Thomas Schönlebe (born 6 August 1965) is a retired East German track and field athlete who competed in the 400 metres. He won the gold medal at the 1987 World Championships. In that race, he set a European record of 44.33 seconds which stood for 35 years before it was broken by Matthew Hudson-Smith in August 2023.
A year earlier, Schönlebe had finished second at the 1986 European Championships in Stuttgart behind Roger Black. One of his last achievements was the third place at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart with the (now unified) German 4 × 400 m relay team.
Schönlebe achieved three world indoor records during his careerProgression of IAAF World Records 2011 Edition, Editor Imre Matrahazi, IAAF Athletics, p. 400 and p. 406.
45.41 s in the 400 m on 9 February 1986; 45.05 s in 400 m on 5 February 1988; 3:03.05 in 4 × 400 m relay as a member of a German team on 10 March 1991. Note: Schönlebe's first record has the distinction of being the inaugural record at the distance when the IAAF established the category of world indoor records on 1 January 1987.
Schönlebe later became chief executive officer of his hometown club, LAC Erdgas Chemnitz
In 1994, he was awarded the Rudolf Harbig Memorial Award.
International competitions Representing 1983European Junior ChampionshipsSchwechat, Austria1st400 m45.641st4 × 400 m3:04.95European CupLondon, UK2nd400 m45.701985World Indoor GamesParis, France1st400 m45.60European CupMoscow, Soviet Union1st400 m44.96World CupCanberra, Australia2nd400 m44.722nd4 × 400 m3:00.821986European Indoor ChampionshipsMadrid, Spain1st400 m46.98European ChampionshipsStuttgart, Germany2nd400 m44.636th4 × 400 m3:04.871987World ChampionshipsRome, Italy1st400 m44.33heats4 × 400 mDNFEuropean CupPrague, Czechoslovakia1st400 m44.961st4 × 400 m3:00.801988European Indoor ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary4th (sf)400 m46.86Olympic GamesSeoul, South Korea9th (sf)400 m44.904th4 × 400 m3:01.131989World CupBarcelona, Spain5th4 × 400 m3:02.731990European ChampionshipsSplit, Yugoslavia2nd400 m45.133rd4 × 400 m3:01.51Representing 1991World Indoor ChampionshipsSeville, Spain1st4 × 400 m3:03.051992Olympic GamesBarcelona, Spain15th (qf)400 m45.46heats4 × 400 mDNF1993World ChampionshipsStuttgart, Germany3rd4 × 400 m2:59.99 (#) Indicates overall position in quarterfinal (qf) or semifinal (sf) round Note: Schönlebe qualified for the 1988 European Indoor final but withdrew.
World rankings Schonlebe was ranked among the best in the world at the 400 m sprint events in the period 1983–87 (including world number one in 1987), according to the votes of the experts of Track and Field News. +400 metersYearWorld rank1983 8th1984 -1985 2nd1986 10th1987 1st
See also List of European Athletics Championships medalists (men)
References