Rudolf Harbig Memorial Award


The Rudolf Harbig Memorial Award is an annual sports award in recognition of German competitors in the sport of athletics who, in performance and attitude, have been role models for young people. The award was created in 1950, named after German middle-distance runner Rudolf Harbig, who died age 30 fighting for the Wehrmacht in World War II. The award was suggested by the Clubs der Alten Meister, a union of former athletes and made official by Karl Ritter von Halt, the former leader of the National Socialist League of the Reich for Physical Exercise. Given by the German Athletics Association, the award was for West German athletes only prior to German reunification.
The prize may only be awarded once to an athlete, who is selected by an internal German Athletics Association panel. The DLV president gives the award at the German Athletics Championships each year, a tradition started at the championships in 1950. The award was historically mostly been given to men – prior to 2005, a female winner had succeeded another woman on one occasion only. Men and women have received the honour in roughly equal frequency since 1999.

Winners

YearWinnerSexEvent
1950Alfred DompertMaleSteeplechase
1951Karl WolfMaleHammer
1952Hermann EberleinMaleLong-distance
1953Heinz UlzheimerMaleMiddle-distance
1954Karl StorchMaleHammer
1955Herbert SchadeMaleLong-distance
1956Maria SanderFemaleHurdles
1957Karl-Friedrich HaasMaleSprints
1958Heinz FüttererMaleSprints
1959Marianne WernerFemaleShot put
1960Manfred GermarMaleSprints
1961Paul SchmidtMaleMiddle-distance
1962Karl HeinMaleHammer
1963Helmut JanzMaleHurdles
1964Erika FischFemaleLong jump
1965Manfred KinderMaleSprints
1966Helga HoffmannFemaleLong jump
1967Klaus LehnertzMaleHigh jump
1968Hinrich JohnMaleHurdles
1969Ingrid BeckerFemalePentathlon
1970Harald NorpothMaleLong-distance
1971Hermann SalomonMaleJavelin
1972Horst BeyerMaleDecathlon
1973Heide RosendahlFemalePentathlon
1974Bernd KannenbergMaleRacewalking
1975Michael SauerMaleTriple jump
1976Rita WildenFemaleSprints
1977Annegret RichterFemaleSprints
1978Klaus WolfermannMaleJavelin
1979Gerhard WeidnerMaleRacewalking
1980Franz-Peter HofmeisterMaleSprints
1981Guido KratschmerMaleDecathlon
1982Karl-Hans RiehmMaleHammer
1983Ulrike MeyfarthFemaleHigh jump
1984Willi WülbeckMaleMiddle-distance
1985Thomas WessinghageMaleMiddle-distance
1986Brigitte KrausFemaleMiddle-distance
1987Harald SchmidMaleHurdles
1988Dietmar MögenburgMaleHigh jump
1989Rolf DannebergMaleDiscus
1990Claudia LoschFemaleShot put
1991Hans GrodotzkiMaleLong-distance
1992Heike HenkelFemaleHigh jump
1993Hartwig GauderMaleRacewalking
1994Thomas SchönlebeMaleSprints
1995Christian SchenkMaleDecathlon
1996Dieter BaumannMaleLong-distance
1997Steffen BrandMaleSteeplechase
1998Florian SchwarthoffMaleHurdles
1999Heike DrechslerFemaleLong jump
2000Heinz WeisMaleHammer
2001Jürgen SchultMaleDiscus
2002Sabine BraunFemaleHeptathlon
2003Lars RiedelMaleDiscus
2004Frank BusemannMaleDecathlon
2005Astrid KumbernussFemaleShot
2006Franka DietzschFemaleDiscus
2007Charles FriedekMaleTriple jump
2008Steffi NeriusFemaleJavelin
2009Nadine KleinertFemaleShot put
2010Ingo SchultzMaleSprints
2011Tim LobingerMalePole vault
2012Ralf BartelsMaleShot put
2013Björn OttoMalePole vault
2014Betty HeidlerFemaleHammer
2015Christian ReifMaleLong jump
2016Verena SailerFemaleSprints
2017Christina ObergföllFemaleJavelin
2018Linda StahlFemaleJavelin