Hagen Melzer
Hagen Melzer is a former East German middle and long-distance runner who specialised in the 3000 m steeplechase.
He won the gold medal at the 1986 [European Championships in Athletics|1986 European Championships] in Stuttgart. A year later he won the silver medal at the 1987 [World Championships in Athletics|1987 World Championships] in Rome, where he set a national record at 8:10.32 minutes. This remained his career best time, and places him second on the German all-time performers list behind Damian Kallabis, who ran in 8:09.48 minutes in 1999. At the Olympic Games he finished Athletics at the [1988 Summer Olympics – Men's 3000 metres steeplechase|tenth in 1988] and Athletics at the [1992 Summer Olympics – Men's 3000 metres steeplechase|did not reach the final in 1992].
Melzer won seven East German national titles, in 1980, 1983 and the years 1985–1989. He represented the sports clubs SC Einheit Dresden and, after the German reunification, Dresdner SC. He won the German title in 1991 for his new club.