Helmut Schäfer (weightlifter)

Helmut Schäfer (born October 22, 1908 in Stuttgart , † 1994 ) was a German weightlifter.

Career

At the age of seven he joined the strength sports club in Stuttgart in 1895 , where he did artistic strength sports , wrestling , weightlifting and lawn strength sports . He soon had his greatest successes in weightlifting, which he then specialized in. He became German champion and won medals at European championships. His specialty was two-armed pushing, in which he set two world records. After the end of his active career, he worked successfully as a trainer for weightlifting youth and after the Second World War he also trained artistic strength athletes, where he even led a group up to the German championship title. In addition, he worked as a referee and as a functionary in various positions in the German heavy athletics and art force sports association.

In the professional sector, the trained car mechanic built a taxi company.

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, EM = European Championship, OD = Olympic three-way fight, consisting of two-armed pushing, snatching and pushing, FK = pentathlon, consisting of OD + one-armed pulling and pushing, Fe = featherweight)

• 1929, 3rd place , EM in Vienna , OD, Fe, with 252.5 kg, behind Franz Andrysek , Austria , 275 kg and Rudolf Troppert, Austria, 260 kg;
• 1930, 6th place , EM in Munich , OD, Fe, with 260 kg, winner: Eugen Mühlberger , Germany , 280 kg in front of Hans Wölpert , Germany, 280 kg;
• 1932, 4th place , OS in Los Angeles , OD, Fe, with 272.5 kg, behind Raymond Suvigny , France , 287.5 kg, Hans Wölpert, Germany, 282.5 kg and Anthony Terlazzo , USA , 280 kg;
• 1933, 3rd place , EM in Essen , FK, Fe, with 397.5 kg, behind Wölpert, 420 kg and Mühlberger, 410 kg

German championships

• 1929, 2nd place in Villingen , FK, Fe, with 395 kg, behind Mühlberger, 405 kg and in front of Josef Wagner, Stuttgart , 350 kg;
• 1930, 3rd place in Breslau , OD, Fe, with 277.5 kg, behind Wölpert, 287.5 kg and Troppert, Vienna , 277.5 kg;
• 1931, 1st place in Schonungen , OD, Fe, with 272.5 kg, ahead of Mühlberger, 272.5 kg;
• 1933, 2nd place in Untertürkheim , FK, Fe, with 407.5 kg, behind Wölpert, 417.5 kg and in front of Mühlberger, 405 kg;
• 1935, 2nd place in Berlin , OD, Fe, with 285 kg, behind Max Walter , Saarbrücken , 285 kg and in front of Georg Liebsch , Düsseldorf , 282.5 kg;
• 1937, 3rd place in Düsseldorf, OD, Fe, with 282.5 kg, behind Liebsch, 295 kg and Walter, 287.5 kg

World records

in two-armed thrusting:

• 123 kg, 1932 in Stuttgart, Fe,
• 125 kg, 1935 in Ebersbach

Web links

• Helmut Schäfer in Top Lifters of the 20th Century
• Helmut Schäfer in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )