Thomas Wessinghage
Encyclopedia
Thomas Wessinghage was a German middle- and long-distance runner who won the 1982 European Championships
' final over 5000 metres
beating the British world-record holder David Moorcroft
. Because he was already thirty at the time, and had been an international-level runner for a decade, this victory was a long-awaited one for him. He admitted that he decided to run the 5,000 metres instead of the 1,500 metres, because he lost to Ovett and Coe so often in the shorter distance. The fairly slow pace of the 1982 European Athletics Championships 5,000-metre final favoured Wessinghage, because he was in top form - having set a European record at 2,000 metres shortly before the Championships - and because he was the fastest 1,500-metre runner in the final, having run that distance in 3 minutes 31.6 seconds in 1980. Shortly after he started his final sprint with about 300 metres to go, Wessinghage moved into a decisive lead, stretching it into five metres by 4,800 metres and roughly doubling it by 4,900 metres (see, for example, "The Thousand Stars of Athletics" / Yleisurheilun tuhat tähteä, written by Matti Hannus and published in Finland in 1983; Pat Butcher, The Perfect Distance: Ovett&Coe: The Record-Breaking Rivalry, London: Weidenfeld&Nicolson, 2004; "The Major Events of Top Sports Until 1982" / Huippu-urheilun suuret tapahtumat vuoteen 1982 asti, published in Finland in 1982; "The Great European Championships Book" / Suuri EM-kirja, published in Finland in 1990; the user AlAn1981 had a short video about the 5,000-metre final's last kilometre in YouTube until the end of 2008, entitled "David Moorcroft").
In 1980 he set a German record of 3:31.58 min over 1500 metres
which still has not been broken. In the same race Steve Ovett
from the UK set a world record of 3:31.36 min. He was married to former Olympian Ellen Tittel. Wessinghage missed a great chance of winning an Olympic medal that year because West Germany joined the United States-led boycott. He was unlucky also in the other Olympic years of his competitive career: he was eliminated in the 1,500-metre heats in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics, and he got injured in a race before the 1984 Olympics (see Hannus, "The Thousand Stars of Athletics"; "The Big Olympic Book" / Suuri Olympiakirja, written and published by the "Runner" / Juoksija magazine's journalists and published in Finland in 1984).
In the 1983 inaugural World Athletics Championships, he was among the favourites to win the 5,000-metre title, but for some reason
he could not accelerate enough when it mattered the most - during the final lap - despite running at a steady rhythm earlier in the race. Accordingly, he dropped from third to sixth during the last lap, and lost to the winner, Ireland's Eamonn Coghlan, by almost four seconds (see, for example, "World Athletics Championships 1983" / Yleisurheilun MM-kisat 1983, written by the "Runner" / Juoksija magazine's journalists and published in Finland in 1983).
His last major competitive race was in the 5,000-metre qualifying heats of the 1986 European Athletics Championships in Stuttgart,
West Germany. In that race, he failed to advance to the final (see, for example, "The Great European Championships Book" / Suuri EM-kirja, published in Finland in 1990).
1982 European Championships in Athletics
The 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 |...
' final over 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
beating the British world-record holder David Moorcroft
David Moorcroft
David Robert Moorcroft is a former middle-distance and long-distance runner from England, and former world record holder for 5,000 metres. His athletic career spanned the late-1970s and 1980s. He subsequently served as the Chief Executive of UK Athletics from 1997 to 2007. He was awarded an MBE in...
. Because he was already thirty at the time, and had been an international-level runner for a decade, this victory was a long-awaited one for him. He admitted that he decided to run the 5,000 metres instead of the 1,500 metres, because he lost to Ovett and Coe so often in the shorter distance. The fairly slow pace of the 1982 European Athletics Championships 5,000-metre final favoured Wessinghage, because he was in top form - having set a European record at 2,000 metres shortly before the Championships - and because he was the fastest 1,500-metre runner in the final, having run that distance in 3 minutes 31.6 seconds in 1980. Shortly after he started his final sprint with about 300 metres to go, Wessinghage moved into a decisive lead, stretching it into five metres by 4,800 metres and roughly doubling it by 4,900 metres (see, for example, "The Thousand Stars of Athletics" / Yleisurheilun tuhat tähteä, written by Matti Hannus and published in Finland in 1983; Pat Butcher, The Perfect Distance: Ovett&Coe: The Record-Breaking Rivalry, London: Weidenfeld&Nicolson, 2004; "The Major Events of Top Sports Until 1982" / Huippu-urheilun suuret tapahtumat vuoteen 1982 asti, published in Finland in 1982; "The Great European Championships Book" / Suuri EM-kirja, published in Finland in 1990; the user AlAn1981 had a short video about the 5,000-metre final's last kilometre in YouTube until the end of 2008, entitled "David Moorcroft").
In 1980 he set a German record of 3:31.58 min over 1500 metres
1500 metres
The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...
which still has not been broken. In the same race Steve Ovett
Steve Ovett
Stephen Michael James "Steve" Ovett OBE , is a former middle distance runner from England. He was gold medalist in the 800 metres at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, U.S.S.R., and set world records for 1500 metres and the mile run...
from the UK set a world record of 3:31.36 min. He was married to former Olympian Ellen Tittel. Wessinghage missed a great chance of winning an Olympic medal that year because West Germany joined the United States-led boycott. He was unlucky also in the other Olympic years of his competitive career: he was eliminated in the 1,500-metre heats in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics, and he got injured in a race before the 1984 Olympics (see Hannus, "The Thousand Stars of Athletics"; "The Big Olympic Book" / Suuri Olympiakirja, written and published by the "Runner" / Juoksija magazine's journalists and published in Finland in 1984).
In the 1983 inaugural World Athletics Championships, he was among the favourites to win the 5,000-metre title, but for some reason
he could not accelerate enough when it mattered the most - during the final lap - despite running at a steady rhythm earlier in the race. Accordingly, he dropped from third to sixth during the last lap, and lost to the winner, Ireland's Eamonn Coghlan, by almost four seconds (see, for example, "World Athletics Championships 1983" / Yleisurheilun MM-kisat 1983, written by the "Runner" / Juoksija magazine's journalists and published in Finland in 1983).
His last major competitive race was in the 5,000-metre qualifying heats of the 1986 European Athletics Championships in Stuttgart,
West Germany. In that race, he failed to advance to the final (see, for example, "The Great European Championships Book" / Suuri EM-kirja, published in Finland in 1990).
Achievements
| Representing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | European Indoor Championships 1974 European Indoor Championships in Athletics The 5th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in 1974 in Gothenburg, Sweden.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-References:* at GBR Athletics* at GBR Athletics* at Die Leichtatletik-Statistik-Seite... |
Gothenburg, Sweden | 2nd | 1,500 m |
| 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... |
Rome, Italy | 3rd | 1,500 m | |
| 1975 | European Indoor Championships 1975 European Indoor Championships in Athletics The 6th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in 1975 in Katowice, a large city in Poland.-Track:-Field:-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*... |
Katowice, Poland | 1st | 1,500 m |
| World Student Games 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:... |
Rome, Italy | 1st | 1,500 m | |
| 1976 | European Indoor Championships 1976 European Indoor Championships in Athletics The 7th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Munich, a city in West Germany, in February 1976.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*... |
Munich Munich Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat... , 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.... |
2nd | 1,500 m |
| 1977 | IAAF World Cup | Düsseldorf Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the... , 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.... |
2nd | 1,500 m |
| 1978 | European Indoor Championships 1978 European Indoor Championships in Athletics The 9th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held at Palasport di San Siro in Milan, a city in Italy, in 1978. It was the first time the championships was held in Italy.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com... |
Milan, Italy | 2nd | 1,500 m |
| 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 |... |
Prague Prague Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million... , Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992... |
4th | 1,500 m 1978 European Championships in Athletics - Men's 1500 metres These are the official results of the Men's 1,500 metres event at the 1978 European Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia. The final was held on 3 September 1978.-Final:-See also:* 1974 Men's European Championships 1,500 metres... |
|
| 1979 | European Indoor Championships 1979 European Indoor Championships in Athletics The 10th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Vienna, the capital city in Austria, in 1979. It was the second time the championships had been held in Vienna.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com... |
Vienna, Austria | 2nd | 1,500 m |
| IAAF World Cup | Montreal, Canada | 1st | 1,500 m | |
| 1980 | European Indoor Championships 1980 European Indoor Championships in Athletics The 11th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Sindelfingen, a city in West Germany, in 1980. The championships were boycotted by East Germany.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*... |
Sindelfingen Sindelfingen Sindelfingen is a German town near Stuttgart at the headwaters of the Schwippe that is the site of a Mercedes-Benz assembly plant.-History:* 1155 First documented mention of Sindelfingen... , 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.... |
1st | 1,500 m |
| 1981 | European Indoor Championships 1981 European Indoor Championships in Athletics The 12th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Grenoble, a city in France, in 1981. It was the second time the championships were held in Grenoble.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com... |
Grenoble, France | 1st | 1,500 m |
| 1982 | European Championships 1982 European Championships in Athletics The 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 |... |
Athens, Greece | 1st | 5,000 m 1982 European Championships in Athletics - Men's 5000 metres These are the official results of the Men's 5,000 metres event at the 1982 European Championships in Athens, Greece. The final was held on 11 September 1982.-Final:-See also:* 1978 Men's European Championships 5,000 metres... |
| 1983 | European Indoor Championships 1983 European Indoor Championships in Athletics The 14th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, in 1983.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*... |
Budapest, Hungary | 1st | 1,500 m |
| World Championships 1983 World Championships in Athletics The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14, 1983.... |
Helsinki, Finland | 6th | 5,000 m 1983 World Championships in Athletics - Men's 5000 metres These are the official results of the men's 5000 metres event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total of 39 participating athletes, with three qualifying heats, two semi-finals and the final held on Sunday 14 August 1983.-Medalists:-Records:Existing records at... |
|
| 1984 | European Indoor Championships 1984 European Indoor Championships in Athletics The 15th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Gothenburg, a city in Sweden, in 1984.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*... |
Gothenburg, Sweden | 3rd | 1,500 m |
| 1985 | European Indoor Championships 1985 European Indoor Championships in Athletics The 16th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, Athens/Piraeus in Greece, in 1985.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*... |
Athens, Greece | 2nd | 3,000 m |