Christian Gille

Christian Gille
nation	Germany
birthday	January 6, 1976
place of birth	Wolfen ,  GDR
size	184 cm
job	Body and vehicle builders
Career
discipline	Canoe racing
Boat class	Canadians
society	SC DHfK Leipzig
Trainer	Kay Vesely
status	resigned
Medal table
Olympic medals 1 × 1 × 1 × World Cup medals 4 × 2 × 4 ×
Olympic games gold 2004 Athens Two-person canoe 1000 m silver 2008 Beijing Two-person canoe 1000 m bronze 2008 Beijing Two-person canoe 500 m

Christian Gille (born January 6, 1976 in Wolfen ) is a former German canoeist . He was an Olympic champion and four-time world champion.

Career

The former canoe racer of the SC DHfK Leipzig won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Athens 2004 in the two-man canoe (with Tomasz Wylenzek ) over 1000 m.

Gille grew up in Jeßnitz (Anhalt) and began his sporting career in the local canoe club. In 1997 and 1998 he was together with Thomas Zereske world champion in the two-man canoe over 200 m. After the Olympic victory in 2004 he won with Wylenzek in 2005 and 2006 over 500 and 1000 m at both the European and the World Championships.

At the home world championships in 2007 on the regatta track in Duisburg they were able to take first place over 1000 m and third over 500 m. Together with Wylenzek, Gille qualified in the two-man canoe over 500 m and 1000 m for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing . There they won silver over 1000 m and bronze over 500 m.

For his sporting achievements he was honored by Federal President Koehler by awarding the Silver Laurel Leaf in 2008.

On March 30, 2009 Christian Gille officially announced his retirement from competitive sports.

Others

Gille is Bambi Prize Winner and Central German Athlete of the Year 2004.

Christian Gille has been an ambassador for the Jose Carreras Leukemia Foundation since 2009.

The trained body and vehicle maker is married and lives in Leipzig. In January 2010 he began training as a firefighter.

Sporting successes

Olympic games

• 2004 - Gold C2 1000 m
• 2008 - silver C2 1000 m
• 2008 - Bronze C2 500 m

Canoe World Championships

• 1995 - Bronze C4 1000 m
• 1997 - Gold C2 200 m, Bronze C2 500 m
• 1998 - Gold C2 200 m, Bronze C2 500 m
• 1999 - Bronze C2 200 m
• 2002 - Bronze C1 200 m
• 2005 - Gold C2 1000 m, Gold C2 500 m, Silver C2 200 m
• 2006 - silver C2 200 m
• 2007 - Gold C2 1000 m, Silver C2 200 m, Bronze C2 500 m

Web links

• Christian Gille in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )
• Christian Gille at the 2008 Olympics
• DKV page

Individual evidence

1. ↑ German.China.ORG.CN: 21. 11. 2008 Sports honor: .... Federal President Koehler has awarded the medal winners of the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games 2008 with the silver laurel leaf.