Gerhard Hetz

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Gerhard Hetz, 1962
Gerhard Hetz, 1963

Gerhard Hetz (born July 13, 1942 in Hof ; † May 19, 2012 in Barra de Navidad ) was a German swimmer and swimming coach . He was able to win an Olympic silver and a bronze medal. During his career he set two world records , eleven European records and 43 German records . His protégés won a total of 31 medals at major international championships.

Success as a swimmer

At the Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo in 1964 , Hetz achieved the bronze medal in the 400 m individual medal behind the American swimmers Richard Roth and Roy Saari . In the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay (with Horst-Günther Gregor , Frank Wiegand and Hans-Joachim Klein ) he won the silver medal behind the US relay. He also held the European 200m freestyle record for a while.

In the sixties he was the most outstanding swimmer in medley and freestyle swimming in Germany . Between 1960 and 1966 he won a total of 27 German championship titles . Between 1959 and 1964 he was undefeated in Germany in the 1500 m freestyle. On August 5, 1962, he was awarded the Silver Laurel Leaf. In 1962 and 1963 he was voted Germany's Sportsman of the Year .

Success as a trainer

After his career as a swimmer, Hetz was coach of the swimming teams of Blau-Weiß Bochum , SSF Bonn (1968–1973) and SV Rhenania Cologne (1975–1991). His most successful students were Werner Lampe (Olympic third party 1972 over 200 m freestyle) and Rainer Henkel (double world champion 1986 over 400 m and 1500 m freestyle). One of his greatest talents was Peter Sitt from Kerpen , who Hetz predicted a gold medal in the 200 m freestyle at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul . Hetz was wrong, however, the Australian Duncan Armstrong became Olympic champion in a new world record time, Michael Groß was fifth as the best German and Sitt could not qualify for the final at all.

As a coach, Hetz was not without controversy. He was considered a "grinder" who let his protégés train many kilometers in the pool. Hetz was not always popular with the officials either; after one of his athletes, Wilfried Kühlem , was not nominated for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles , he called his lawyers. After his successful time as a club coach, he became a coach at the Olympic base in Cologne / Bonn / Leverkusen in 1997 .

Private

Gerhard Hetz lived with his family in Mexico until his death and ran the "Hotel Delfin" in Barra de Navidad .

Web links

supporting documents

  1. ^ Sports report of the federal government of September 26, 1973 to the Bundestag - printed matter 7/1040 - page 77
  2. ↑ ssfbonn.de: Obituary: Gerhard Hetz passed away ( Memento from December 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (accessed on December 24, 2014)
  3. ↑ Swimming icon Gerhard Hetz was 60 years old ( Memento from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), news of the Swiss Swimming Association from July 14, 2002
  4. ↑ Former world record holder Gerhard Hetz is 65 years old ( Memento of the original from September 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Rhein-Main Nachrichten of July 10, 2007  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rhein-main.net
  5. ^ From the water to the edge of the pool , General-Anzeiger Bonn of July 12, 2007
  6. ↑ Former Hof world record holder Gerhard Hetz dead Frankenpost Online from May 25, 2012 (accessed on May 26, 2012)
  7. ↑ Website of the "Hotel Delfin" ( Memento of the original from September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / hoteldelfinmx.com
personal data
SURNAME Hetz, Gerhard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German swimmer
DATE OF BIRTH July 13, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH Hof (Saale)
DATE OF DEATH May 19, 2012
Place of death Barra de Navidad , Mexico