Stefan Burkart

Stefan Burkart (9 December 1957 – 3 May 2020) was a Swiss sprinter and sports coach who specialised in the 60 metres and 100 metres. His personal bests of 6.61 seconds and 10.32 seconds are former Swiss records for the events.

He competed for Switzerland at the Summer Olympics in 1992 and 1996 – at the latter edition he became the oldest ever sprinter to compete in the men's 100 metres at the Olympics. He represented his country at the European Athletics Championships on three occasions (1982, 1990 and 1994) and also ran at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics. He had his best international performances indoors, reaching the semi-finals at the 1985 IAAF World Indoor Games and at the 1986 European Athletics Indoor Championships (in his career he raced twice more at the latter competition).

In the mid-1990s he moved towards bobsleigh and competed in European and World level events. As a coach he led three athletes to Winter Olympics medals: Thomas Lamparter, Martin Annen, and Gregor Stähli.

Biography

Early life Burkart became interested in track and field upon seeing the 1968 Mexico Olympics on television when he was a child. A recreational drug user in his youth, he travelled widely in his early twenties and converted to Scientology after visiting one of their academies in Sacramento, California. Following his conversion he returned to Switzerland and renewed his focus on sprinting. He made his first international appearance for his country at an indoor international match against Sweden in 1981.

Sprint career He claimed his first Swiss national title in 1982, sharing the 100 m title with the more established Franco Fähndrich in a time of 10.47 seconds. This led to his selection for the 1982 European Athletics Championships, where he was a 100 m semi-finalist. He ran a personal best of 10.42 in the 1983 season. He took his first win at the Swiss Indoor Championships in 1985, taking the national title in the 60 metres – he went on to win eight consecutive Swiss titles from 1985 to 1991. He made his global debut at the 1985 IAAF World Indoor Games and was a semi-finalist after having set a personal best of 6.66 seconds in the first round. He competed in the event at the 1985 European Athletics Indoor Championships a few months later but did not progress beyond his first race. The highlights of his 1986 season were a 60 m lifetime best and Swiss record of 6.61 seconds and a semi-final placing in the event at the 1986 European Athletics Indoor Championships. He represented Switzerland at the 1990 European Athletics Indoor Championships and the 1990 European Athletics Championships and knocked a further hundredth off his 100 m best that year. He qualified for the 1993 World Championships in Athletics the following year, but did not start due to injury.

Burkart reached the quarter-finals of the 100 m at the 1994 European Athletics Championships and matched that feat at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics. He also won the "C" final section at the 1994 European Cup. In 1996 he claimed his tenth Swiss title in the 60 m and his ninth title in the 100 m.

Bobsled and coaching career Burkart was approached by Swiss bobsledder Christian Meili and sprinter-turned-bobsledder René Mangold in 1995 and they urged him to try out the winter sport. He competed in the Swiss team in 4-man bobsleigh at the Bobsleigh European Championship and Bobsleigh World Cup from 1998 to 2002.

Competition record National titles 60 metres (indoors): 1985–1992, 1995–1996 (10) 100 metres (outdoors): 1982, 1985–1990, 1995–1996 (9)

Personal bests 60 metres – 6.61 (1986) 100 metres – 10.32 (1992) 200 metres – 20.76 (1992)