Charles Friedek

German triple jumper Charles Friedek had his greatest year in 1999 when he won the World Indoor and Outdoor Championships, as he became the first German athlete with dark skin to win the titles. In 2000, Friedek won the European Indoor title, having won a silver in 1998. At European Championships he also won a silver medal in 2002.

Friedek’s Olympic appearances were not so successful. He was eliminated in the qualification competition at both the 1996 Atlanta and the 2004 Athens Games, and had to retire after two failures in the 2000 Sydney final. Friedek later became a triple jump coach at Köln and in 2016 was named chief national coach. In 2007, he was awarded the Rudolf-Harbig-Gedächtnispreis (Rudolf Harbig Memorial Award).

Friedek was not nominated for the 2008 Beijing Olympics despite fulfilling the criteria. He then fought in court for eight years against the German Athletics Federation until both agreed on a compromise in 2016. Friedek became co-owner of the record company “Planetrop Music” in 2006 and not only worked as a producer but also as a songwriter for artists in Germany and abroad.

Personal Best: TJ – 17.59 (1997).