Harald Jährling
Harald Jährling (20 June 1954 – 18 May 2023) was a German rower who competed for East Germany in the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Games. He was born in Burg bei Magdeburg, East Germany, and later died in Klötze, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
In the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Jährling won a gold medal in the coxed pair with Friedrich-Wilhelm Ulrich and cox Georg Spohr. He added a second Olympic gold in the same event at the 1980 Moscow Games. At the World Championships, he won silver in the coxed pair in 1977 (Amsterdam) and, in 1978 (Cambridge), became world champion in the eight. He also competed in the 1981 World Championships in the coxed four and the 1982 event in the eight.
Off the water, Jährling had a son, Rob Jahrling, with rowing cox Marina Wilke; Rob later rowed for Australia in three Olympic Games. Harald and Marina married in August 1980 after the 1980 Olympics and later divorced. Jährling was awarded the Patriotic Order of Merit in silver for his Olympic successes.
After retiring from competition, he worked as a rowing coach, including a stint with Rowing Australia after German reunification. He was involved in a controversy for selecting Sally Robbins for the Australian women’s eight at the 2004 Olympics. Harald Jährling died on 18 May 2023 at age 68. His son Rob Jahrling also became a notable rower for Australia.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 07:18 (CET).