Volker Beck (athlete)
Volker Beck (born 30 June 1956 in Nordhausen, Bezirk Erfurt) is a former East German athlete, winner of 400 m hurdles at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
Volker Beck at a 400m hurdles race in 1981 | ||
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Men's athletics | ||
Representing East Germany | ||
Olympic Games | ||
1980 Moscow | 400 m hurdles | |
1980 Moscow | 4 × 400 m relay | |
IAAF World Cup | ||
1977 Düsseldorf | 400 m | |
1977 Düsseldorf | 400 m hurdles | |
1981 Rome | 400 m hurdles |
With the best 400 m hurdler in the late 1970s and early 1980s Edwin Moses missing due to the boycott, the most likely winner of the Olympic gold was Volker Beck, the East German 400 m hurdles champion in 1980, 1981 and 1983.
In Moscow, Beck won the 400 m hurdles in 48,70 s, beating second-placed Vasyl Arkhypenko from Soviet Union by 0.16 seconds, although it was the slowest Olympic final since 1964. Beck won his second Olympic medal in 4 × 400 m relay, when he was beaten to a second place by Soviet anchor Viktor Markin.
After his athletics career, Beck started to work as a coach, among other things he was a coach of German National Team.