Sport | Track and field |
---|---|
Founded | 1948 |
Ceased | 1990 |
Country | East Germany |
Related competitions | West German Athletics Championships |
The East German Athletics Championships (German : DDR Leichtathletik-Meisterschaften) was an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the East German Athletics Federation, which served as the East German national championships for the sport. The three- or four-day event was held in summer months, varying from late June to early September, and the venue changed on an annual basis.
The German Athletics Championships had a long history dating back to 1898. [1] Following the division of Germany as part of the end of World War II, the organising body of the all-Germany championships, German Athletics Association, remained based in West Germany. As a result, a new national competition and sports body was created in East Germany, starting from 1948. This competition predated the formal formation of the country, thus the first two editions in 1948 and 1949 were known as Eastern Zone Athletics Championships, reflecting the Soviet occupied area of the country. [2] [3]
The following athletics events were contested at the East German Championships:
Women competed in the 80 metres hurdles event until 1968, when it was replaced with the new 100 m international standard race. The women's distance races were gradually added, with the 1500 m included in 1967, the 3000 m in 1976, the marathon in 1982, and finally the 10,000 m in 1985. [4] [5] The women's pentathlon was later expanded to the standard heptathlon. Steeplechase, pole vault, triple jump, hammer throw and the 50 km walk remained the preserve of men only over the championships' lifetime. [6]
The men's programme also varied, with early editions featured walks over 10 km, 25 km and 30 km, [6] as well as a 200 metres hurdles race from 1952 to 1965. [7]
Katharina "Käthe" Anna Krauß was a German track and field athlete, who won three gold medals at the 1934 Women's World Games in London and a bronze medal in the 100 metres at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, where she was also on the German 4 × 100 m relay team. She won several German championships in various events and 2 silver medals and a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1938 European Athletics Championships in Vienna.
The German Athletics Championships are the national championships in athletics of Germany, organised annually by the Deutscher Leichtathletik-Verband.
Christina Angela Mai is a retired (West) German long-distance runner.
Birgit Jerschabek-Keipke is a retired (East) German long-distance runner.
Christa Wiese is a German former track and field athlete who competed for East Germany in the shot put. She was a world indoor medalist and had a best of 20.50 m.
The Czechoslovak Athletics Championships was an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Czechoslovakia Athletics Association, which served as the national championship for the sport in Czechoslovakia.
The German Indoor Athletics Championships is an annual indoor track and field competition organised by the German Athletics Association, which serves as the German national championship for the sport. Typically held over two to three days in February during the German winter, the first Unified Germany championships occurred in 1991, succeeding the West German and East German indoor nationals. The unified indoor event preceded the newly-unified outdoor German Athletics Championships in the summer of 1991. National indoor championships in relays, racewalking and combined track and field events are usually contested at separate locations.
The West German Athletics Championships was an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the German Athletics Association, which served as the West German national championships for the sport. The two- or three-day event was held in summer months, varying from late June to early August, and the venue changed annually.
The WAAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Women's Amateur Athletic Association (WAAA) in England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event for women during its lifetime.
Dagmar Melzer is a retired East German high jumper.
The East German Indoor Athletics Championships was an annual indoor track and field competition organised by the East German Athletics Association, which served as the national championship for the sport in East Germany. Typically held over two days in February during the German winter, it was first held in 1964.
The West German Indoor Athletics Championships was an annual indoor track and field competition organised by the German Athletics Association, which served as the national championship for the sport in West Germany. Typically held over two days in February during the German winter, it was first held in 1954.
The Swiss Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Swiss Athletics Federation, which serves as the national championships for the sport in Switzerland. The two-day event is typically held in mid-summer and the venue varies on an annual basis. It is open to adults of all ages and is thus referred to as the senior or élite championships.
The Norwegian Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Norwegian Athletics Association, which serves as the national championship for the sport in Norway. Royal trophies (Kongepokal) are given to the most outstanding male and female athletes of the competition.
The Bulgarian Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Bulgarian Athletic Federation, which serves as the national championship for the sport in Bulgaria.
The Swedish Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Swedish Athletics Association, which serves as the national championship for the sport in Sweden.
The Greek Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Hellenic Amateur Athletic Association, which serves as the national championship for the sport in Greece.
The Austrian Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Austrian Athletics Federation, which serves as the national championship for the sport in Austria.
The German Indoor Combined Events Championships is an annual combined track and field events competition which serves as a national indoor championship for Germany.