Michael Wessing
Encyclopedia
Michael Thomas Maria Wessing (born 29 August 1952 in Recklinghausen
) is a retired West German
javelin throw
er.
He finished fourteenth at the 1974 European Championships
, won the gold medal at the 1978 European Championships
and finished ninth at the 1976 Summer Olympics
. Representing the sports team TV Wattenscheid, he became West German champion six years in a row in the years 1975-1980.
His personal best throw was 94.22 metres (with the old javelin type), achieved on August 3, 1978 in Oslo
. It was the best throw in the world that year, and at the time second overall only to Miklós Németh's 1976 world record of 94.58. When new javelin design rules came into force in April 1986, Wessing still stood as the eighth-best performer worldwide; in Germany only Uwe Hohn
and Detlef Michel
, both from East Germany, had longer throws.
Recklinghausen
Recklinghausen is the northernmost city in the Ruhr-Area and the capital of the Recklinghausen district. It borders the rural Münsterland and is characterized by large fields and farms in the north and industry in the south...
) 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....
javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
er.
He finished fourteenth at the 1974 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...
, won the gold medal 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 |...
and finished ninth at the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
. Representing the sports team TV Wattenscheid, he became West German champion six years in a row in the years 1975-1980.
His personal best throw was 94.22 metres (with the old javelin type), achieved on August 3, 1978 in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. It was the best throw in the world that year, and at the time second overall only to Miklós Németh's 1976 world record of 94.58. When new javelin design rules came into force in April 1986, Wessing still stood as the eighth-best performer worldwide; in Germany only Uwe Hohn
Uwe Hohn
Uwe Hohn is a German athlete and coach. Hohn was the only athlete to throw a javelin more than 100 meters....
and Detlef Michel
Detlef Michel
Detlef Michel, born in Berlin, is a German track and field athlete. He represented East Germany during the 1980s and was one of the world's best in the javelin throw...
, both from East Germany, had longer throws.