitants and the entire municipality has nearly 120,000... , Portugal |
10th | ||
| World Championships 2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate.... |
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... , Germany |
3rd | ||
| 2011 | European Indoor Championships 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships The 31st European Athletics Indoor Championships were held at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France, from 4 to 6 March 2011.A record high of 630 athletes, representing 46 countries, were entered into the three-day competition. Twenty-six track and field events were contested at the... |
Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... , France |
8th | 2.20 m 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships – Men's high jump The Men's high jump event at the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships was held at March 4–5, 2011 with the final being held on March 5 at 14:30 local time. -Records:-Qualification:... |
| European Team Championships 2011 European Team Championships The third SPAR European Team Championships took place on 18 and 19 June 2011. The Super League was won by the Russian team with the record 385 points.-Calendar:-Super League:*Place: Stockholm Olympic Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden... |
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... , Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
3rd | 2.28 m 2011 European Team Championships Super League – Results These are the complete results of the 2011 European Team Championships Super League on 18 and 19 June 2011 in Stockholm, Sweden. As with the previous championships there were a couple of rules applying specifically to this competition, such as the limit of three attempts in the throwing events,... |
|
| World Championships 2011 World Championships in Athletics The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011.... |
Daegu Daegu Daegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the... , South Korea South Korea The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south... |
9th | 2.29 m 2011 World Championships in Athletics – Men's triple jump The Men's triple jump event at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Daegu Stadium on September 2 and 4.Seven made the automatic qualifying mark... |