Bob Schul

Bob Schul (actually Robert Keyser Schul , born September 28, 1937 in West Milton , Ohio ) is a former American middle and long distance runner and Olympic champion .

career

Schul's success was largely linked to the methods of his trainer Mihály Iglói . Schul came into contact with competitive sport while studying at university. He focused on the mile run and quickly improved. During this training he developed an interest in the 3000 m obstacle course , for which he quickly acquired the appropriate technique due to his excellent sense of movement. However, since the 3000 m obstacle course was rare on university courses, he regularly trained for longer distances. In 1959 Schul interrupted his university studies and enlisted in the Air Force, where the best opportunities for running training existed. For a long time it was questionable whether Schul could even do competitive sports, as he fell ill with Pfeiffer glandular fever , which required a three-month stay in the Air Force hospital. He returned to Miami University , where he expanded his training after Iglói with elements from Arthur Lydiard .

In 1963 he won bronze over 5000 m at the Pan American Games in São Paulo . The following year he won the US Trials at the Olympic Games in Tokyo , where he achieved his greatest success: he won over 5000 m in 13: 48.8 minutes ahead of the German Harald Norpoth (13: 49.6) and his Compatriot Bill Dellinger (13: 49.8).

In 1964 and 1965 he became US champions over 5000 m and three miles respectively . In his attempt to qualify again for the Olympic Games in 1968, he finished sixth in the US Trials.

In 1971 Schul was national coach in Malaysia for a year before returning to the USA. In 1978 he became an endurance trainer for the Air Force. Schul himself trained again and successfully took part in age group races (33:55 min over 10,000 m and 1:16:00 h in the half marathon as a 50-year-old; 17:56 min for 5000 m with 60). Schul worked as the track and field coach for the men's and women's teams at Wright State University from 1996 to 2007.

Personal bests

• 1500 m : 3: 40.7 min, July 7, 1965, Cologne
• 1 mile: 3: 58.9 min, August 12, 1964, Los Angeles
• 5000 m: 13: 38.0 min, June 5, 1964, Compton
• 3000 m obstacle: 8: 47.8 min, July 19, 1961, Stuttgart

Publications

• with Laura Rentz Krause: In the long run. Ohio Landfall Press, Dayton 2000, ISBN 0913428825

Web links

• Official website
• Bob Schul in the database of trackfield.brinkster.net (English)
• Bob Schul: Profiles of John Cobley in Racing Past
• Bob Schul in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )

Footnotes

1. ↑ Arnd Krüger : Many roads lead to Olympia. The changes in training systems for medium and long distance runners (1850–1997). In: Norbert Gissel (Hrsg.): Sporting performance in change. Czwalina, Hamburg 1998, ISBN 3-88020-322-9 , pp. 41-56
2. ↑ YouTube : Legendary Bob Schul - Last 3 laps in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic 5km Final . Posted on March 12, 2012 (3:19 min)