Helmut Bantz
Encyclopedia
Helmut Bantz was a German
gymnast
and Olympic champion. He received a gold medal in vault at the 1956 Summer Olympics
in Melbourne
, competing for the United Team of Germany
.
Having fought for Germany in the Second World War, Bantz was captured by the British forces in 1945 and was taken to England. After he had been released from the status as prisoner-of-war in 1948 he stayed in England in order to take a job as an agricultural worker. A couple of months later, Bantz acted as the inoffical coach of the British Men’s Gymnastic Team during the Olympic Games in London.
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...
gymnast
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
and Olympic champion. He received a gold medal in vault at the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
in 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...
, competing for the United Team of Germany
United Team of Germany
The Unified Team of Germany , competed in the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Winter and Summer Olympic Games as a united team of athletes from the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic...
.
Having fought for Germany in the Second World War, Bantz was captured by the British forces in 1945 and was taken to England. After he had been released from the status as prisoner-of-war in 1948 he stayed in England in order to take a job as an agricultural worker. A couple of months later, Bantz acted as the inoffical coach of the British Men’s Gymnastic Team during the Olympic Games in London.
Further reading
- Streppelhoff, R. & Peak, T.: "POW to Olympic Champion...the amazing story of Helmut Bantz", in: The Gymnast (03/2008), p. 12