Raúl Spank

Raúl Roland Spank (born 13 July 1988 in Dresden) is a retired German athlete who specialised in the high jump.

Raúl Spank

Raúl Spank in 2015
Medal record
Men’s athletics
Representing  Germany
World Championships
2009 BerlinHigh jump

He competed on the world stage for the first time at the 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics in Marrakesh. He finished seventh in the final, jumping a personal best of 2.11 metres. The following year he moved up to the junior level, taking part in the 2006 World Junior Championships. He finished the tournament in Beijing with another personal best of 2.23 m, ending up in fifth place. In February 2008 he improved his indoor best to 2.26 m and further improvement came outdoors later that year at his first Olympic Games. Representing Germany at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he finished in fifth place with a personal best of 2.32 m, just two centimetres away from a medal position.

After winning the 2009 indoor national championships, Spank competed for Germany at continental level for the first time, forming part of the team at the 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships. Although he had equalled his new indoor best of 2.30 m in the qualifying rounds,[1] he only managed 2.25 m in the final of the competition, resulting in a seventh-place finish. He went to the first European Team Championships in Leiria, Portugal in June but he finished in tenth with a sub-par jump of 2.15 m.

At the World Championships in Berlin he won the bronze medal with personal best-equalling jump of 2.32 m. He improved his best shortly afterwards, winning the Internationales Hochsprung-Meeting Eberstadt meeting with 2.33 m.[2] He won at the 2010 German Athletics Championships, but did not make the team for the 2010 European Athletics Championships as he had not achieved the standard set by the German Athletics Federation. He jumped 2.30 m at the Eberstadt meeting and took his second consecutive victory.[3]

During his career Spank was coached by Erika Falz and Jörg Elbe and was a member of Dresdner SC 1898's athletics team.[4] He officially retired at the end of the 2016 season.[5]

Statistics

Personal bests
Event Best (m) Venue Date
High jump (outdoor) 2.33 Eberstadt, Germany 23 August 2009
High jump (indoor) 2.31 Arnstadt, Germany 19 February 2011
  • All information taken from IAAF profile.[6]

Major competition record
Year Competition Venue Position Notes
2005 World Youth Championships Marrakesh, Morocco 7th 2.11 m
2006 World Junior Championships Beijing, China 5th 2.23 m
2007 European Junior Championships Hengelo, Netherlands 3rd 2.21 m
2008 Olympic Games Beijing, China 5th 2.32 m
2009 European Indoor Championships Turin, Italy 7th 2.25 m
European Team Championships Leiria, Portugal 10th
World Championships Berlin, Germany 3rd 2.32 m
2011 European Indoor Championships Paris, France 8th 2.20 m
European Team Championships Stockholm, Sweden 3rd 2.28 m
World Championships Daegu, South Korea 9th 2.29 m
2012 World Indoor Championships Istanbul, Turkey 9th 2.28 m
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gollark: I'm pretty sure you need more than a good-sounding goal to... be successful at things?
gollark: Well, money good because something something instrumental goals.

References
  1. European Athletics Indoor Championships results Day 1. European Athletics. Retrieved on 2009-06-29.
  2. Wenig, Jörg (2009-08-23). Spank improves to 2.33m to take Eberstadt victory – German weekend summary. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  3. Wenig, Jörg (2010-08-30). Spank and Friedrich take home wins in Eberstadt, Harting impresses at Throws meeting in Neubrandenburg – German weekend wrap. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-08-30.
  4. Athletenportrait - Raul Spank. (in German) Deutscher Leichtathletik Verband. Retrieved on 2009-06-29.
  5. Raúl Spank verabschiedet sich beim ISTAF in Berlin vom Leistungssport (in German)
  6. Spank, Raul Biography. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-06-29.
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