Jürgen Schult facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jürgen Schult

Schult in 1988
Personal information
Born	(1960-05-11) 11 May 1960 (age 65) Neuhaus, Hagenow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, East Germany
Height	193 centimetres (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	110 kilograms (243 lb)
Sport
Country	East Germany (1979–1990) Germany (1991–2000)
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Discus throw
Club	Schweriner SC SC Riesa
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	74.08 m (1986)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  East Germany /  Germany Olympic Games Gold 1988 Seoul Discus Silver 1992 Barcelona Discus World Championships Gold 1987 Rome Discus Silver 1999 Seville Discus Bronze 1993 Stuttgart Discus Bronze 1997 Athens Discus European Championships Gold 1990 Split Discus throw Silver 1998 Budapest Discus throw Bronze 1994 Helsinki Discus throw
Updated on 16 June 2015.

Jürgen Schult is a famous German athlete who used to compete in track and field sports. He was especially good at the discus throw. From 1986 until 2024, he held the world record for the longest discus throw. In 1988, Jürgen Schult won a gold medal in the discus throw at the Olympic Games while representing East Germany.

Biography of Jürgen Schult

Early Life and Olympic Challenges

Jürgen Schult was born on May 11, 1960, in Neuhaus, which is now part of Lower Saxony, Germany. He was a talented discus thrower from a young age. Sadly, he could not compete in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. This was because his country, East Germany, decided not to send its athletes to those games.

Setting a World Record in Discus Throw

In 1986, Jürgen Schult made history. He set a new world record in the discus throw. His amazing throw was 74.08 meters (about 243 feet). This beat the old record held by Yuriy Dumchev from the Soviet Union.

Jürgen Schult's record was one of the longest-standing world records in men's athletics. It lasted for 37 years and 9 months! This was even longer than Jesse Owens' famous long jump record. However, in 2024, a new athlete named Mykolas Alekna broke Schult's record with a throw of 74.35 meters.

Sportsmanship and Later Career

In 1988, there was a special track and field competition. It was the first time athletes from East and West Germany competed against each other. Jürgen Schult won the discus event. After winning, he chose not to shake hands with his former teammate, Wolfgang Schmidt. Schmidt had recently moved from East Germany to West Germany.

Later in his career, Jürgen Schult joined the unified German team. He continued to compete in many big events. He won a silver medal at the 1992 Olympic Games. He also earned a second-place finish at the 1999 World Championships.

Schult competed in his last Olympic Games in 2000. He was 40 years old at the time and finished in eighth place.

Life After Competing

Jürgen Schult studied sports and earned a degree. After he stopped competing, he became a coach. In 2002, he started training the German men's discus team for the track and field association.

During his time as an athlete, Jürgen Schult was 1.93 meters (about 6 feet 4 inches) tall. He weighed 110 kilograms (about 242 pounds). He competed for sports clubs like Traktor Schwerin, Schweriner SC, and SC Riesa. He trained with coaches like Dr. Hermann Brandt and Thomas Schult.

International Competitions and Achievements

Jürgen Schult competed in many important international events. He won several medals for East Germany and later for unified Germany.

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing  East Germany
1979	European Junior Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	1st	56.18 m
1983	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	5th	64.92 m
1986	European Championships	Stuttgart, West Germany	7th	64.38 m
1987	World Championships	Rome, Italy	1st	68.74 m
1988	Olympic Games	Seoul, South Korea	1st	68.82 m
1990	European Championships	Split, Yugoslavia	1st	64.58 m
Representing  Germany
1991	World Championships	Tokyo, Japan	6th	63.12 m
1992	Olympic Games	Barcelona, Spain	2nd	64.94 m
1993	World Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	3rd	66.12 m
1994	European Championships	Helsinki, Finland	3rd	64.18 m
1995	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	5th	64.44 m
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, United States	6th	64.62 m
1997	World Championships	Athens, Greece	3rd	66.14 m
1998	European Championships	Budapest, Hungary	2nd	66.69 m
1999	World Championships	Seville, Spain	2nd	68.18 m
2000	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	8th	64.41 m

See also

In Spanish: Jürgen Schult para niños