Thomas Wessinghage (born 22 February 1952) is a German former middle- and long-distance runner who won the 1982 European Championships' final over 5000 metres beating the British world-record holder David Moorcroft. As he was already 30 years old at the time, and had been an international-level runner for a decade, this victory was a long-awaited one for him. He was in top form, having set a European record at 2000 metres shortly before the Championships, and because he was the fastest 1500-metre runner in the final, having run that distance in 3 minutes 31.6 seconds in 1980. Shortly after he started his final sprint with over 250 metres to go, Wessinghage moved into a decisive lead, stretching it into five metres by 4800 metres and almost doubling it by 4900 metres.
In 1980, he set a German record of 3:31.58 min over 1500 metres which stood for 45 years. In the same race Steve Ovett from the UK set a world record of 3:31.36 min. He was married to former Olympian Ellen Tittel. Wessinghage missed a great chance of winning an Olympic medal that year because West Germany joined the United States-led boycott. He was unlucky also in the other Olympic years of his competitive career: he was eliminated in the 1500-metre heats in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics, and he was injured in a race before the 1984 Olympics.
In the 1983 inaugural World Athletics Championships, he was among the favourites to win the 5000-metre title, but for some reason he could not accelerate enough when it mattered the most - during the final lap - despite running at a steady rhythm earlier in the race. Accordingly, he dropped from third to sixth during the last lap, and lost to the winner, Ireland's Eamonn Coghlan, by almost four seconds.
His last major competitive race was in the 5000-metre qualifying heats of the 1986 European Athletics Championships in Stuttgart. In that race, he failed to advance to the final.
International competitions Representing 1970European Junior ChampionshipsParis, France8th1500 m3:57.681972European Indoor ChampionshipsGrenoble, France1st4 × 720 m relay6:26.4Olympic GamesMunich, West Germany21st (sf)1500 m3:43.41973European Indoor ChampionshipsRotterdam, Netherlands1st4 × 720 m relay6:21.58UniversiadeMoscow, Soviet Union3rd (h)1500 m3:44.611974European Indoor ChampionshipsGothenburg, Sweden 2nd1500 m3:42.02European ChampionshipsRome, Italy 3rd1500 m3:41.11975European Indoor ChampionshipsKatowice, Poland 1st1500 m3:44.6UniversiadeRome, Italy 1st1500 m3:39.731976European Indoor ChampionshipsMunich, West Germany 2nd1500 m3:45.31977World CupDüsseldorf, West Germany 2nd1500 m3:35.981978European Indoor ChampionshipsMilan, Italy 2nd1500 m3:38.23European ChampionshipsPrague, Czechoslovakia4th1500 m3:37.191979European Indoor ChampionshipsVienna, Austria 2nd1500 m3:42.2World CupMontreal, Canada 1st1500 m3:46.0021980European Indoor ChampionshipsSindelfingen, West Germany 1st1500 m3:37.541981European Indoor ChampionshipsGrenoble, France 1st1500 m3:42.641982European Indoor ChampionshipsMilan, Italy4th1500 m3:39.79European ChampionshipsAthens, Greece 1st5000 m13:28.901983European Indoor ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary 1st1500 m3:39.82World ChampionshipsHelsinki, Finland6th5000 m13:32.461984European Indoor ChampionshipsGothenburg, Sweden 3rd1500 m3:41.751985European Indoor ChampionshipsPiraeus, Greece 2nd3000 m8:10.881986European Indoor ChampionshipsMadrid, Spain5th3000 m8:00.76European ChampionshipsStuttgart, West Germany17th (h)5000 m13:33.98 1Did not finish in the final 2Representing Europe
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