Hans Walla

Hans Walla (born May 1, 1909 ; † unknown) was an Austrian weightlifter . He won a bronze middleweight medal at the 1937 World Championships .

Life

Hans Walla started lifting weights in Vienna when he was 17 . He belonged to the 1st Währinger Athlete Club Vienna . As early as 1931 and 1932 he took part in the Austrian championship, but was not able to place in the front field. Hans Walla was a very strong, stocky athlete who always weighed around 80 kg. For this reason, throughout his career he always oscillated between middleweight (up to 75 kg body weight) and light heavyweight (up to 82.5 kg body weight).

In 1933 he was the first Austrian light heavyweight champion with a three-way performance of 335 kg. He was also Austrian champion in 1934, but this time in the middleweight division with 337.5 kg. At the European Championships in 1933 and 1934 he was not used. In 1935 he dropped out for a long time due to an injury and was therefore unable to start at any important championships that year.

In 1936 he qualified for participation in the Olympic Games in Berlin . He started there in the middleweight division and reached 6th place with 335 kg in the Olympic three-way fight.

In 1937 he started in Munich in an international match against Germany in the middleweight division against Adolf Wagner (weightlifter) from Essen and was able to defeat this with 340 kg to 335 kg. In the elimination for the World Championships in Paris , he won the middleweight division in Vienna with his personal best of 350 kg (105-105-140). At the World Cup itself, he was not in quite as good shape and achieved 340 kg (102.5-105-132.5). With this performance he came in 3rd place behind John Terpak from the USA and Adolf Wagner.

In 1938, Hans Walla was injured again for a long time and missed a start at the World Cup in Vienna.

In 1939, Hans Walla scored 367.5 kg (112.5-112.5-142.5) in the German championship in the light heavyweight division and thus finished second behind world champion Fritz Haller (Vienna), who scored 375 kg. At the major international tournament in Munich he won the light heavyweight division with 362.5 kg (112.5-105-145). He was already firmly nominated for participation in the World Cup in Tallinn in 1939 , but it could no longer take place because of the outbreak of war.

In 1940 and 1941 Hans Walla became German champion. 1940 middleweight with 350 kg. He also defeated Olympic champion Rudolf Ismayr , Freising , who achieved 347.5 kg. In 1941 he won the light heavyweight division with 355 kg in the Olympic three-way fight. In 1941, on the occasion of a city comparison between Munich and Vienna, he defeated Rudolf Ismayr again in the middleweight division with 347.5 (105-107.5-135): 342.5 kg.

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, OD = Olympic three-way fight, FK = pentathlon, Wed = middleweight, Hs = light heavyweight, back then up to 75 kg or 82.5 kg body weight)

• 1936, 6th place , OS in Berlin , OD, Wed, with 335 kg (102.5-102.5-130), behind Khadr Sayed El Touni , Egypt , 387.5 kg, Rudolf Ismayr , Germany , 352.5 kg u. Adolf Wagner (weightlifter) , bde. Germany, 350 kg, Anton Hangel , Austria , 342.5 kg u. Stanley Kratkowsky , USA , 337.5 kg;
• 1937, 3rd place , World Championships in Paris , OD, Wed, with 340 kg (102.5-105-132.5), behind John Terpak , USA, 350 kg a. Adolf Wagner, 340 kg;
• 1939, 1st place , tournament in Munich , OD, Hs, with 362.5 kg (112.5-105-145)

Austrian championships

(as far as known)

• 1933, 1st place, Hs, OD, with 335 kg,
• 1934, 1st place, Wed, OD, with 337.5 kg

German championships

• 1939, 2nd place, Hs, OD, with 367.5 kg, behind Fritz Haller , Vienna, 375 kg a. in front of Theodor Heitzmann, Vienna, 345 kg,
• 1940, 1st place, Wed, OD, with 350 kg, in front of Rudolf Ismayr , Freising , 347.5 kg a. Hans Claussen , Lübeck, 345 kg,
• 1941, 1st place, Hs, OD, with 355 kg, in front of Hans von Szabados, Vienna, 342.5 kg a. Raimund Ortlieb, Augsburg , 320 kg,
• 1942, 3rd place, Wed, OD, with 330 kg, behind Hans Claussen, 350 kg a. Rudolf Ismayr, 340 kg

swell

• Professional journal Athletics , numbers 23/1933, 32/1934, 31/32/1936, 9/1967, 10/1967,
• Kraftsport trade journal , number 24/1937,
• various newspaper articles from the Völkischer Beobachter, sports section, from the years 1939 to 1942,
• Website "www.sport-komplett.de"