Thomas Zacharias (athlete)
Thomas Zacharias 
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| nation |
 Germany
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| birthday | 2nd January 1947 (age 73) | ||||||||||||||||||
| place of birth | Bad Harzburg , Germany | ||||||||||||||||||
| size | 183 cm | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 77 kg | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career | |||||||||||||||||||
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| society | USC Mainz | ||||||||||||||||||
| Medal table | |||||||||||||||||||
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| last change: February 14, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||
Thomas Zacharias (born January 2, 1947 in Bad Harzburg ) is a German athlete and former Olympian.
General
Thomas Zacharias is a son of the "magic violinist" Helmut Zacharias . He attended secondary school in Italy, passed the Baccalauréat in France and the Abitur in Berlin. He first studied music and law, then philosophy, sociology, journalism, sports and education. His career as a high jumper in the German national athletics team of the Federal Republic lasted from 1968 to 1972. His personal best is 2.22 m indoors (world annual best) and 2.20 m outdoors.
Thomas Zacharias is still active and successful as a senior athlete. He has set several age group world records. His Masters world record (M50) of 2.00 m has been in place since 1997. At 1.83 m and 77 kg, he is not exactly the ideal size for the high jump. However, over a period of 40 years (January 1966 to January 2006) he managed to jump over his own height.
In the meantime, the qualified sports teacher is successful as the inventor of didactic sports equipment. The best known is the Zacharias hurdle , which makes it easier for beginners to learn how to run. Unlike competition hurdles, it is infinitely adjustable in height, padded, gives way to light touch and can be used didactically in different positions. Its inflatable high jump crossbar for children and beginners has proven itself many times since 1977.
Zacharias published a book on high and long jump technique (1997), two books on depth psychology and self-awareness (1985, 1987) and two books on golf swing technique (Kosmos-Verlag 2007, 2010). For two years he was the national trainer for straddle performers, a successful athletics student, youth and top trainer at USC Mainz and four years psychological assistant to the national golf coach. He is currently writing a book about the social effects of the football rules, which he declares to be outdated, unfair and urgently in need of reform. He has lived in Lanzarote since 1983. He and his wife Lola have twins Alejandro and Cristina (* 1990).
He has been working for TV Obersuhl since 2017.
International starts as an active player
At the 1968 Olympic Games , Thomas Zacharias was the best of all those eliminated with 2.09 m in qualification (13th). Dick Fosbury won the Olympic gold medal with 2.24 m with the technique named after him of the Fosbury flop.
At the Indoor European Games in 1969 Zacharias was ninth with 2.05 m, at the Indoor European Championships he finished eighth in 1970 with 2.11 m and in 1971 fifth with 2.14 m.
He played eleven international matches, two of which were victorious.
Placement at German championships as an active player
Hall
- 1968 5th with 2.03 m
- 1969 2nd with 2.09 m
- 1970 1st with 2.15 m
- 1971 1st with 2.20 m
open air
- 1967 6th with 2.00 m
- 1968 1st with 2.12 m
- 1970 4th with 2.09 m
- 1971 5th with 2.11 m
- 1976 9th with 2.12 m
Records
During his active time, Thomas Zacharias set three German records and one German indoor record:
- 2.18 m on August 16, 1970
- 2.19 m on September 19, 1970
- 2.20 m on September 27, 1970
- 2.22 m on February 21, 1971 (Germany-Halle Berlin, world annual best, runner-up world record)
Later, Thomas Zacharias set numerous German and world records in senior athletics. He was the holder of the German, European and world records in the age groups
- M45 1.96 m erected on October 7, 1996
- M50 with 2.00 m set up on March 2, 1997 at the 1st European Indoor Championships for Seniors in Birmingham (current world record)
- M50 with 1.98 m set up on May 17, 1997 (current world record)
- M55 with 1.84 m set up on January 25, 2006 (WR, 2013 outbid by Carlo Thränhardt with 1.90 m)
- M60 with 1.80 m erected on April 27, 2007 (WR until 2012)
- M65 1.64 m erected on September 1, 2013 (ER)
- M65 with 1.65 m erected on March 12, 2014 in Zaragosa (WR)
- M70 with 1.55 m erected on February 19, 2017 in Arnstadt (DR)
Before that, he set world records in the age groups M30 with 2.17 m, M35 with 2.10 m and M40 with 2.05 m.
Straddle versus flop
With the Olympic victory in 1968 by Dick Fosbury (Mexico City, 2.24 m) the triumphant advance of the Fosbury flop began , which largely ousted the straddle within a very short time. Another advocate of the straddle technique is Thomas Zacharias, who assumes that the straddle technique, if you master it, is about five centimeters superior to the flop. According to Thomas Zacharias, the flop owes its success more to its simplicity than its technical effectiveness.
Web links
- Thomas Zacharias on SELAnetz
- Hochsprung-Technik.de
- Literature by and about Thomas Zacharias in the catalog of the German National Library
- Senior athlete portrait - Thomas Zacharias on Leichtathletik.de (PDF 680 kB)
swell
- Klaus Amrheim: Biographical Handbook on the History of German Athletics, Darmstadt 2005
- Jörg Reckemeier: Senior Athletics 2005, Oldenburg 2006
- Thomas Zacharias: High and long jump perfect, Nentershausen 1997
Individual evidence
- ↑ Uwe Martin: Straddle old master Thomas Zacharias jumps German M70 best in Stadtallendorf. In: hlv.de. February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017 .
- ↑ Senior world rankings in high jump
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Zacharias, Thomas |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German athlete and Olympian |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 2, 1947 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bad Harzburg |