Hermann Weingärtner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Olympic medalist
Center
Hermann Weingärtner
Medal record
Men's Artistic Gymnastics
Gold 1896 Athens Team parallel bars
Gold 1896 Athens Team horizontal bar
Gold 1896 Athens Horizontal bar
Silver 1896 Athens Pommel horse
Silver 1896 Athens Rings
Bronze 1896 Athens Vault

Hermann Weingärtner (August 24, 1864December 22, 1919) was a German gymnast.

He was born in Frankfurt (Oder) and died in Frankfurt (Oder)

He started his career in his hometown at the local gymnastics club Frankfurter Turnverein 1860. Later on he moved to Berlin to compete for the Deutsche Turnerschaft.

He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Weingärtner was a member of the German team that won two gold medals by placing first in both of the team events, the parallel bars and the horizontal bar.

He also won a number of individual medals, taking the gold in the horizontal bar, silver in pommel horse and rings, and bronze in the vault. He competed in the parallel bars, but did not win a medal in that event. His six medals made him one of the most successful competitors at the first modern Olympic Games.

After his return to Germany he and most of the other German gymnasts were suspended, because the Deutsche Turnerschaft (at this time the governing body of German gymnastics) boycotted the Olympic games with the reason that competing is "ungerman". So he moved back to Frankfurt (Oder) to manage the open-air swimming pool founded by his father on the Ziegenwerder island.

He drowned trying to rescue a person from drowning in the Oder.

In 1996 the main footpath on the Ziegenwerder island was named Hermann-Weingärtner-Weg.

[edit] External links