Torsten Voss
Encyclopedia
Torsten Voss (sometimes listed as Thorsten Voss, born 23 May 1963 in Güstrow
, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) is an East German-German
track and field
athlete and bobsledder who competed from the late 1980s to the late 1990s.
His biggest success was when he won the world title in the decathlon
at the 1987 World Championships in Rome
as a representative for East Germany. He achieved a personal best score of 8680 points and was chosen as the East German sportsman of the year. In 1988 in the Seoul Summer Olympic Games he won the silver medal behind fellow East German, Christian Schenk
. His personal best of 8680 points ranks him fifth among German decathletes, behind Jürgen Hingsen
, Uwe Freimuth
, Siegfried Wentz
and Frank Busemann
.
In 1994 Voss switched to bobsleigh
and was a pusher for Harald Czudaj
and Wolfgang Hoppe
. He won three medals in the four-man event at the FIBT World Championships
with one silver (1997
with Dirk Wiese
) and two bronzes (1995
with Czudaj, 1996
with Hoppe). Voss also finished eighth in the four-man event at the 1998 Winter Olympics
in Nagano.
As a track and field athlete he was 1.86 meters tall and weighed 88 kilograms.
Güstrow
Güstrow is a town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany the capital of the district of Güstrow. It has a population of 30,500 and is the seventh largest town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Since 2006 Güstrow has the official suffix Barlachstadt.-Geography:The town of Güstrow is located...
, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) is an East German-German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete and bobsledder who competed from the late 1980s to the late 1990s.
His biggest success was when he won the world title in the decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
at the 1987 World Championships in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
as a representative for East Germany. He achieved a personal best score of 8680 points and was chosen as the East German sportsman of the year. In 1988 in the Seoul Summer Olympic Games he won the silver medal behind fellow East German, Christian Schenk
Christian Schenk
Christian Schenk won the gold medal in the decathlon in the 1988 Summer Olympics, held in Seoul, South Korea.Schenk also won a bronze medal at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo...
. His personal best of 8680 points ranks him fifth among German decathletes, behind Jürgen Hingsen
Jürgen Hingsen
Jürgen Hingsen is a former West German decathlete who won several medals at international championships and Olympic Games in the 1980s, and held the decathlon world record in 1982 and again from 1983 to 1984....
, Uwe Freimuth
Uwe Freimuth
Uwe Freimuth is a retired decathlete from East Germany, who finished in eighth place with 7860 points at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. He is still the No. 8 in the world ranking list of all times. His personal best is 8 792 Points...
, Siegfried Wentz
Siegfried Wentz
Siegfried Wentz is a former German track and field athlete. In the 1980s and until 1990 he represented West Germany and belonged to the world elite in the decathlon. His most notable result was winning the bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California...
and Frank Busemann
Frank Busemann
Frank Busemann is a former German decathlete.Busemann started his career as a 110 m hurdler and was junior world champion in this discipline in 1994. After his surprising decathlon silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics with his personal best of 8706 points he became one of Germany's most...
.
In 1994 Voss switched to bobsleigh
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
and was a pusher for Harald Czudaj
Harald Czudaj
Harald Czudaj is an East German-German bobsledder who competed during the 1990s. Competing in three Winter Olympics, he won a gold medal in the four-man event at Lillehammer in 1994....
and Wolfgang Hoppe
Wolfgang Hoppe
Wolfgang Hoppe is an East German former decathlete, bob pilot and 36-time international medal winner who competed from the early 1980s to the late 1990s...
. He won three medals in the four-man event at the FIBT World Championships
FIBT World Championships
The FIBT World Championships, part of the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing , have taken place on an annual basis in non-Winter Olympic years since 1930. A two-man event was included in 1931 with a combined championship occurring in 1947...
with one silver (1997
FIBT World Championships 1997
The FIBT World Championships 1997 took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland and Lake Placid, New York, United States . St. Moritz hosted a championship event for the record eighteenth time...
with Dirk Wiese
Dirk Wiese
Dirk Wiese is a German bobsledder who competed in the 1990s. He won a silver medal in the four-man event at the 1997 FIBT World Championships in St. Moritz.Wiese also 11th in the two-man event at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano....
) and two bronzes (1995
FIBT World Championships 1995
The FIBT World Championships 1995 took place in Winterberg, Germany and Lillehammer, Norway . This was the first time both cities hosted a championship event.-Two man bobsleigh:...
with Czudaj, 1996
FIBT World Championships 1996
The FIBT World Championships 1996 took place in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for a second time, hosting the event previously in 1992 . It marked the first time the bobsleigh and skeleton competition took place in the same location at the championships since 1982.-Two man bobsleigh:-Four man...
with Hoppe). Voss also finished eighth in the four-man event at the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
in Nagano.
As a track and field athlete he was 1.86 meters tall and weighed 88 kilograms.
Other results in decathlon
- 1981 Junior-European championship: 2nd place
- 1982 Junior-World record: 8387 Points; East German champion
- 1983 World championship in Helsinki; East German champion
- 1987 East German champion
- 1990 East German champion
- 1993 (after a break for injury) Second place in the German championship (8037 points)