View source for Udo Beyer

{{Short description|East German shot putter (born 1955)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}

{{Infobox sportsperson
| nationality=
| image=Bundesarchiv Bild 183-Z0810-022, Udo Beyer.jpg
| caption=Beyer in 1981
| name = Udo Beyer
|years_active = 
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1955|08|09}}
| birth_place = [[Eisenhüttenstadt|Stalinstadt]], [[East Germany]]
| country = {{ubl|East Germany (1973–1990)|Germany (1991–1992)}}
| sport = [[Sport of athletics|Athletics]]
| turnedpro = 
| retired = 
| event = [[Shot put]]
| club = [[ASK Vorwärts Potsdam]]
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=4+1/2}}
| weight = {{convert|135|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| headercolor = lightsteelblue
| show-medals = yes
| pb = 22.64 m (1986)
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Sport | Men's [[Sport of athletics|athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Country | {{GDR}} }}
{{MedalOlympics}}
[[File:Olympic rings.svg|center|80px]]
{{Medal|Gold|[[1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Montreal]]|[[Athletics at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put|Shot put]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Moscow]]|[[Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put|Shot put]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Country | {{GDR}} }}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1978 European Athletics Championships|1978 Prague]]|[[1978 European Athletics Championships – Men's shot put|Shot put]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1982 European Athletics Championships|1982 Athens]]|[[1982 European Athletics Championships – Men's shot put|Shot put]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[1986 European Athletics Championships|1986 Stuttgart]]|[[1986 European Athletics Championships – Men's shot put|Shot put]]}}
}}

'''Udo Beyer''' (born 9 August 1955) is a former [[East Germany|East German]] [[track and field]] athlete who competed in the [[shot put]]. Beyer has admitted to knowingly taking part in doping while he competed for East Germany. He was a [[Stasi]] informer under the codename "Kapitän".

== Biography==
Beyer is the oldest of the six children of heating mechanic Hans-Georg Beyer and his wife Eva-Marie and was born in Stalinstadt, today [[Eisenhüttenstadt]]. He grew up in Breslack, (today the municipality of [[Neißemünde]]), and in Eisenhüttenstadt.  Like all of his siblings, he played [[Team handball|handball]] at the local sport club. He was a member of the team representing the district in Frankfurt where he became a successful goalkeeper.  On the advice of his father he decided to pursue a sporting career, concentrating on athletics.  After the youth tournament in 1969, he changed to the youth sports school in [[Frankfurt (Oder)]], where he earned his ''[[Abitur]]''.  At the same time he became a member of [[ASK Vorwärts Frankfurt]].

In 1970 Ernst Kühl became his trainer, himself a successful shot putter and discus thrower for East Germany.  Kühl had taken part in the 1960 and 1964 unified German team at the Summer Olympic games.  In 1973 Beyer changed clubs as well as coaches moving to [[ASK Vorwärts Potsdam]] under [[Lothar Hillebrand]].  In [[Potsdam]] he concentrated solely on the shot put and began also studying at the University to become a physical education teacher.  As a member of the Army sports club (ASK) Beyer was also a sports officer of the NVA and had also become [[Hauptmann]] (Captain) in the [[Bundeswehr]]. His sport career was essentially over after the 1988 Summer Olympic games, but his wife was able to convince him in 1990 to continue until 1992.

For many years, Beyer was captain of the East German athletics national team.

At a height of 1.94 meters, he weighed 130 kilograms.  Even for a shot putter, Beyer was exceptionally strong.

At the end of his sport career, Beyer started work as a travel agent and has owned a travel agency in Potsdam since 1996.  He lives in Potsdam and has been married since 1976 and has had two daughters, one of whom died as a child.

All of his siblings were very active in sports.  At the Summer Olympics of 1980 in Moscow, Udo was with his sister [[Gisela Beyer]] and his brother [[Hans-Georg Beyer]].  All three reached their respective final rounds: Hans-Georg was Olympic champion with his handball team, Udo was third in the shot put and Gisela was fourth in the discus.  His sister Gudrun was also with him at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, as a physical therapist.

Since 2004 Beyer is also the "Chocolate Ambassador" for Germany's oldest chocolate factory, [[Halloren]] of [[Halle (Saale)]].  He is also very active as an official representative for the "children's hospice of middle Germany" for terminally ill children and their families.

Beyer has admitted to knowingly taking part in doping while he competed for East Germany – which had a systematic doping program for its top athletes in the 1970s. His admission came in the documentary film ''The Lone Wolf'', which was first shown in the 2013 [[Berlin Film Festival]].<ref name="LATimes">{{cite news |title=1976 Olympic gold medalist Udo Beyer admits to doping during Games |first=Houston |last=Mitchell |url=http://www.latimes.com/la-sp-sn-1976-olympics-udo-beyer-doping-20130214,0,2343181.story |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=14 February 2013 |access-date=15 February 2013}}</ref><ref>[http://tracking.si.com/2013/02/14/udo-beyer-doping-shot-put-olympics/ Former Olympic Shot Put Champion, Udo Beyer, Admits to Doping] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221052326/http://tracking.si.com/2013/02/14/udo-beyer-doping-shot-put-olympics/ |date=21 February 2013 }}; 14 February 2013 news item in ''Sports Illustrated'' SI.com; accessed 20 March 2013.</ref>

== Results ==
Together with his longtime East German teammate [[Ulf Timmermann]], he dominated ten years of competitions in his discipline.

'''Olympic Games'''
* 1976 – Olympic Champion
* 1980 – Bronze medal
* 1984 – did not participate due to boycott
* 1988 – Fourth place
* 1992 – eliminated during qualification

'''Records'''
World records:
# 6 August 1978: 22.15 m
# 25 July 1983: 22.22 m
# 20 April 1986: 22.64 m

Junior-European records:
6.25&nbsp;kg-shot (Junior-shot)
# 13 July 1973: 21.03 m
7,26&nbsp;kg-shot (Men's-shot)
# 7 July 1973: 19.63 m
# 6 July 1974: 20.20 m
# 21 June 1975: 20.97 m (Current Record)

'''European-Championships'''
* 1973 – Junior-European champion
* 1974 – 8th place
* 1978 – European champion
* 1982 – European champion
* 1986 – Bronze medal
* 1974 – 6th place

'''IAAF-World cup''', Shot put
* 1977, 1979 and 1981 – Winner

'''European cup''', shot put
* 1977, 1979 and 1981 – Winner
* 1985 – 3rd place

'''East German-Championships'''
* 1974 – 2nd place
* 1977–1987 – GDR-champion (11 consecutive times)
* 1988 – 2nd place
* 1990 – 3rd place
* 1980 – GDR-Indoor champion

'''Children- and Youth Spartakiade'''
* 1972 – Spartakiade winner

== Honors ==
* 1978 – GDR Sportsman of the year
* 2 times patriotic earnings/service medal in Silver
* 7 times Champion of Sport

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{cc}}
*{{SR/Olympics profile|be/udo-beyer-1}}
*[http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/ec.htm European Championships]

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box|before=[[Aleksandr Baryshnikov]]|before2=[[Ulf Timmermann]]
|title=[[World record progression shot put men|Men's Shot Put World Record Holder]]
|years=6 July 1978 – 22 September 1985<br>20 August 1986 – 12 August 1987
|after=[[Ulf Timmermann]]|after2=[[Alessandro Andrei]]}}
{{s-ach|aw}}
{{succession box|before=[[Rolf Beilschmidt]]|title=[[German Sportspersonality of the year|East German Sportsman of the Year]]|years=1978|after=[[Bernd Drogan]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Shot Put Men}}
{{Footer European Champions Shot Put Men}}
{{Footer Universiade Champions Shot Men}}
{{Footer IAAF World Cup Champions Shot Put Men}}
{{Footer WBYP Shot Put Men}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beyer, Udo}}
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Eisenhüttenstadt]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Bezirk Frankfurt]]
[[Category:German male shot putters]]
[[Category:East German male shot putters]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for East Germany]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Germany]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for East Germany]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for East Germany]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for East Germany]]
[[Category:European Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:World record setters in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:National People's Army sportspeople]]
[[Category:Doping cases in athletics]]
[[Category:German sportspeople in doping cases]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit in silver]]
[[Category:FISU World University Games gold medalists for East Germany]]
[[Category:World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1979 Summer Universiade]]
[[Category:Friendship Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:East German Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:Stasi informants]]