(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) – Rudolf ("Rudi") Harbig (8 November 1913 – 5 March 1944) was a German middle distance runner best known for the 800 metres world record that he set in Milano in 1939.
 
Harbig was born in Dresden. He started running in 1934 and was a member of the bronze-medal-winning German 4×400 m relay team at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.

Two years later he defeated his long-time rival Mario Lanzi from Italy at the 1938 European Championships in Athletics in Paris over 800 m in a time of 1:50.6 min. At the same championships he won the gold medal with the German 4×400 m relay team.

In the same summer the British runner Sydney Wooderson set a remarkable new world record over 800 m at 1:48.4 min. When, in 1939, Harbig set a new national record of 1:49.4 he knew that the world record was not an unrealistic prospect. However, in the same season, Mario Lanzi ran a time of 1:49.5 in Pisa. The two rivals met in Milano in July for a much-celebrated race over 800 m on a 500 m-track. In his usual manner Lanzi took the lead and was still in front on the final bend. However, at the start of the 125 m-home-straight Harbig overtook him with an astonishing sprint.

He finished with a new world record of 1:46.6 min. Lanzi, behind him, set a new Italian record of 1:49.0. In the following years Harbig's time turned out to be a very hard record to break. Even track legends Arthur Wint and Mal Whitfield could not threaten it.

Finally, in August 1955 the Belgian runner Roger Moens set a new world record of 1:45.7.

Also, in 1939 Harbig set a world record over 400 m on a 500 m-track in Frankfurt in 46.0 sec.

In Dresden in 1941 he set a world record over 1000 m in 2:21.5.

In the Second World War Harbig was sent to the Eastern Front and died in the Ukraine in 1944.

 

From Wikipedia

PS: His coach was Woldemar Gerschler

 

Rudolf Harbigs records

 

400m                  47,6  Berlin                           1. August 1937             DR*

400m                  46,8  Dortmund                     7. August 1938             DR

400m                  46,7  Mailand                        16. Juli 1939                  ER

400m                 46,0  Frankfurt/M.             12. August 1939          WR

500m               1:01,7   Erfurt                           18. Juni 1939               DR

800m               1:50,9   Berlin                           25. Juli 1937                DR

800m               1:50,6   Paris                            4. September 1938       DR

800m               1:50,5   Mannheim                    21. Mai 1939                DR

800m               1:49,4   Berlin                           25. Juli 1939                DR

800m              1:46,6   Mailand                     15. Juli 1939               WR

1000m H          2:28,4   Berlin                           16. März 1941              ER

1000m H          2:24,9   Berlin                           18. Mai 1941                DR

1000m            2:21,5   Dresden                     24. Mai 1941              WR

4x400m            3:11,8   Berlin                           9. August 1936            DR

4x400m            3:10,4   Mailand                         16. Juli 1939                DR

4x800m            7:37,8   Paris                            17. August 1941           DR

4x800m           7:30,4   Braunschweig            23. August 1941        WR

 

* DR: German record –