Hans Günter Winkler
Encyclopedia
Hans Günter Winkler (born July 24, 1926 in Barmen
- now part of Wuppertal
) is a successful former German
show jumping
rider. He is the only show jumper to win 5 Olympic gold medals and 7 total Olympic medals, and the only equestrian in any discipline to compete and win medals in 6 different Olympic Games.
In the 1950s and 1960s Winkler was one of Germany's most popular athletes. He won his first German championship in 1952, making him one of the favorites for the Olympic Games
1956.
1956 found the Equestrian Games in Stockholm
, as the athletes and their horses were not allowed to travel to Melbourne
due to quarantine restrictions. In the first round, Winkler pulled a groin muscle at the penultimate obstacle, after his mare took off early and threw him out of position. Despite the pain, Winkler decided to ride in the third round, as the German team would be eliminated without him. After he was given tranquilizers, Winkler found that he was comfortable sitting, but riding was difficult and painful. Any drugs that could reduce the pain enough to make him comfortable in the saddle would also reduce his mental capacity, and therefore he was only given black coffee before his ride to try to help reduce his dizziness and double-vision. However, his great mare, Halla
, sensed that her rider was not right, and performed the entire course clear with only steering from Winkler, and their performance won them the individual gold.
Winkler won five gold medals in jumping (in addition to the four individual medals with the German team) between 1956 and 1976, and a silver medal. He is one of the most successful German Olympic athletes, second only to the great Reiner Klimke
for gold medals produced in German equestrian competition. He was 1955 and 1956 to athlete of the year. In 1986, Winkler retired from active competition. He has since published numerous books on riding and founded in 1991 the HGW-Marketinggesellschaft, a sports marketing firm that has helped produce various equestrian competitions. He is also a member of the German Equestrian Federation's Jumping Committee, and helped to select the 2000 Olympic Team for Germany.
Hans Günter Winkler also received the Federal Cross of Merit, and the media award Bambi and the 2002 award as weltbester jumping at the Olympic Games.
Barmen
Barmen is a former industrial metropolis of the region of Bergisches Land, Germany, which in 1929 with four other towns was merged with the city of Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia. Barmen was the birth-place of Friedrich Engels and together with the neighbouring town of Elberfeld founded the...
- now part of Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the Wupper river valley, and is situated east of the city of Düsseldorf and south of the Ruhr area. With a population of approximately 350,000, it is the largest city in the Bergisches Land...
) is a successful former German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
show jumping
Show jumping
Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...
rider. He is the only show jumper to win 5 Olympic gold medals and 7 total Olympic medals, and the only equestrian in any discipline to compete and win medals in 6 different Olympic Games.
In the 1950s and 1960s Winkler was one of Germany's most popular athletes. He won his first German championship in 1952, making him one of the favorites for the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
1956.
1956 found the Equestrian Games in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, as the athletes and their horses were not allowed to travel to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
due to quarantine restrictions. In the first round, Winkler pulled a groin muscle at the penultimate obstacle, after his mare took off early and threw him out of position. Despite the pain, Winkler decided to ride in the third round, as the German team would be eliminated without him. After he was given tranquilizers, Winkler found that he was comfortable sitting, but riding was difficult and painful. Any drugs that could reduce the pain enough to make him comfortable in the saddle would also reduce his mental capacity, and therefore he was only given black coffee before his ride to try to help reduce his dizziness and double-vision. However, his great mare, Halla
Halla (horse)
Halla was a horse ridden by Hans Günter Winkler. She is the only horse ever to win three Olympic Gold medals in the sport of show jumping.*Color: Bay*Markings: Star, black points...
, sensed that her rider was not right, and performed the entire course clear with only steering from Winkler, and their performance won them the individual gold.
Winkler won five gold medals in jumping (in addition to the four individual medals with the German team) between 1956 and 1976, and a silver medal. He is one of the most successful German Olympic athletes, second only to the great Reiner Klimke
Reiner Klimke
Dr Reiner Klimke was a German equestrian, who won six gold and two bronze medals in dressage at the Summer Olympics — a record for equestrian events...
for gold medals produced in German equestrian competition. He was 1955 and 1956 to athlete of the year. In 1986, Winkler retired from active competition. He has since published numerous books on riding and founded in 1991 the HGW-Marketinggesellschaft, a sports marketing firm that has helped produce various equestrian competitions. He is also a member of the German Equestrian Federation's Jumping Committee, and helped to select the 2000 Olympic Team for Germany.
Hans Günter Winkler also received the Federal Cross of Merit, and the media award Bambi and the 2002 award as weltbester jumping at the Olympic Games.
Major achievements
- Olympic Games
- 1956 Stockholm: Team gold medal and individual gold medal on Halla
- 1960 RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
: Team gold medal. Individually finished 5th on Halla - 1964 TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
: Team gold medal. Individually finished 16th on Fidelitas - 1968 Mexico CityMexico CityMexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
: Team bronze medal. Individually finished 5th on Enigk - 1972 MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
: Team gold medalon Torphy - 1976 MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
: Team silver medal. Individually finished 10th on Torphy
- World championshipsShow Jumping World ChampionshipsThe Show Jumping World Championships, or the show jumping competition at the FEI World Equestrian Games, was started in 1953, with individual competition. In 1978 Team competitions began, and men and women began competing against one another. From 1990, show jumping was brought together along with...
- 1954 MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
: Individual gold medal on Halla - 1955 AachenAachenAachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
: Individual gold medal on Halla/Orient
- 1954 Madrid
- European championshipsEuropean Show Jumping ChampionshipsThe FEI European Show Jumping Championships is the European Championship for the equestrian discipline of show jumping. Like most other European Championships, it is held every two years. Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals are awarded in both the individual and team competition...
- 1957 RotterdamRotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
: Individual gold medal on Sonnenglanz - 1958 Aachen: Individual bronze medal on Halla
- 1961 Aachen: Individual bronze medal on Romanus
- 1962 LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
: Individual silver medal on Romanus - 1969 HicksteadHicksteadThe All England Jumping Course at Hickstead, known widely as Hickstead is an equestrian sport centre in West Sussex, England, principally known for its showjumping activities, where it hosts two international level competitions, the British Jumping Derby and the Royal International Horse Show...
: Individual bronze medal on Enigk
- 1957 Rotterdam
- Other
- Five German Championships (1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1959)
See also
- List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event
Literature
- Ludwig, Dieter: Hans Günter Winkler. - Warendorf : FN-Verl., 1983. - ISBN 3-88542-025-2
- Eckhard F. Schröter: The happiest place on earth. The life and career of German riders.. Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt a. M. 1980, ISBN 3-596-23019-5