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.