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Medal record | ||
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Men's athletics | ||
Olympic Games | ||
Representing East Germany | ||
1988 Seoul | 20 km walk | |
1988 Seoul | 50 km walk | |
Representing Germany | ||
1992 Barcelona | 50 km walk | |
World Championships | ||
Representing East Germany | ||
1983 Helsinki | 50 km walk | |
1987 Rome | 50 km walk |
Ronald Weigel (born 8 August 1959 in Hildburghausen, Thuringia) is a German athlete and Olympic medal winner. In the 1980s through the middle of the 1990s he represented East Germany (and then Germany after 1990) as one of world's best in race walking.
His first big win came in 1983 when he won the World title in the 50 km walk. At the Summer Olympic games he won a silver medal in the 20 km walk as well as a silver and a bronze medal in the 50 km walk. He is the only German sportsman to have won Olympic medals in both walking disciplines at the Games.
He was unable to participate in the 1984 Summer Olympic Games because of the East German boycott, when he was the overwhelming favourite to win.
Weigel represented ASK Vorwärts Potsdam, and after reunification he went to OSC Potsdam and then LAC Halensee. He trained with Hans-Joachim Pathus. During his competitive years he was 1.77 meters tall and weighed 62 kilograms.
At the 1986 European championships he was disqualified in the 50 km walk. At the 1991 World championship he retired from the course, and at the 1995 World championship he was disqualified.
Weigel started in the sport as a student in his hometown of Hildburghausen and was found to have natural talent. In 1973 he became the East German student champion, and in 1977 he was second at the Junior European championship.
As a member of the Army sports club he was Hauptmann in the NVA. After reunification he freely admitted to having worked for the Stasi and was then let go from the sports group of the Bundeswehr without notice.
In 1997, Weigel took a position as the Australian national coach in Canberra. He trained the Australian Nathan Deakes who won the bronze medal in the 20 km walk at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games and was the 2007 World Champion over 50 km walk
After the games, Weigel went back to Germany and took over from his previous trainer, Hans-Joachim Pathus as the German national trainer. His admitted work for the East German security service was taken into consideration, but was not deemed to be a hindrance in hiring him.
Race walking, or racewalking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Race judges carefully assess that this is maintained throughout the race. Typically held on either roads or running tracks, common distances range from 3,000 metres (1.9 mi) up to 100 kilometres (62.1 mi).
Robert Marek Korzeniowski is a Polish former racewalker who won four gold medals at the Olympic Games and three gold medals at World Championships.
Frank Ullrich is a German politician of the SPD and former biathlete and trainer of the German national team. Since 2021, he has been a member of the Bundestag.
Nathan Deakes is an Australian former race walker. Deakes trained with the Australian Institute of Sport.
Christoph Höhne is a racewalker who competed in the 50 km walk for East Germany in the 1960s and 1970s.
Peter Frenkel is an East German athlete who was one of the best 20 km race walkers in the world in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Andreas Erm is a former German race walker.
Alex Schwazer, OMRI, is an Italian race walker. He was the 2008 Olympic 50k walk champion.
Yohann Diniz is a French race walker. He is the current world-record holder for the 50 km race, with a time of 3:32:33, and for the 50,000 metres track walk, with a time of 3:35:27.
Jared Tallent is an Australian race walker and Olympic gold medallist in the 50 km walk from London in 2012. He is a four-time Olympic medallist, three-time World Championship medallist and holds the current Olympic record in the 50 km walk.
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Helga-Beate Gummelt (née Anders; born 4 February 1968, is a German track and field athlete. She competed in the 1980s until 2000 in the walk. Before 1991, she competed for East Germany.
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Martin Hollstein is a German sprint canoer and Olympic champion. He has been competing since the late 2000s, mostly in kayak single, double or four.
The Men's 20 km Race Walk at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, USSR had an entry list of 34 competitors. Seven athletes were disqualified and two did not finish in the final, which was held on Thursday, 24 July 1980.
Érick Bernabé Barrondo García is a Guatemalan racewalker who competes in the 20 km walk and 50 km walk events. He won the silver medal at the Men's 20 km Racewalk in the 2012 Summer Olympics, the first Olympic medal in Guatemala's history.
Cristian Andrés Chocho León is an Ecuadorian race walker who competes in both the 20 km and 50 km walk events. He is the South American record holder in the 50 km and 20,000 metres walking events.
Racewalking events at the Summer Olympics have been contested over a variety of distances at the multi-sport event. There were three race walking events in the 2020 Summer Olympics: a men's and a women's 20 kilometres race walk, and a men's 50 kilometres race walk. The races were held in a final-only format.
Evan Dunfee is a Canadian race walker and Olympian. An Olympic and World medallist, Dunfee first set the Canadian record in the 50 kilometres race walk at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where he placed fourth. He went on to win bronze medals at the 2019 World Athletics Championships and the 2020 Summer Olympics, which was the last time both of those competitions held the 50 km as an event.
Yevgeniy Lyungin is a former Soviet racewalker who competed in the 50 kilometres race walk distance. He became his country's first winner of the event at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup in 1975.