Rolf DANNEBERG

Rolf Danneberg caused one of the greatest surprises in Olympic history when he won the discus gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Danneberg was aged 31 at the time, and although he had been competing for many years, his selection to compete in major internationals prior to 1984 had been limited to the 1982 European Championships where he had failed to advance past the qualifying round. In addition, he had only finished third at the West German national championships in 1984, and despite the fact that he had improved his pre-season best of 63.74m to 67.40m, he was not expected to be any threat to the three USA throwers, all of whom had thrown over 70 metres in 1984, and were expected to complete a clean sweep of the medals on their home turf. In the Los Angeles final on August 10, Danneberg (see photo above) made a good start with an opening throw of 64.76m, and at the end of round one was lying in second place behind 1976 Olympic gold medallist Mac Wilkins (USA).

Rolf had slipped to third by end of round three, but he then produced a 66.60m throw on his next attempt which clinched the gold medal. Thereafter, Danneberg's performances at major international championships were much more impressive than they had been prior to 1984, although he never again reached the heights of his gold medal in Los Angeles. He finished 11th at the 1986 European Championships, and then fourth at the 1987 World Championships in Rome. Rolf again rose to the occasion at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul where he was the defending champion. He was in second place after round five but slipped a position in the final round to claim the bronze medal. Danneberg continued to compete for several years after Seoul although his performances gradually declined with advancing age. (Ron Casey)

Diskus Endrunde {Männer}

Olympische Spiele 1984

Diskus Endrunde {Männer}

Weltmeisterschaft 1987

Diskus Endrunde {Männer}

Olympische Spiele 1988

Diskus Endrunde {Männer}.

Europameisterschaft 1990