Stephan Freigang

Stephan clearance ( born September 27, 1967 in Hohenleipisch ) is a former German long-distance runner, who finished third in Barcelona at the 1992 Olympic Games in the marathon.

In 1986 he was fourth positions respectively at the Junior World Championships in the 10,000 -meter run and the 20 -kilometer road race, ran his first marathon in 1987 and a year later won the Fukuoka Marathon in 2:12:28 h

1989 his career as an athlete was asked by a serious motorcycle accident in question, but he ran again in 1990 to the German top with a win at the Berlin Half Marathon and a fourth place at the Berlin Marathon in his personal best time of 2:09:45 h

At the Olympic Games in 1992, he planned to start in the 10,000 - meter race, but missed the German qualifying standard. With his victory at the end of 1991 Palermo Marathon in 2:12:00 h it nevertheless managed to jump in the Olympic team.

At the Olympic marathon, there was a dramatic finale. He reached the stadium as a third party, was passed by the Japanese Takeyuki Nakayama, but could pass on this again.

In 1994 he won the Frankfurt Marathon, the 1997 Cologne Marathon and 1998 the Hanover Marathon. He became German champion in the marathon through his second victory in Frankfurt in the same year.

There followed in 1999 a second victory at the Hannover Marathon 2000 victory at Leipzig Marathon and 2001, a victory in the Lisbon Marathon.

In early 2005 he retired from competitive sports. His personal best (, erected in 1992 as winner of the Berlin Half Marathon 1:01:14 h) is still the second fastest by a German athlete in the half marathon. With his marathon best, he is the fourth best German of all time ( as of early 2007).

Stephan clearance only started for the LC Cottbus and trained with Dieter Bitter man since 2002 for the SC DHfK Leipzig with Karl -Heinz Baumbach and Thomas Prochnow. In its competition time, he was 1.76 m tall and weighed 65 kg.