Wolfgang Schmidt (athlete)
Schmidt at the 1977 IAAF World Cup Final in Düsseldorf | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Wolfgang Schmidt |
| Born | 16 January 1954 East Berlin, East Germany |
| Height | 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) |
| Weight | 115 kg (254 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country | East Germany (1974–1987) West Germany (1988–1990) Germany (1991–1992) |
| Sport | Men's athletics |
| Event | Men's Discus |
| Club | SC Dynamo Berlin Stuttgarter Kickers |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best | 71.16 m (1978) |
Medal record | |
Wolfgang Schmidt (born 16 January 1954) is a German former track and field athlete who competed for East Germany at the 1976 Summer Olympics and won the silver medal in the discus throw. A former world record holder, he also won several medals at the European Athletics Championships. Schmidt made headlines in 1982 due to his failed attempt to escape from East Germany. He later competed for the Federal Republic of Germany and won third place in the 1990 European Athletics Championships. Born in Berlin, he competed for the SC Dynamo Berlin / Sportvereinigung (SV) Dynamo.