Lars Riedel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Lars Riedel

Personal information
Full name	Lars Peter Riedel
Born	28 June 1967 (1967-06-28) (age 57) Zwickau, Saxony, East Germany
Height	1.99 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight	110 kg (243 lb)
Sport
Country	East Germany (1986–1990) Germany (1991–2006)
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Discus throw
Club	USC Mainz LAC Erdgas Chemnitz
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	71.50 m (1997)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Germany Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta Discus Silver 2000 Sydney Discus World Championships Gold 1991 Tokyo Discus Gold 1993 Stuttgart Discus Gold 1995 Gothenburg Discus Gold 1997 Athens Discus Gold 2001 Edmonton Discus Bronze 1999 Seville Discus European Championships Gold 1998 Budapest Discus

Lars Peter Riedel (born June 28, 1967) is a famous former German discus thrower. He is known for throwing the discus very far. In fact, his personal best throw of 71.50 meters is one of the longest throws ever recorded!

About Lars Riedel

Lars Riedel started his discus throwing journey in what was then East Germany. He grew up in a town called Thurm, which is close to Zwickau. In 1983, he joined a sports club named SC Karl-Marx-Stadt.

Early Career and Challenges

Lars competed in his first big international events in the late 1980s. These included the World Junior Championship in 1986. He also took part in the European Championship in 1990.

When East Germany became part of Germany, Lars stopped training for a while. But soon, he met a new coach, Karlheinz Steinmetz, in Mainz. This meeting helped him start training seriously again.

Becoming a Champion

In the 1990s, Lars Riedel became one of the best discus throwers in Germany. He was very tall, about 1.99 meters (6 feet 6 inches), and weighed around 115 kilograms (254 pounds). This strong build helped him throw the discus far.

Lars won his only Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. He also won the World Championship an amazing five times! This shows how dominant he was in his sport.

Lars Riedel's Achievements

Lars Riedel had a very successful career, winning many medals. Here are some of his top results:

Year	Competition	Location	Rank	Result
Representing  East Germany
1986	World Junior Championships	Athens, Greece	4th	58.16 m
1990	European Championships	Split, Yugoslavia	15th	59.28 m
Representing  Germany
1991	World Championships	Tokyo, Japan	1st	66.20 m
1992	Olympic Games	Barcelona, Spain	14th	59.98 m
1993	World Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	1st	67.72 m
1994	European Championships	Helsinki, Finland	10th	58.66 m
1995	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	1st	68.76 m
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, United States	1st	69.40 m
1997	World Championships	Athens, Greece	1st	68.54 m
	IAAF Grand Prix Final	Fukuoka, Japan	1st	67.98 m
1998	European Championships	Budapest, Hungary	1st	67.07 m
1999	World Championships	Seville, Spain	3rd	68.09 m
2000	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	2nd	68.50 m
2001	World Championships	Edmonton, Canada	1st	69.72 m
2003	World Championships	Paris, France	4th	66.28 m
2004	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	7th	62.80 m
2005	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	9th	63.05 m
2006	European Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	8th	64.11 m

Besides his international medals, Lars Riedel also won the German national championship 11 times. This shows his consistent success in his home country.

See also

• In Spanish: Lars Riedel para niños