Marburg celebrated Thorpe Cup 2009

August 8-9, 2009

Children carry the U.S.Flag

German and U.S. decathletes and heptathletes competed against each other to win the 2009 Thorpe Cup in Marburg on August 8 and 9. The binational competition is named after the American athlete and famous Olympic medal winner Jim Thorpe who won both new two multi-event disciplines decathlon and pentathlon at the Summer Olympics in Stockholm in 1912. The Thorpe Cup takes place alternately in Germany and the U.S. every year. Supported by the U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt, this year’s competition attracted more than 3,000 visitors who cheered for the American and German teams.

Several hundred Marburger and guests provided a warm welcome for the teams at an evening reception hosted by the city of Marburg in front of the historic city hall on August 7. Among the evening's highlights were a concert by the U.S. Army Europe Band’s jazz ensemble “Soldiers of Swing”. Public Affairs Officer Jeanine Collins participated in the prize giving on August 8 and provided a greeting that was also published in the official program. With former world champion Tom Pappas as the best athlete in Marburg, the U.S. team won the decathlon competition and the German team the heptathlon competition. The Marburg newspaper “Oberhessische Presse” quoted chief coach Mario Sategna with „This was the best organized decathlon in the history of the Thorpe Cup”.