Dieter Baumann
Dieter Baumann (born 9 February 1965) is a German former athlete and 5000 m Olympic champion at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He also won the silver medal in the same event (5000 m) at the 1988 Summer Olympics. In 1999, Baumann tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug nandrolone and received a two-year suspension from athletic competition.
Dieter Baumann

Matthias Reiß · http: Direct link · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Dieter Baumann
- Born
- 9 February 1965
- Birthplace
- Blaustein, West Germany
- Nationality
- Germany
- Occupation
- writer · athletics competitor · long-distance runner · middle-distance runner · autobiographer · athlete
- Honours
- Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg · German Sportspersonality of the Year · Silbernes Lorbeerblatt
- Languages
- German
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Dieter Baumann (born 9 February 1965) is a German former athlete and 5000 m Olympic champion at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He also won the silver medal in the same event (5000 m) at the 1988 Summer Olympics. In 1999, Baumann tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug nandrolone and received a two-year suspension from athletic competition.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
No house-authored Note is published until its assertions and sources pass the VALÉORINE evidence contract. The documentary article remains available in full while that enrichment is being consolidated.
Documentary enrichment in progress · no unsupported statement published
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Dieter Baumann. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
not yet certified
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
wikidata · Q60775 · wikipedia · Dieter Baumann
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Dieter Baumann • Born — 9 February 1965 • Birthplace — Blaustein, West Germany • Header Color — lightsteelblue • Show Medals — yes • Medal Templates — Men's athletics Germany Olympic Games European Championships • Illustration — Baumann in 2017
Biography
Biography
Born in Blaustein, West Germany, Baumann was one of the few non-African athletes who were able to seriously challenge the African dominance of middle-distance running during the 1990s. Baumann was equally adept at both the 1500 m and 5000 m distances. Although Baumann came second in the 3000 m at the European Indoor Championships in 1987, few considered him a medal chance at the 1988 Summer Olympics. The 5000 m final at Seoul was won by John Ngugi from Kenya who broke away from the field early in the race. However, Baumann used his superior 1500 m speed to outsprint the rest of the field in the final lap to win the silver medal. Baumann missed most of the 1990 season due to tendon trouble, but he returned in 1991 to finish fourth in the 5000 m at the World Championships in Tokyo. At the end of the season, Baumann unexpectedly beat the Kenyan 5000 m world champion Yobes Ondieki over 3000 m in Cologne. In early 1992, Baumann narrowly missed the 3000 m world indoor record. In June, at a meeting in Seville, he set a new German record over 5000 m (13:09.03). At the Olympics in Barcelona, the 5000 m final started at a fast pace, but then slowed, increasing Baumann's advantage due to his finishing kick. However, he got boxed in amongst four African runners in the back straight of the last lap, and was only able to get out into the clear coming into the home straight. From there, Baumann launched into a devastating sprint to pass his opponents and win the gold medal. Later that year, Baumann pre-announced a world record attempt over 3000 m for the meeting in Cologne. However, he did not win the race as Moses Kiptanui snatched the victory away by setting a new world record. Baumann missed the next season due to injury, but was back at the European Championships in 1994. In the 5000 m final, Baumann was always well placed in the field, and used his trademark devastating kick to outsprint Rob Denmark of the UK in the final lap to win the gold medal. At the World Championships in Gothenburg, in the 5000 m final, Baumann inexplicably lost contact with the leading group with three laps to go, and struggled home in a disappointing ninth place. However, a few days after the disappointment of Gothenburg, Baumann ran one of the fastest races in his career when he broke his national record (13:01.72) to come second in Zürich behind Haile Gebrselassie. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Baumann would find it a difficult challenge to successfully defend his Olympic title, because the other athletes had been setting much faster times than Baumann's during 1995 and 1996 seasons. But Baumann still managed to finish in a creditable fourth place. On his third World Championships in Athens, Baumann finished fifth in the 5000 m. In Zürich, a few days later, he became the first European runner to break the 13-minute barrier when he finished in 12:54.70 min. In the next year, he won a silver medal in 10,000 m at the European Championships held in Budapest. He also tried to defend his title over 5000 m but did not even come close to winning a medal. In one of his last great races, he set a new personal best over 3000 m in Monte Carlo (Monaco) in 7:30.50 min in August 1998.
Doping suspension
Doping suspension
On 19 October 1999, Baumann tested positive for nandrolone and received a two-year suspension, thus missing the 2000 Summer Olympics. Baumann was voluntarily tested after the initial results by an independent institute. Extremely high levels of nandrolone continued to be found in the tests and the results of the tests fluctuated dramatically depending on which time of day Baumann was tested. After several weeks of voluntary tests, Baumann claimed that the results varied with the time of day because the nandrolone was in his toothpaste. The German Athletics Federation (DLV) stated that they believed Baumann that someone had manipulated his toothpaste and allowed him to start at the German championships where Baumann qualified for the Olympic Games in Sydney. However, the IAAF did not agree with that verdict and imposed a ban. Baumann tried to sue the IAAF before a German court but was unsuccessful. Those defending Baumann have pointed to the fact that the levels of nandrolone found in his body were completely abnormal for any athlete wishing to enhance his performance. Baumann's opponents argued that he had no conclusive proof for his version of the story and could not name a suspect. After the ban, Baumann came back in 2002 at the age of 37 and won the silver medal at 10,000 m at the European Championships in Munich. Baumann participated in the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris at 10,000 m but did not finish the race. He retired in late 2003.
Personal life
Personal life
His daughter, Jackie Baumann, is a hurdler.
Identity
Identity
Dieter Baumann is recorded as having received Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg, German Sportspersonality of the Year and Silbernes Lorbeerblatt. Recognition and collections. Baumann received Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg, German Sportspersonality of the Year and Silbernes Lorbeerblatt.

Dieter Baumann am 28. April 2017 in Pfungstadt
Matthias Reiß · http: Direct link

Olympiasieger Dieter Baumann mit seinem Comedyprogramm „Dieter Baumann, die Götter und Olympia“ am 28. April 2017 in der Pfungstädter Sport- und Kulturhalle.
Matthias Reiß · http: Direct link
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1965
Dieter Baumann born at Blaustein.
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
38,960 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Diego Sánchez de BadajozAuthor
- Diego Tadeo GonzálezAuthor
- Diego ValeriAuthor
- Diego Valverde VillenaAuthor
- Dieter KalkaAuthor
- Dieter NohlenAuthor
- Dieter NollAuthor
- Diethard ZilsAuthor
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Dieter Baumann?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.