Gerd Bonk
Encyclopedia
Gerd Bonk is a former weightlifter active for East Germany from 1969 to 1980 who during his career won a silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics
, a bronze medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics
, has set two world records and has achieved numerous other top-three ranks at World Championships
and European Weightlifting Championships
. Today he is a retired master mechanic.
as a track and field athlete and set East German youth record for shot put
in 1967 with 17.82 m. To build up the necessary strength for shot putting he regularly lifted weights. After participating in weightlifting contests and having greater successes in it than in shot putting, he shifted his focus completely towards weightlifting in 1969 at SC Karl-Marx-Stadt, Chemnitz
. His coach was Klaus Kroll
, a former top weightlifter of the GDR. In 1971 Bonk became GDR super heavyweight champion (with a bodyweight above 110 kg). During the Baltic-Cup, in Lübeck
in the same year he had his international debut where he made three failed pressing attempts. Being a top lifter he was never able to beat Vasiliy Alekseyev
from the Soviet Union
or Rudolf Mang from Germany up to 1980. His specialty was the clean and jerk
, where he set two world records. In 1980 he once more became third at the European Championships and even lifted 430 kg (180-250) in a smaller competition. Because he was not nominated for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow
he stepped back from professional weightlifting.
Gerd Bonk now lives in Limbach/Vogtland as a pensioner. Furthermore he is one of the prominent victims of doping in East Germany
reporting he has "diabetes, a failing liver and his feet are numb, among a host of signs of a failing body".
In 2002 he was awarded the Georg von Opel Prize for Silent Winners in the category "Special Warriors".
(until 1972), snatch and clean and jerk.
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
, a bronze medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
, has set two world records and has achieved numerous other top-three ranks at World Championships
World Weightlifting Championships
World Weightlifting Championships is an event organised by International Weightlifting Federation .It has been held since 1891. In March 1891, competing against champions from Brussels, Hamburg, England, Vienna, Italy, and Berlin in a three-day event, Edward Lawrence Levy of England won the first...
and European Weightlifting Championships
European Weightlifting Championships
European Weightlifting Championships is an annual event organised by the European Weightlifting Federation . It has been held since 1896. A separate event for women was held from 1988 to 1997, after which both championships have been held as one event....
. Today he is a retired master mechanic.
Biography
Gerd Bonk began his career at BSG Motor Nema NetzschkauNetzschkau
Netzschkau is a town in the Vogtlandkreis district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated 6 km southeast of Greiz, and 21 km southwest of Zwickau....
as a track and field athlete and set East German youth record for shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
in 1967 with 17.82 m. To build up the necessary strength for shot putting he regularly lifted weights. After participating in weightlifting contests and having greater successes in it than in shot putting, he shifted his focus completely towards weightlifting in 1969 at SC Karl-Marx-Stadt, Chemnitz
Chemnitz
Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle...
. His coach was Klaus Kroll
Klaus Kröll
Klaus Kröll is a World Cup alpine ski racer. He competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Olympics.In 2006 he finished 22nd in the Olympic downhill race....
, a former top weightlifter of the GDR. In 1971 Bonk became GDR super heavyweight champion (with a bodyweight above 110 kg). During the Baltic-Cup, in Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
in the same year he had his international debut where he made three failed pressing attempts. Being a top lifter he was never able to beat Vasiliy Alekseyev
Vasiliy Alekseyev
Vasiliy Ivanovich Alekseyev was a weightlifter from the Soviet Union. He set 80 world records and 81 Soviet records in weightlifting and won gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich and the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.- Biography :...
from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
or Rudolf Mang from Germany up to 1980. His specialty was the clean and jerk
Clean and jerk
The clean and jerk is one of the two Olympic weightlifting events .The clean portion of the lift refers to the lifter explosively pulling the weight from the floor to a racked position across deltoids and clavicles...
, where he set two world records. In 1980 he once more became third at the European Championships and even lifted 430 kg (180-250) in a smaller competition. Because he was not nominated for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
he stepped back from professional weightlifting.
Gerd Bonk now lives in Limbach/Vogtland as a pensioner. Furthermore he is one of the prominent victims of doping in East Germany
Doping in East Germany
East Germany conducted a decades long program to feed performance-enhancing drugs to their athletes. The drug regimes, given either with or without the knowledge of the athletes, resulted in victories in international competitions, including the Olympics.Systematic doping of athletes ended with the...
reporting he has "diabetes, a failing liver and his feet are numb, among a host of signs of a failing body".
In 2002 he was awarded the Georg von Opel Prize for Silent Winners in the category "Special Warriors".
World records
Gerd Bonk set two world records in clean and jerk:- 246.5 kg, 1975 in Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz)
- 252.5 kg, 1976 in Berlin.
GDR Championships
Gerd Bonk became East German champion in 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1979 and has won another 15 East German champion titles in clean and pressClean and press
The clean and press is a weight training exercise, and was part of the sport of weightlifting in the Olympics until 1972. It was removed from Olympic weightlifting due to difficulties in judging proper technique....
(until 1972), snatch and clean and jerk.