Gerhard Grimmer

Gerhard Grimmer
nation	GDR
birthday	6th April 1943 (age 77)
place of birth	Katharinaberg ,  German Empire
size	174 cm
Weight	70 kg
Career
job	Machine fitter, engineer-economist, sports official
discipline	Cross-country skiing
society	BSG Stahl Seligenthal ASK Forward Oberhof
Trainer	Horst Wagner Helmut Aschenbach
National squad	since 1965
status	resigned
End of career	1976
Medal table
World Cup medals 2 × 3 × 1 ×
Nordic World Ski Championships silver 1970 Štrbské Pleso 30 km silver 1970 Štrbské Pleso 4 × 10 km relay bronze 1970 Štrbské Pleso 50 km gold 1974 Falun 50 km gold 1974 Falun 4 × 10 km relay silver 1974 Falun 15 km GDR ski championships gold 1965 Johanngeorgenstadt 30 km gold 1965 Johanngeorgenstadt 4 × 10 km relay gold 1966 Brotterode 15 km gold 1967 Klingenthal 15 km gold 1967 Klingenthal 30 km gold 1967 Klingenthal 50 km gold 1969 Oberwiesenthal 15 km silver 1969 Oberwiesenthal 4 × 10 km relay bronze 1969 Oberwiesenthal 30 km gold 1970 Brotterode 15 km gold 1970 Brotterode 30 km gold 1970 Neuhaus am Rennweg 50 km gold 1970 Brotterode 4 × 10 km relay gold 1971 Johanngeorgenstadt 15 km gold 1971 Johanngeorgenstadt 30 km bronze 1972 Oberwiesenthal 50 km gold 1973 Schmiedefeld 50 km gold 1973 Schmiedefeld 4 × 10 km relay gold 1974 Klingenthal 15 km gold 1974 Klingenthal 30 km gold 1974 Hasselfelde 50 km silver 1974 Klingenthal 4 × 10 km relay gold 1975 Oberwiesenthal 15 km gold 1975 Steinheid 40 km silver 1975 Oberwiesenthal 4 × 10 km relay bronze 1976 Lauscha 15 km bronze 1976 Oberhof 50 km silver 1976 Lauscha 4 × 10 km relay

Gerhard Grimmer (born April 6, 1943 in Katharinaberg , district of Brüx , Sudetenland ) is a former German cross-country skier .

Life

After primary school in Seligenthal, Gerhard Grimmer learned the trade of machinist in Schmalkalden . In 1955 he started working for BSG Stahl Seligenthal as a footballer and skier. From 1961 he was a soldier with the NVA in Gotha and during this time switched to ASK Vorwärts Oberhof , where he began his competitive sports career. In 1966 he joined the SED . At the Nordic World Ski Championships in 1974 in Falun he was world champion over 50 km and with the relay and vice world champion over 15 km. In 1970 he was runner-up in the world championship over 30 km and with the relay in Štrbské Pleso . Until 2003, Grimmer remained the only German individual cross-country world champion. He was considered the "best Central European cross-country skier".

Grimmer took part in three Olympic Winter Games ( 1968 in Grenoble , 1972 in Sapporo and 1976 in Innsbruck ), but was mostly unable to achieve success due to injuries or illnesses. In 1970 and 1971 he was able to win the 50 km run on Holmenkollen in Oslo . In 1975 he received the Holmenkollen Medal . In 1976 he ended his active career.

After a correspondence course in economics for general mechanical engineering, he worked as an engineer-economist . From 1977 to 1980 Grimmer studied at the NVA's Military Political College and then from 1981 to the summer of 1990 was the club manager of the ASK Vorwärts Oberhof . After reunification he was taken on as a colonel in the Bundeswehr , but then applied for his release. After a period of unemployment, he worked from 1991 to 2003 as an advisor for competitive sports at the State Sports Association of Thuringia .

Gerhard Grimmer was a member of the Presidium of the DTSB Federal Board from 1974 to 1984 . In 1985 he was the technical delegate of the FIS at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Seefeld . In 1990 he was involved in the founding of the Thuringian Ski Association and was its first president. In 1995 he resigned from his offices on charges of being too close to the state during the time of the GDR.

Stasi documents show that Grimmer enforced the secrecy of state-decreed doping in competitive sports in the GDR with punitive measures. After the political change and peaceful revolution in autumn 1989 , however, he repeatedly claimed that he knew nothing about doping.

In 1981 the book “The White Trace” was published, in which the author Harry Gerlach presents the sporting life of Gerhard Grimmer in biographical form. In it, above all, the successful performance of Grimmers in international competitions was also given political importance.

Grimmer is married, has a daughter and lives in his Thuringian hometown of Floh-Seligenthal .

Awards (selection)

• 1974 and 1976 - Patriotic Order of Merit in Silver
• 1988 - Order Banner of Labor Stage I

Sporting successes

In the numerous competitions in which Gerhard Grimmer participated in his active time, he was able to achieve many excellent placements. With a few exceptions, only victories are listed below:

• 1962 1st place in the 4 × 5 km junior relay at the GDR ski championships
• 1963 1st place over 10 km (Juniors) at the GDR Ski Championships
• 1965 1st place in the GDR ski championships over 30 km and in the 4 × 10 km relay
• 1966 1st place over 15 km at the GDR ski championships
• 1967 at the II. SKDA championships in Oberhof 1st place over 15 km and 30 km, at the GDR ski championships 1st place over 15 km, 30 km and 50 km, at the II. International Ski Games in Oberhof 1st place. Place over 15 km
• 1969 1st place over 15 km at the GDR Ski Championships, 1st place over 15 km at the XIV. Czech Marusarzówna Memorial in Zakopane (POL) and in the 3 × 10 km relay
• 1970 at the international Nordic ski competitions in Le Brassus (SUI) 1st place over 15 km, at the Bezroukovo Memorial in Zvolen-Sliac (CZE) 1st place in the 3 × 10 km relay, 1st place at the GDR ski championships. Place over 15 km, 30 km, 50 km and in the 4 × 10 km relay, at the ski games in Falun (SWE) 1st place in the 4 × 10 km relay, in the Wasa run 2nd place over 85 km , at the Holmenkollen Ski Games (NOR) 1st place over 50 km
• 1971 at the GDR ski championships 1st place over 15 km and 30 km, at the VI. Kawgolowo Ski Games (RUS) 1st place over 15 km, at the pre-Olympic competitions in Sapporo (JAP) 1st place over 15 km and 30 km, at the Ski Games in Falun (SWE) 1st place over 15 km and in the 4 × 10 km relay, at the Holmenkollen Ski Games (NOR) 1st place over 50 km, at the Ounasvaara Ski Games in Rovaniemi (FIN) 1st place over 15 km, 1st place on the FIS world rankings (41 points, runs: Kastelruth, Kawgolowo, Le Brassus, Oberhof, Sapporo, Strbské Pleso, Falun, Lahti, Holmenkollen, Zakopane, Murmansk)
• 1972 1st place over 30 km at the Italian cross-country skiing week in Bolzano, 1st place over 15 km at the ski competitions in Le Brassus (SUI), 1st place over 18 km at the international cross-country skiing competitions in Einsiedeln (SUI) Östersund-Ski-Spiele (SWE) 1st place in the 3 × 10 km relay
• 1973 1st place over 50 km at the GDR ski championships and in the 4 × 10 km relay, 1st place over 15 km at the 5th International Ski Games in Oberhof
• 1974 1st place over 15 km, 30 km and 50 km at the GDR ski championships, 1st place over 50 km at the World Ski Championships in Falun (SWE) and in the 4 × 10 km relay, at the Tatra Cup in Strbské Pleso (CZE) 1st place over 30 km
• 1975 1st place over 15 km and 30 km at the GDR ski championships, 1st place over 30 km at the international cross-country skiing in Reit im Winkl, 3rd place over 85 km at the Wasa run (SWE)

literature

• Harry Gerlach: The white trail . 2nd Edition. Military publishing house of the German Democratic Republic , Berlin 1983 (order no. (GDR): 746 271 2).
• Short biography for:  Grimmer, Gerhard . In: Who was who in the GDR? 5th edition. Volume 1. Ch. Links, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86153-561-4 .

Web links

• Gerhard Grimmer in the database of the International Ski Association (English)
• Gerhard Grimmer in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )

Individual evidence

1. ^ A dozen questions to Gerhard Grimmer , in: Neues Deutschland from Monday, February 16, 1970, page 7.
2. ↑ Thüringer Landeszeitung , April 11, 2003