| Fritz Assmy | |
| Birth Place: | Hankou, China |
| Birth Date: | 11 June 1915 |
| Death Date: | 11 June 2000 (aged 84) |
| Sport: | Masters athletics |
| Event: | Sprints |
Fritz Assmy (11 June 1915 – 11 June 2000) was a blind Chinese-German masters athletics sprinter. He has set numerous masters world records in sprint events from 100 to 400 meters. Born in Hankou, China to Paul Assmy and Shun King Liu,[1] he migrated to Germany at the age of nine.[2]
Assmy had run the 100 Meters in 11.1 at age 18 (1933).[3] By comparison, the 100 Meters Olympic winning time was 10.3 in both 1932 (by Eddie Tolan) and in 1936 (by Jesse Owens).
In his youth, Assmy planned to be a civilian pilot and joined the German Air Force before World War II as a start for an aviation career. In those pre-war years he had also participated in other sports, including soccer, handball, swimming. In 1938, he crashed on a training flight in a Henschel Hs 123 fighter plane at Württemberg, and lost his vision in both eyes at the age of 23.[2]
Around 1971, Assmy realized that blindness need not keep him out of active sport and resumed training, first in gymnastics, then in track and field.[3]
During competition he was guided by a sighted runner with a short rope tethered to their wrists, running in the outer lane to avoid getting in the way of other competitors.[4]
His most notable achievements in athletics were at the World Masters Athletics Outdoor Championships, from 1977 to 1991. In his first 3 WMA Championships (1977, 1979, 1981), he was guided by his son-in-law Klaus Hinrichsen.[2] [5] Then, after his daughter and son-in-law split up, he switched to his son as the guide for 1983 and 1985,[6] and then to his grandson in 1991.[7]
Some claimed his guide had "pulled" or "tugged" Assmy in some events, giving him an unfair advantage.[8] [9] [6] In a response to such criticisms, Assmy defended his running technique in a letter published in the June 1985 National Masters News newsletter.[10]
| Event | Age group | Competition | Location | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 Meters[11] | M75 | 1991 World Masters Athletics Championships | Turku, Finland | July 1991 | |
| M75 | Trier, Germany | 16 August 1991 | |||
| M80 | Minden, Germany | 19 August 1995 | |||
| 200 Meters[12] | M60[13] | 1977 World Masters Athletics Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | August 1977 | |
| M65[14] [15] | 1980 European Masters Athletics Championships | Helsinki, Finland | August 1980 | ||
| M65[16] [17] | 1981 World Masters Athletics Championships | Christchurch, New Zealand | 11 January 1981 | ||
| M65[18] [19] [20] | 1983 World Masters Athletics Championships | San Juan, Puerto Rico | 23 September 1983 | ||
| M75 | 1990 European Masters Athletics Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 5 July 1990 | ||
| M80 | Minden, Germany | 20 August 1995 | |||
| 400 Meters[21] | M65 | 1980 European Masters Athletics Championships | Helsinki, Finland | August 1980 | |
| M75 | 1990 European Masters Athletics Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 1 July 1990 |