Career
Born in Zedtletz, East Germany, Thomas Munkelt was a classic high hurdler who dominated European hurdling in the 1970s and early 1980s. Munkelt was the first athlete to break the 7.50 seconds barrier in the 60m hurdles, when he ran a 7.48 seconds World Record in Budapest in 1983. The first international championships medal came, when Munkelt finished first at the 1978 European Championships.
Munkelt"s career highlight came at the Moscow Olympics, where he beat second placed Alejandro Casañas from Cuba by 0.01 seconds.
After hearing the East German government"s decision to boycott the 1984 Summer Olympics, Munkelt decided to retire from athletics. This ranks him seventh among German 110 m hurdlers, behind Florian Schwarthoff, Mike Fenner, Eric Kaiser, Falk Balzer, Thomas Blaschek and Sven Göhler.