Hubert Houben

Hubert Houben ( born February 24, 1898 in Goch, Kleve district, † November 9, 1956 in Krefeld ) was a German track and field athlete and Olympian, who belonged in the 1920s to the world's best sprinters. His greatest achievement is the second place with the German 4 x 100 - meter relay team (along with Georg Lammers, Richard Corts and Helmut grained ), in Amsterdam won a silver medal in 1928 and 40.7 ran s world record. Already 30 years old he took at these Olympic Games and at the 100-meter individual race part, but retired in the semifinals of ( 10.7 s ).

Hubert Houben worked in Krefeld at a bank and devoted his free time athletics. In 1922 he became famous, he ran world record at a competition in Leipzig. He gained international reputation in a Berlin night sports festival. On 6 August 1924, he defeated the U.S. sprinter Charles Paddock (owner of the 100-meter world record ) and Loren Murchison (later Olympic sixth in 1924 at 100 -meter run ). In the same year he won the 220 ​​- yard run in the open English championship, and in Copenhagen, he improved the 100 - yard dash world record at 9.5 s and was since then as the fastest runners in the world.

Participation in the Olympic Games in Paris in 1924 was denied him, as German athletes as a result of World War I were not allowed to participate. Houben was three times West German champion, nine times German Champions, two English champions.

Hubert Houben began with the Athletics in his hometown club SV Viktoria Goch, he started for Preussen Krefeld and TuS Bochum later. In his playing days, he was 1.69 m tall and weighed 67 kg. He later became a sports journalist in Krefeld and participated in track and field as a referee with. He died 58 years old with throat cancer. In Krefeld the Hubert Houben- arena is named after him, in the Goch - Hubert Houben Stadium and Hubert Houben- road.