In July of 1928, Luz Long of Leipzig, Germany, joined the esteemed Leipziger Sport Club (LSC) at the age of 15. The club, founded in 1901, was well-respected across Germany for developing world-class athletes in various sports. It was at LSC that Luz was introduced to his beloved “sport teacher” George Richter, who coached Luz all the way through the 1936 Olympics and beyond. In 1930 as a member of LSC, Long began competing in athletics competitions organized by the Verband Mitteldeutscher Ballspiel-Vereine (VMBV) or Central German Association of Ball-Clubs. (VMBV was the regional governing body for organized football/soccer, track & field, and other sports from 1900 through 1933). These track and field meets took place in major cities across Germany at the highest level of competition from each region. Under Richter's strict tutelage, the young German was initially groomed as a decathlete, training in short distance running events and just about every field discipline -- javelin, pole vault, discus, shot put, hammer throw, and all three jumps (high, long and triple).

At the 1930 Central German Association (VMBV) Youth Athletics meet in the city of Halle, Germany, on August 31, 1930, 17-year-old Luz Long placed third in the high jump with a mark of 1.65 meters (5 feet, 5 inches) and was awarded this colorful medal. According to records kept by the Long family, Luz also competed in a shortened version of the modern decathlon/pentathlon (referred to in German as dreikampf or “Athletics Triathlon”) with three events: 100m, High Jump, and Shot Put. He placed fifth in the triathlon competition and actually cleared a higher height (1.7 m) than he did in the open/individual high jump event. Here are the medal details.

Obverse:  Blue enamel letters and numbers reading “Ehrenplakette 1930 Verband Mitteldeutscher Ballspielvereine” with green enameled “VMBV” emblem at center. (Ehrenplakette translates to “plaque of honor”.)

Reverse:  “31. / 8. 30. Hochspr. [B or 3?] III” engraved with “1.65” manually inscribed [presumably] by Luz Long to denote his third-place mark. (Hochsprung is the German word for high jump.)

Composition:  Silver alloy, likely of high purity due to density/weight

Dimensions:  42 x 62 mm

Thickness:  2 mm

Weight:  49 g

Provenance:  Letter from Luz Long's family