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From Saturday, August 6 to Sunday, August 15, 2005, the 10th IAAF Track and Field World Championships will be taking place in Helsinki.

22 years ago in 1983, the premiere of this event took place in Helsinki in front of very well qualified spectators. The World Championships followed in Rome in 1987, in Tokyo in 1991, in Stuttgart in 1993, in Athens in 1997, in Seville in 1999, in Edmonton in 2001, and in Paris in 2003 - the next stations will be Osaka in 2007 and Berlin in 2009. Berlin has made bids for hosting the World Championships several times - he first time Berlin and the renovated Olympic Stadium from 1936 won the bid was for 2009.

The women’s marathon race will take place at 1:20 p.m. on Saturday, August 13, and the men’s marathon will start at 1:20 p.m. on Sunday, August 14.

Three World Championship titles for German runners

German runners have secured three World Championship titles since 1983 (not including a win by Birgit Friedmann in the 3000m race at the 1st Women’s World Championships in Sittard/NL in 1980).

In 1983 in Helsinki, Willi Wülbeck won the 800m race totally unexpectedly, and just as unexpectedly Patriz Ilg won the World Championship title in the 3000m steeplechase, also in 1983, while Sigrun Wodars won the 800m race in Rome in 1987.

Willi Wülbeck:

”Wiillliiii” – that was the famous cheer that went out when Willi Wülbeck (b. December 18, 1951 in Oberhausen, 1.86 m and 71 kg) stepped out onto the track.

He was 10-time German champion, ran for Red-White Oberhausen until 1974, then starting in 1982 for TV Wattenscheid. He received his trainer license, founded a sports marketing agency, and in 1996 he ended his athletic career.

Willi Wülbeck ran a time of 1:43.65 for his World Championship title in Helsinki on August 9, 1983—with a new German record, one second under his previous record, which still stands today.

That says it all. It was also a new world best performance, which was previously held by Sebastian Coe.

1. Willi Wülbeck 1:43.65 – 2. Rob Druppers (HOL) 1:44.20 – 3. Joaquim Cruz (BRA) 1:44.27 – 7. Hans-Peter Ferner 1:45.74 –

Patriz Ilg:

Patriz Ilg (b. December 5, 1957 in Aalen-Oberalfingen – 1.74m and 61 kg) initially ran for TG Hofen, then beginning in 1982 for LAC Quelle Fürth. He was reigning European Champion in the 3000m steeplechase in 1982 with a time of 8:18.52 when he came to Helsinki.

He is an elementary school teacher in the southern German community of Bopfingen.

He won four German Championships in the 3000m steeplechase, and one Indoor European Championship title in the 3000m.

The current head German trainer for the German Track and Field Association (DLV), Jürgen Mallow, was Patriz Ilg’s home coach.

In 1983 in Helsinki, Patriz Ilg took over the lead 300m before the finish. Marsh, the US American got caught on the last hurdle, and Ilg won with a new personal best time ahead of his other main competitor, Maminski from Poland.

1. Patriz Ilg 8:15.06 – 2. Boguslaw Maminski (POL)  8:17.03 – 3. Colin Reitz (GBR) 8:17.75 –

Sigrun Wodars:

Sigrun Wodars trained together with Christine Wachtel at SC Neubrandenburg with the coach  Walter Gladrow. She was 1.66m tall and weighed 54 kg.

At the World Championships in Rome in 1987, the decision in the 800m race was a tactical masterpiece by Wodars and Wachtel. They both blocked off the field behind them, so that none of their competitors could get past them. Sigrun Wodars won with great joy on August 31, 1987, just setting a new German record in 1:55.26, which still stands today, ahead of Christine Wachtel. In 1990, Wodars also became European champion in the 800m.

Today she is a teacher in a vocational school for physiotherapy in Neubrandenburg.

1. Sigrun Wodars 1:55,26 - 2. Christine Wachtel 1:55,32 - 3. Ljubov Gurina (URS) 1:55,56

Here is an overview of the successes of the German participants starting in 1983 in the events from the 800m to the marathon:

Men:

800m

1983 1. Willi Wülbeck (Wattenscheid) 1:43.65  

1983 ... 7. Hans-Peter Ferner (Ingolstadt) 1:45.74

1995 ... 4. Nico Motchebon (Berlin) 1:45.97

1999 ... 9. Nils Schumann (Grossengottern) 1:46.79

2001 ... 5. Nils Schumann (Berlin) 1:45.00

1500m

1983 ... 7. Andreas Busse (Dresden) 3:43.72

1987 ... 6. Jens-Peter Herold (Potsdam) 3:40.14

1991 ... 3. Hauke Fuhlbrügge (Erfurt) 3:35.28

1993 ... 4. Jens-Peter Herold (SCC Berlin) 3:35.37

1995 ... 27. Rüdiger Stenzel (Wattenscheid) 3:40.37

1995 ... 38. Jens-Peter Herold (SCC Berlin) 3:48.24

1997 ... 10. Rüdiger Stenzel (Wattenscheid) 3:38.82

5000m

1983 ... 2. Werner Schildhauer (Halle) 13:30.20

1983 ... 6. Thomas Wessinghage (Cologne) 13:32.46

1991 ... 4. Dieter Baumann (Leverkusen) 13:28.67

1995 ... 9. Dieter Baumann (Leverkusen) 13:39.98

1997 ... 5. Dieter Baumann (Leverkusen) 13:17.64

10000m

1983 ... 2. Werner Schildhauer (Halle) 2).01.18

1983 ... 3. Hans-Jörg Kunze (Rostock) 28:01.26

1983 ... 8. Christoph Herle (Fürth) 28:09.05

1987 ... 3. Hans-Jörg Kunze (Rostock) 27:50.37

1993 ... 4. Stéphane Franke (Kornwestheim) 28:10.69

1995 ... 7. Stéphane Franke (Kornwestheim) 27:48.88

1995 ... 22. Stephan Freigang (Cottbus) 28:17.04

1997 … 16. Carsten Eich (Fürth) 28:59.34

Marathon

1983 ... 3. Waldemar Cierpinski (Halle) 2:10:37.0

1993 ... 6. Konrad Dobler (Germaringen) 2:18:28.0

1995 ... 14. Konrad Dobler (Germaringen) 2:18.09

1997 ... 31. Stéphane Franke (Berlin) 2:23.53

3000m Steeplechase

1983 1. Patriz Ilg (Fürth) 8:15.06

1987 ... 2. Hagen Melzer (Dresden) 8:10.32

1993 ... 6. Steffen Brand (Wattenscheid) 8:15.33

1995 ... 4. Steffen Brand (Wattenscheid) 8:14.37

1995 ... 8. Martin Strege (Erfurt) 8:18.57

1995 ... 21. Kim Bauermeister (Stuttgart) 8:45.27

1997 ... 9. Mark Osendarp (Wattenscheid) 8:18.49

1999 ... 4. Damian Kallabis (SCC Berlin) 8:13.11

2001 ... 9. Ralf Aßmus (Grossengottern) 8:21.73

Women:

800m

1983 ... 4. Margrit Klinger (Obersuhl) 1:58.11

1983 ... 8. Antje Schröder (Halle) 2:02.13

1987 1. Sigrun Wodars (Neubrandenburg) 1:55.26

1987 ... 2. Christine Wachtel (Neubrandenburg) 1:55.32

1991 ... 6. Christine Wachtel (Rostock) 1:58.90

2001 ... 8. Ivonne Teichmann (Magdeburg) 2:04.33

2004 ... 5. Claudia Gesell (Leverkusen) 2:01.84

1500m

1987 ... 2. Hildegard Körner (Erfurt) 3:58.67

1987 ... 5. Andrea Lange (Potsdam) 4:00.63

1991 ... 5. Ellen Kiessling (Dresden) 4:04.75

3000m

1980 1. Birgit Friedmann (Frankfurt/M.) 8:48.09 (1. Women WM - Sittard)

1980 ... 7. Charlotte Teske (Darmstadt) 9:04.30

1983 ... 2.Brigitte Kraus (Cologne) 8:35.11

1987 ... 3. Ulrike Bruns (Potsdam) 8:40.30

5000m

1999 ... 4. Irina Mikitenko (Frankfurt/M.) 14:50.17

2001 ... 5. Irina Mikitenko (Frankfurt/M.) 15:13.93

10.000m

1987 ... 3. Kathrin Ullrich (SC Berlin) 31:11.34

1991 ... 4. Kathrin Ullrich (SC Berlin) 31:38.96

1991 ... 6. Uta Pippig (SCC Berlin) 31:55.68

1995 ... 10. Kathrin Wessel (Berlin) 31:55.04

Marathon

1991 ... 3. Katrin Dörre (Leipzig) 2:30:10

1993 ... 6. Katrin Heinig-Dörre (Odenwald) 2:35:20

1995 ... 8. Sonja Krolik (Leverkusen) 2:32:17

1997 ... 6. Iris Biba (Frankfurt/M.) 2:34:06

1997 ... 7. Sonja Oberem (Leverkusen) 2:35:28

1997 ... 32 Manuela Veith (Ludwigsburg) 2:48:45

1999 ... 6. Sonja Oberem (Leverkusen) 2:28:55

1999 ... 9. Claudia Dreher 2:29:22

1999 ... 22. Manuela Veith  (Ludwigshafen) 2:37:24

1999 ... 24 Anke Laws (Cottbus) 2:38:57

2001 ... 5. Sonja Oberem (Leverkusen) 2:28:17

2001 ... 23. Melanie Kraus (Leverkusen) 2:34:51

2003 ... 20. Ulrike Maisch (Rostock) 2:31:21

Mini Team for the German Track and Field Association (DLV) in Helsinki

The DLV will be starting with 52 athletes in Helsinki - less than ever before.

Only 3 DLV runners in disciplines 800m and longer

Monika Gradzki (TV Wattenscheid) is competing in the 800m, Sabrina Mockenhaupt (LG Sieg) will compete in the 10000m and René Herms (LG asics Pirna) in the 800m. Three participants – that is basically a declaration of bankruptcy from the runners in the DLV. In order to not be castigated with the malice of failure, the DLV has chosen to participate with a mini-team--this rather than giving new young athletes a chance to compete, especially in view of the fact that the World Championships will take place in their own country in 2009. One must admit, however, that all European countries seem to be having difficulties filling their cadres for the running disciplines.

30 runners from the USA participating

The United States is approaching matters somewhat differently: A total of 30 runners - as opposed to 3 runners from Germany—will be representing the USA. Athletes will be participating in every event except the 800m, and often more runners than one, even if not all of their personal bests are always so fantastic.

U.S. Distance Team Set for 10th IAAF World Championships in Helsinki http://www.scc-events.com/news/news003370.html

Horst Milde

You can find current information on these pages on the running results in Finland - from the 800m to the marathon.

Can Paula Radcliffe do the double? Can America’s 1500m runner Alan Webb steal the show from the Africans? Who will be the marathon world champion?

You can find reports and background stories on all of the happenings at:

www.scc-events.com