Richard Rau (26 August 1889 – 6 November 1945) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

SS officer and

track and field athlete Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

who competed in the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

Biography

Rau started competing in flat sprint and hurdles in 1908, winning several national championships and setting 20 national records over his career, often under the pseudonym Richard Einsporn. Additionally, Rau finished third in the 220 yards event at the

1911 AAA Championships The 1911 AAA Championships was the 1911 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held on Saturday 1 July 1911 at the Stamford Bridge (stadium) in London, England. The ...

. At the 1912 Olympic Games, Rau was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 100 m and finished fourth in the 200 m competition. He was also a member of the German relay team, which was disqualified in the final of the

4 × 100 m relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is tetraphobia, considered unlucky i ...

after a fault with its second baton passing. The following year in 1913, Rau finished third behind

Willie Applegarth William Reuben Applegarth (11 May 1890 – 5 December 1958) was a British track and field athlete and winner of a gold medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay at the 1912 Summer Olympics. Biography Born in Guisborough, then in the North Riding o ...

in the 220 yards event at the British

1913 AAA Championships The 1913 AAA Championships was the 1913 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held on Saturday 5 July 1913 at the Stamford Bridge (stadium) in London, England. The ...

. After retirement, he ran a sports shop and, in 1933, joined the Nazi Party, reaching the rank of SS-Sturmbannführer in 1938. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Wau served in the

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

. In 1945, he was captured by the American forces and handed over to the Soviet Union. He was shot during a failed escape attempt and moved to a prisoner camp in Vyasma, where he died in a few months.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rau, Richard 1889 births 1945 deaths Athletes from Berlin Olympic athletes for Germany German male sprinters Deaths by firearm in the Soviet Union Athletes (track and field) at the 1912 Summer Olympics World record setters in athletics (track and field) SS-Sturmbannführer German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union German people who died in Soviet detention Nazis who died in prison custody Waffen-SS personnel 20th-century German sportsmen