Armin Hary (born March 22, 1937) is a
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
athleteTrack and field athletics is a collection of sports events that involve running, throwing, jumping and walking. Organised athletics are traced back to the Ancient Olympic Games from 776 BC, and most modern events are conducted by the member clubs of the International Association of Athletics...
. In 1960 he became the first non-
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since 1928 to win the
OlympicThe Olympic Games are a major international event of summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes compete in a wide variety of events. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in...
100 metres.
Born in
QuierschiedQuierschied is a municipality in the district of Saarbrücken, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated approx. 11 km northeast of Saarbrücken.-External links:*...
,
SaarlandSaarland is one of the 16 federal states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest of the German Flächenländer , i.e., those that are not city-states...
, after playing
footballAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
in his youth, Hary switched to
sprintingSprints are short running races in athletics.-The start:Starting blocks are used for all sprint and relay events. The starting blocks consist of two adjustable footplates attached to a rigid frame. Races commence with the firing of the starter's gun. The starting commands are "On your marks" and...
at age 16. Only a few years later, in 1958, he won his first international title when he came first in the 100 m and the 4 x 100 m at the European Championships. He was also one of the first track stars to be affected by the rivalry between Adidas and Puma; each of the two then-fledgling companies wanted the "world's fastest man" to wear its shoes.
Armin Hary (born March 22, 1937) is a
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
athleteTrack and field athletics is a collection of sports events that involve running, throwing, jumping and walking. Organised athletics are traced back to the Ancient Olympic Games from 776 BC, and most modern events are conducted by the member clubs of the International Association of Athletics...
. In 1960 he became the first non-
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since 1928 to win the
OlympicThe Olympic Games are a major international event of summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes compete in a wide variety of events. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in...
100 metres.
Born in
QuierschiedQuierschied is a municipality in the district of Saarbrücken, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated approx. 11 km northeast of Saarbrücken.-External links:*...
,
SaarlandSaarland is one of the 16 federal states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest of the German Flächenländer , i.e., those that are not city-states...
, after playing
footballAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
in his youth, Hary switched to
sprintingSprints are short running races in athletics.-The start:Starting blocks are used for all sprint and relay events. The starting blocks consist of two adjustable footplates attached to a rigid frame. Races commence with the firing of the starter's gun. The starting commands are "On your marks" and...
at age 16. Only a few years later, in 1958, he won his first international title when he came first in the 100 m and the 4 x 100 m at the European Championships. He was also one of the first track stars to be affected by the rivalry between Adidas and Puma; each of the two then-fledgling companies wanted the "world's fastest man" to wear its shoes. Rumors of cash payments were floated, but no evidence was ever found to support the claim. Today, money to "support" athletes and Olympic teams are commonplace. This was not the case in Hary's time.
Also in 1958, Hary appeared to have run a new
world recordThe first record in the 100 metres for men was recognised by the International Amateur Athletics Federation, now known as the International Association of Athletics Federations, in 1912....
with a time of 10.0 seconds, but the track's slope of was found to exceed the maximally allowed . In 1960, another try at the world record seemed to have failed again, after judges believed Hary's start of another 10.0 race had been false—Hary was well-known for his fast starts. In a re-run that same evening, Hary finally set the world record, which stood for just 24 days, but this performance stood as a
European recordThe following table shows the European record progression in the men's 100 metres, as ratified by the EAA- Hand Timing :- Automatic Timing :...
for eight years less one day.
That same year, at the Olympics, he achieved his greatest moment of fame. After a nerve-racking number of near-starts, Hary sprinted to the gold in 10.2 seconds to become the first non-American winner of the event since Canadian
Percy WilliamsCompetitor for CanadaPercy Alfred Williams, OC was a Canadian athlete, winner of the 100 m and 200 m races at the 1928 Summer Olympics.He was born and died in Vancouver....
.
In the final of the 4 x 100 m, Hary and his teammates appeared to have finished second behind the team for the United States, but 15 minutes after the final it was announced that the USA had been disqualified for a faulty exchange. Germany's time, 39.5 seconds, equaled their own world record.
After the Olympics, Armin Hary was suspended by the German federation, and Hary retired from the sport. In 1980, he was found guilty of a 3.2 million German-mark swindle; he was sentenced to probation for 18 month until 1983.