Manfred Rulffs

Manfred Rulffs (born March 6, 1935 in Kiel , † January 15, 2007 in Ratzeburg ) was a German Olympic champion in rowing .

Life

Rulffs was already an active rower as a student. He was discovered for the Ratzeburg rowing club by his class teacher and later trainer Karl Adam . He was one of the most versatile rowers and could both Skull - and Sweep Rowing . Rulffs was German champion seven times and European champion twice: In 1958, Hans Lenk , Kraft Schepke , Manfred Rulffs and Karl-Heinz Hopp won in Posen in a four without a helmsman , in 1959 the Ratzeburg eight won in Mâcon . For the EM title in 1958, he and his team were awarded the Silver Laurel Leaf on January 31, 1959 .

At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome , Rulffs won the gold medal as a member of the Germany eight. In the line-up of Hans Lenk, Klaus Bittner , Karl-Heinz Hopp, Karl-Heinrich von Groddeck , Kraft Schepke, Frank Schepke , Walter Schröder , Manfred Rulffs (as batsman ) and helmsman Willi Padge , the eight drove together for three years and stayed at major events undefeated.

After his active career he worked as a middle school teacher in Preetz . In 1965, after the opening of the rowing academy, Karl Adam brought him back to Ratzeburg, initially as his assistant. In 1968 Rulffs took over the supervision of the Germany eight and remained national coach until 1981. In 1981 he returned to school service.

Rulffs died after a long illness at the age of 71. He was the first of the team that could break the 1960 Olympic winning streak in the USA. Just four weeks after him, Karl-Heinz Hopp died on February 12, 2007 .

German championship title

• Double sculls in 1955 with Klaus von Fersen and 1960 with Karl-Heinrich von Groddeck
• Two without a helmsman in 1957 with Walter Schröder
• Foursome without a helmsman 1958
• Eighth 1958, 1959, 1960

Web links

• Manfred Rulffs in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ German successes at European rowing championships
2. ^ Sports report of the Federal Government of September 23, 1973 to the Bundestag - Printed matter 7/1040 - page 73
3. ^ German championships in double sculls
4. ↑ German championships in two-man without
5. ↑ German championships in foursome without
6. ↑ German championships in the eighth