Kurt Hornfischer

Kurt Hornfischer in 1933

Kurt Hornfischer medal table
Wrestler
Germany
Olympic games
bronze	1936 Berlin	Heavy Greco
European Championship
gold	1933 Helsinki	Heavy Greco
gold	1934 Rome	Heavy Greco
gold	1935 Copenhagen	Heavy Greco
silver	1935 Brussels	Heavy freestyle
gold	1937 Munich	Heavy freestyle
2. Workers' Olympics
gold	1931 Vienna	Heavy Greco

Kurt Hornfischer (born January 1, 1910 in Gera , † January 18, 1958 in Nuremberg ) was a German wrestler . He celebrated his greatest successes in the 1930s and 1940s.

Life

Born in Thuringia, Hornfischer, a giant of 1.88 m and 105 kg, was initially active in the Workers 'Athletes' Association of Germany (AABD) and won the heavyweight class there in 1926 (at the age of 16), 1927 and 1929. The highlight of his successes in the AABD was the heavyweight victory at the II. Workers' Olympics in Vienna in 1931. Here he won ahead of Hauenstein and Kreck, both Germany and Ager, Austria

In 1932 Kurt Hornfischer joined the German Athletes Sport Club from 1891 (DASV) and joined SC 1904 “Maxvorstadt” Nuremberg . From now on a career began that made him one of the world's best wrestlers in the heavyweight division. The fact that Hornfischer was never able to become Olympic champion does not change that. In 1932 he was still too unknown in the DASV. At the 1936 Olympics, he was unable to fully manage his strength due to a serious elbow injury that he sustained about six months before the Olympic Games. In 1940 and 1944 the Olympic Games were canceled.

Kurt Hornfischer was seriously wounded six times during the Second World War. After the war he had to start over as a city official; Hornfischer's sporting activities were now severely restricted. In 1958, at the age of only 48, Kurt Hornfischer died as a result of an operation resulting from his war wounds.

Stations of his career at DASV

• 1932

Second German heavyweight champion (Greco-Roman style). For the first time, he defeated the best German heavyweight wrestler of the time and two-time European champion Georg Gehring from Ludwigshafen am Rhein , but lost to the experienced five-time German champion Willi Müller , Cologne .

In May 1932 Hornfischer competed for the first time in Nuremberg against four regional top wrestlers, all of whom he shouldered quickly. In the specialist magazine “Athletik” it was prophetic: “This is where our new master matures and it is safe to bet 100: 1, the man will be and we now also know what our future European champion will be called.” How right this one Clerk should have.

• 1933

European heavyweight champion in Helsinki (Greco-Roman style) with victories over Arvo Niemelä , Finland and Kristjan Palusalu , Estonia and a defeat against Carl Westergren , Sweden , which was no longer important.

German heavyweight champion in Ludwigshafen am Rhein ahead of Wilhelm Kolb , Schifferstadt and Georg Gehring.

• 1934

European heavyweight champion in Rome (Greco-Roman style) with victories over Raymund Badó , Hungary, Puciata, Poland, Josef Klapuch , Czechoslovakia and Rudolf Svensson , Sweden.

German champion in Nuremberg ahead of Ferdinand Muß , Dortmund - Hörde and Anton Vogedes , Dortmund.

• 1935

European heavyweight champion in Copenhagen (Greco-Roman style) with victories over Alberts Zvejnieks , Latvia , Hjalmar Nyström , Finland and John Nyman , Sweden.

Vice European champion in Brussels in freestyle with victories over Nils Åkerlindh , Sweden and Josef Klapuch and one defeat against Karl Hegglin , Switzerland .

German master in Greco-Roman. Style and freestyle, each before Georg Gehring.

• 1936

Bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Berlin in Greco-Roman. Style after victories over Stevan Nagy , Yugoslavia , Josef Klapuch, Alberts Zvejnieks, Aleardo Donati , Italy and a point defeat against Kristjan Palusalu.

German champion in freestyle before and German runner-up in Greco-Roman. Style behind Georg Gehring.

• 1937

European champion in freestyle in Munich with victories over Gyula Bóbis , Hungary and Nils Åkerlindh and one point defeat against Josef Klapuch.

German runner-up in Greco-Roman. Style behind Georg Gehring and in front of Willi Liebern , Dortmund and German champion in freestyle ahead of Georg Gehring.

• 1938

German heavyweight freestyle champion.

• 1939

German master in Greco-Roman. Heavyweight style.

In his last participation in a European championship in Oslo he was defeated in Greco-Roman. Style against Johannes Kotkas (Estonia, later Soviet Union ), who had a long career ahead of him , and against Hjalmar Nyström and remained unplaced.

German master in Greco-Roman. Style.

• 1940, 1941 and 1942 German masters in freestyle and 1942 German masters in Greco-Roman. Style.

Summary of his championships

• European champions in 1933, 1934 and 1935 in Greco-Roman. Style and 1937 freestyle;
• Vice European Champion in freestyle in 1935;
• Bronze medal Olympic Games 1936 in Greco-Roman. Style;
• 5 × German masters in Greco-Roman. Style;
• 7 × German champions in freestyle

International battles

Kurt Hornfischer played a total of 20 fights, of which he won 15.

swell

• Trade journal athletics ,
• Documentation of FILA's International Wrestling Championships, 1976,
• Website of the Institute for Applied Training Sciences at the University of Leipzig,
• Documentation "Hundred Years of Wrestling in Germany", publisher of the German Ringer Association eV, publishing house "Der Ringer", Niedernberg, 1991, pages 91 to 94, 183, 221 u. 231

Web links

• Photos by Kurt Hornfischer in the BRV chronicle
• Profile of Kurt Hornfischer at the Institute for Applied Training Science
• Kurt Hornfischer in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )