Martin Weppler is a retired West German

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....

 sprinter who specialized in the 400 metres

400 metres

The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...

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Biography

He was born in Schramberg

Schramberg

Schramberg is a town in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the eastern Black Forest, 25 km northwest of Rottweil. With all its districts Talstadt, Sulgen, Waldmössingen, Heiligenbronn, Schönbronn and Tennenbronn it has about 22,000 inhabitants.One of...

. He won a gold medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay

4 x 400 metres relay

The 4 x 400 meters relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams comprise four runners who each complete 400 meters or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, the first 500 meters is run in lanes...

 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 |...

 together with Franz-Peter Hofmeister

Franz-Peter Hofmeister

Franz-Peter Hofmeister was a West German athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres.He competed for West Germany in the 1976 Summer Olympics held in Montreal, Canada in the 4 x 400 metre relay where he won the bronze medal with his team mates Lothar Krieg, Harald Schmid and Bernd...

, Bernd Herrmann

Bernd Herrmann

Bernd Herrmann was a West German athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres.He competed for West Germany at the 1976 Summer Olympics held in Montreal, Canada where he won the bronze medal in the men's 4 x 400 metre relay with his team mates Franz-Peter Hofmeister, Lothar Krieg and Harald...

 und Harald Schmid

Harald Schmid

Harald Schmid is a former German track-and-field athlete.Schmid was one of the best 400 m hurdles runners in the world. His duels with Edwin Moses during the late 1970s and early 1980s are unforgettable. His race against Moses in Rome, 1987, is ranked as one of the races of the century...

. He won a silver medal in 400 metres behind Andreas Knebel

Andreas Knebel

Andreas Knebel was an East German athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres.He competed for East Germany in the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow, Soviet Union in the 4 x 400 metre relay where he won the silver medal with his team mates Klaus Thiele, Frank Schaffer and Volker Beck.-References:...

 at the 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...

. At the 1983 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....

 he entered the 400 m competition without reaching the final and ran in the opening round of the relay race

1983 World Championships in Athletics - Men's 4 x 400 metres relay

The 4 x 400 metres relay at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on August 13 and August 14.-Medals:-Records:Existing records at the start of the event.-Heats:All times shown are in minutes.-Heat 1:...

. The same thing happened at the 1984 Summer Olympics

1984 Summer Olympics

The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...

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Domestically he won bronze medals at the West German championships in 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1983. He represented the sports team VfB Stuttgart

VfB Stuttgart

Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...

, and VfL Sindelfingen

VfL Sindelfingen

VfL Sindelfingen is a German sports club from Sindelfingen, Baden-Württemberg. The club was founded in 1862 and has more than 9,000 members, making it one of biggest sports clubs in Germany...

 from 1983.

His personal best was 45.74 seconds, achieved in July 1983 in 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...

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