Rudolf Harbig Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Personal information

Born

8 November 1913
Dresden, Saxony,
Germany

Died

5 March 1944 (aged 30)
Olkhovets, Zvenyhorodka Raion, Soviet Union (now Ukraine)

Sport

Club

Dresdner SC
Eintracht Braunschweig

Medal record

Men’s athletics

Representing Germany
Olympic Games
Bronze	1936 Berlin	4x400 metre relay
European Championships
Gold	1938 Paris	800 metres

Rudolf Waldemar Harbig (born November 8, 1913 – died March 5, 1944) was a famous German athlete. He was a middle-distance runner. He became very well known for setting a world record in the 800 metres race in Milan in 1939. He also held the European record for the 400 metres race for many years.

Early Life and Training
Olympic and European Success
Setting World Records
Later Life and Legacy
Sources
See also

Early Life and Training

Rudolf Harbig was born in Dresden, Germany. His father worked as a stoker. From a young age, Rudolf loved sports. He joined local clubs to run and play handball as an amateur.

After finishing school, he started training to be a wheelwright. But because of the Great Depression, he could not find a job. So, he traveled around Germany for a while. When he returned to Dresden, he joined the Reichswehr (the German armed forces) in 1932 to earn a living.

As a soldier, Harbig kept running in track events. In 1934, he won an 800 metres race in Dresden. This win helped him get invited to train for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. He started intense training with coaches from Dresdner SC. In 1935, he left the military to focus on his sports career. He still worked part-time jobs to support himself.

Olympic and European Success

In July 1936, Harbig won the 800 metres race at the German Athletics Championships. This allowed him to compete in the Summer Olympics in August. Just before the Olympics, he got sick. This made him weaker for the competition.

At the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, he finished sixth in his first 800 metres race. This was a bit disappointing. However, he also joined the German 4 × 400 metres relay team. With his teammates Friedrich von Stülpnagel, Helmut Hamann, and Harry Voigt, they won the bronze medal in the finals on August 9. Harbig ran the final part of the race.

In 1937, Harbig continued to improve. He won the 800 metres at the German Athletics Championships for the second time. He also set a new German best time in the 400 metres.

One year later, in 1938, Harbig won the 400 metres race at the ISTAF Berlin. He also won the 800 metres at the German Championships again. On September 4, he won a gold medal at the 1938 European Championships in Athletics in Paris. He won the 800 metres race, beating his rival Mario Lanzi from Italy. He also won another gold medal with the German 4x400 metres relay team at the same championships.

Setting World Records

In the summer of 1938, a British runner named Sydney Wooderson set a new world record for the 800 metres. His time was 1:48.4 minutes. Harbig knew he could beat this record. In 1939, he set a new German record of 1:49.4 minutes.

Later that year, Harbig and Mario Lanzi met for a big race in Milan. Lanzi usually started fast and led the race. He was still ahead on the final turn. But Harbig made an amazing sprint in the last 125 metres. He passed Lanzi and finished with a new world record of 1:46.6 minutes! Lanzi also ran very well, setting a new Italian record of 1:49.0 minutes.

Harbig's 800 metres world record was very hard to beat. Even famous runners like Arthur Wint and Mal Whitfield couldn't break it for a long time. It wasn't until August 1955 that Roger Moens from Belgium set a new record of 1:45.7 minutes.

In 1939, Harbig also set a world record for the 400 metres race. He ran it in 46.0 seconds in Frankfurt. In 1941, he set another world record in Dresden for the 1000 metres race, finishing in 2:21.5 minutes.

Later Life and Legacy

Rudolf Harbig's amazing running career slowed down when World War II started in September 1939. It became harder for him to train. He joined the Wehrmacht (German armed forces). He was still preparing for the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were later cancelled.

In 1940-1941, he joined the Fallschirmjäger (paratrooper) forces. In May 1941, he set another world record for the 800 metres at a stadium in Dresden.

Later in 1941, Harbig was sent to fight on the Eastern Front. He was killed in action in Ukraine in 1944. He was a sergeant at the time. The exact details of his death are not fully known.

Rudolf Harbig is remembered as one of the greatest middle-distance runners of his time. His world records stood for many years, showing his incredible talent and speed.

Records
Preceded by Sydney Wooderson	Men's 800 metres World Record Holder 15 June 1939 – 3 August 1955	Succeeded by Roger Moens
Preceded by Godfrey Brown	European Record Holder Men's 400m 12 August 1939 - 24 June 1955	Succeeded by Ardalion Ignatyev
Preceded by Sydney Wooderson	European Record Holder Men's 800m 17 July 1939 - 3 August 1955	Succeeded by Roger Moens