Karl-Heinz Helbing

Karl-Heinz Helbing (born March 7, 1957 in Mainz-Kastel ) is a former German wrestler and winner of the bronze medal at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal in the Greco-Roman style welterweight.

Career

Karl-Heinz Helbing started wrestling at ASV Mainz in 1888 when he was 12 years old . Under the guidance of the trainers Kurt Steinmetz, Nuri Cakici and Franz Schmitt (wrestler) , he quickly developed into an outstanding wrestler in the Greco-Roman style, who became German junior champion (age group up to 21 years) in the welterweight division as a 16-year-old in 1973 . In 1974 he was also German youth champion (i.e. age group up to 18 years) in the class up to 75 kg body weight.

In 1975, Karl-Heinz surprised the wrestling world when, as an 18-year-old newcomer, he took an excellent 3rd place in the welterweight division at the Grand Prix of the Federal Republic of Germany in Aschaffenburg . In 1976, Karl-Heinz succeeded in winning his first title at a German senior championship and qualifying for the Olympic Games in Montreal . The 19-year-old had the greatest moments of his career in Montreal, where he won the bronze medal in the welterweight division. For this success, Federal President Walter Scheel awarded him the Silver Laurel Leaf.

In 1977 Karl-Heinz achieved another great success in the junior area when he became vice world champion in the Espoirs (age group up to 20 years) in the welterweight division in Las Vegas. At the 1977 World Championships in Gothenburg , Karl-Heinz met the silver medalist from Montreal Vitezlav Macha after three wins in the 4th round . In a dogged battle, none of the athletes managed to score, whereupon both were disqualified for passivity and were each charged with 4 missing points. While Karl-Heinz Helbing had to retire after a narrow point defeat in the 5th round against Sweden's Lennart Lundell , Macha fought his way through to win the title.

In the next few years, Karl-Heinz won another bronze medal at the 1979 world championship in San Diego in the welterweight division. He was also able to place himself in the front field at some international championships. B. at the European championship in 1980 in Prievidza fourth winner and took the same place at the European championship in 1984 in Jönköping , but he did not win another medal. In 1980 Karl-Heinz Helbing switched to KSV Witten 07 , where Fritz Schrader looked after him.

Karl-Heinz Helbing was a frequent starter. At the international championships and the numerous other tournaments that he competed, he defeated a. a. following highly decorated world-class wrestler: Vyacheslav Mkrytschew and Vladimir Galkin from the USSR , Mikko Huhtala and Jouko Salomäki from Finland , Petros Galaktopoulos from Greece , Stanisław Krzesiński , Andrzej Franas and Andrzej Supron from Poland , Lennart Lundell from Sweden , Gheorghe Ciobotaru and Ştefan Rusu from Romania . Karl-Heinz also had fearful opponents against whom he could never win, above all Vítězslav Mácha from the CSSR , Michail Mamiaschwili from the USSR and Ferenc Kocsis from Hungary .

Karl-Heinz Helbing, who trained as a plumber, is an employee of the Mainz public utility company . In 1986 he ended his international career. He then worked as a trainer for many clubs, including ASV Mainz 1888 , RWG Mömbris-Königshofen and TSV Gailbach . At the moment he is regional trainer in Rheinhessen , assistant trainer of the women's national team at the German Wrestling Federation and head trainer of the WKG Untere Nahe. Of his eight children, some of whom also stood on the wrestling mat, his daughter Sabrina (including European champion), who was among the top German women in women's wrestling, stood out.

International success

(all competitions in the Greco-Roman style, OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship, welterweight, back then up to 74 kg body weight)

year	space	competition	Weight class
1974	8th.	Junior World Championships in Haparanda	Welter	Winner: Janko Schopow , Bulgaria, ahead of Taimuraz Abchasawa , USSR and Victor Prentin, Romania
1975	3.	Grand Prix of the Federal Republic of Germany in Aschaffenburg	Welter	behind Gheorghe Ciobotaru , Romania and Janko Schopow and in front of Hans-Joachim Klötzing , FRG and Daniel Emolin, France
1975	3.	EC championship in Fredrikshavn / Denmark	Welter	behind Gian-Matteo Ranzi , Italy and Niels Madsen, Denmark
1976	7th	EM in Leningrad	Welter	with a victory over Klaus-Peter Kossow, GDR and defeats against Iosif Berischwili , USSR and Lennart Lundell , Sweden
1976	bronze	OS in Montreal	Welter	with victories over Mikko Huhtala , Finland and Petros Galaktopoulos , Greece , a draw against Janko Schopow and defeats against Vitezlav Macha , CSSR and Anatoli Bykow , USSR
1977	2.	Junior World Championships in Las Vegas	Welter	behind Baranow, USSR and in front of Pankow, Bulgaria and Zapokeny, Poland
1977	3.	Tournament in Helsinki	Welter	behind Jan Karlsson , Sweden and Mikko Huhtala
1977	6th	World Cup in Gothenburg	Welter	with victories over Lasse Carlssen, Norway , Stanisław Krzesiński , Poland and Adrian Popa, Romania, and a defeat against Lennart Lundell, in the fight between Helbing and Macha, both wrestlers were disqualified for passivity
1978	2.	Tournament in Athens	Welter	behind Daniel Emolin and in front of A. Messiakaris, Greece
1978	1.	EC championship in Arnhem	Welter	before Jacques Van Lancker, Belgium and Feleciano Mariotto, Italy
1978	6th	EM in Oslo	Welter	with a victory over Berberi, Albania and defeats against Vitešlav Macha and Ferenc Kocsis , Hungary
1978	10.	World Cup in Mexico City	Welter	with a win over Lennart Lundell and a loss to Arif Niftulajew , USSR; in the fight Helbing against Stanisław Krzesiński both wrestlers were disqualified for passivity
1979	10.	EM in Bucharest	Welter	with a victory over Feleciano Mariotto and defeats to Vyacheslav Mrkrychev , USSR and Andrzej Franas , Poland
1979	3.	World Cup in San Diego	Welter	with victories over Mikko Huhtala, Edy Brun, Switzerland , Iwan Cervantes, Mexico and Gheorghe Ciobotaru and defeats against Janko Schopow and Ferenc Kocsis
1980	4th	EM in Prievidza	Welter	with victories over Ronald Schulz, GDR, Andrzej Franas and Vyacheslav Mkrytschew , USSR and defeats against Nedko Nedew , Bulgaria and Mikko Huhtala
1980	2.	EC championship in Sönderborg	Welter	behind Matti Övermark , Finland and in front of Feliciano Mariotto and Jacques Van Lancker
1981	5.	Grand Prix of the FRG in Aschaffenburg	Welter	behind Wladimir Galkin , USSR, Karoly Kasap , Yugoslavia , Lennart Lundell and Andrzej Supron , Poland and in front of Wolfgang Vattes, FRG
1981	2.	Tournament in Warsaw	Welter	behind Vladimir Galkin and in front of Vladimir Zabagalin, USSR
1981	12.	EM in Gothenburg	Welter	after losing to Vladimir Galkin and Gheorghe Ciobotaru
1981	10.	World Cup 1981 in Oslo	Welter	with a victory over Philipe Vidal, France and defeats against Janko Schopow and Alexander Kudryavzew , USSR
1982	1.	World Cup in Budapest	Welter	before Vladimir Arsenjew, USSR, Tibor Komáromi , Hungary, Ichiro Tani, Japan and David Butler, USA
1982	1.	Tournament in Klippan / Sweden	Welter	before Wladimir Galkin, Magnus Fredriksson , Sweden, Roger Tallroth , Sweden and Andrzej Supron
1982	7th	World Cup in Edmonton	Welter	with victories over Jouko Salomäki , Finland and Andrzej Supron and defeats against Alexander Kudrjawzew and Stojan Wasiljew , Bulgaria
1983	2.	"Werner soul bandage" tournament in Leipzig	Welter	behind Vladimir Zabagalin and in front of Vladimir Zaporozhenkov, USSR
1983	12.	EM in Budapest	Welter	after defeats to Kanuguine, USSR and Andrzej Supron
1983	8th.	World Cup in Kiev	Welter	with a win over Olsen, Norway and defeats to Mikhail Mamiashvili, USSR and Takahiro Muchai, Japan
1984	4th	Grand Prix of the FRG in Freiburg im Breisgau	Welter	behind Michail Mamiaschwili , Roger Tallroth, Ștefan Rusu , Romania and in front of J. Jamon, CSSR and P. Vamos, Hungary
1984	4th	EM in Jönköping	Welter	with victories over Andrzej Supron, Branko Dukic, Yugoslavia and Stefan Rusu and defeats against Roger Tallroth and Michail Mamiaschwili
1984	11.	OS in Los Angeles	Welter	with a win over Stratico, Argentina and defeats against Kim Young-Nam, South Korea and Christopher Catalfo, USA
1985	6th	World Cup in Kolbotn / Norway	Welter	with victories over Oliver, USA, Martial Mischler , France, Tabatabai, Iran and Jouko Salomäki and defeats against Michail Mamiaschwili and Borislaw Welitschkow , Bulgaria

German championships

year	space	Weight class
1975	2.	Welter	behind Hans-Joachim Klötzing , Hamburg and in front of Peter Schöffler, Freiburg im Breisgau
1976	1.	Welter	before Hans-Joachim Klötzing and Kurt Gansserich, Witten
1977	1.	Welter	before Hans-Joachim Klötzing and Wolfgang Engel, Baienfurt
1978	1.	Welter	before Hans-Joachim Klötzing and Frank Fritsche, Bonn
1979	1.	Welter	before Lothar Ruch, Aldenhoven and Frank Fritsche
1980	1.	Welter	before Frank Fritsche and Lothar Ruch
1981	1.	Welter	before Wolfgang Vattes, Freiburg and Norbert Hilzendegen, Mainz
1982	1.	Welter	before Wolfgang Vattes and Raimund Feser, Baienfurt
1983	1.	Welter	before Erich Klaus , Reilingen and Raimund Feser
1984	1.	Welter	before Raimund Feser and Wolfgang Vattes
1985	1.	Welter	before Raimund Feser and Norbert Hilzendegen

swell

• Various issues of the specialist journals Athletik from 1974 to 1975 and Der Ringer from 1976 to 1985,
• A hundred years of wrestling in Germany . Publishing house "Der Ringer", Niedernberg, 1991,
• Website of the Institute for Applied Training Sciences at the University of Leipzig
• Website of the WKG Untere Nahe

Web links

• Profile of Karl-Heinz Helbing at the Institute for Applied Training Science
• Overview of welterweight Olympic medal winners in Greco-Roman style

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Stadt Landshut, Sportchronik 1974–1976: .... 1976 Reception of the German Olympic team in October with Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt in Bonn and award with the silver laurel leaf ...