Jürgen Hingsen

Decathlete Jürgen Hingsen won the silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Games behind his eternal rival Daley Thompson whom he could never beat in competition. The legendary duels of both kept the fans in suspense, even though it was soon clear that the British Thompson, who always called the German “Hollywood-Hingsen,” would be hard to beat. Together they dominated the decathlon scene in the 1980s.

In 1988 Hingsen was disqualified after his third false start in the 100 metres to open the decathlon. He would also have started at the 1980 Moscow Games but could not due to the US-led boycott by the Western countries. Hingsen won a silver medal at the 1983 World Championships, while in 1987 he had to retire after the high jump due to an injury. He came in 13th at the 1978 European Championships and won two more silver medals in 1982 and 1986. In 1982-84 Hingsen set three world records with 8,723, 8,779 and 8,798 points.

Hingsen was later modelled in bronze by German artist Arno Breker and received the Silver Bay Leaf in 1982, and the Sports Badge of North Rhine Westfalia in 1984. After his active career Hingsen was employed by an assurance company in Germany. In 1984 he had a small role in a German comedy film Drei und eine halbe Portion (Three and a half portion). His penchant for the media world was underlined by some television appearances in shows of the German private TV station RTL.

Personal Best: Dec – 8832 (1984).