Stefan Semmler

The DHfK four-man 1974 from left to right: Trainer Jörg Weissig, Brietzke , Decker , Mager , Semmler and in the front helmsman Lehmann

Stefan Semmler (born May 5, 1952 in Zschopau ) is a former rower from the GDR. He won two Olympic gold medals in the four without a helmsman .

In 1970 Semmler won together with Andreas Decker in a foursome at the Spartakiade and at the World Youth Championships. In 1974 Semmler was eighth GDR champion and then European champion. In 1974 he switched to the four without a helmsman. With Siegfried Brietzke , Andreas Decker, Stefan Semmler and Wolfgang Mager , the boat from SC DHfK Leipzig dominated this boat class in the next few years. The four rowers became world champions in Lucerne in 1974 and in Nottingham in 1975, and Olympic champions in Montreal in 1976 . In 1977 in Amsterdam and 1979 in Bled the boat was again world champion, only in 1978 in New Zealand was the Soviet boat defeated and won silver. In the 1980 Olympic season, Mager injured his hand and was represented by Jürgen Thiele . Together, the crew won the Olympic Games in Moscow well ahead of the hosts' boat.

Semmler was a trained telecommunications mechanic, studied at the DHfK and later was an assistant in the area of ​​water driving. At MC Zschopau , he looked after the GDR's Six Days team.

Awards (selection)

• 1974 - Patriotic Order of Merit in bronze
• 1976 - Patriotic Order of Merit in Silver
• 1980 - Patriotic Order of Merit in Gold

literature

• Volker Kluge : The great lexicon of GDR athletes. The 1000 most successful and popular athletes from the GDR, their successes and biographies. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-89602-348-9 .
• Volker Kluge: Summer Olympic Games. The Chronicle III. Mexico City 1968 - Los Angeles 1984. Sportverlag Berlin, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-328-00741-5 .

Web links

• Stefan Semmler in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
• German success at rowing world championships

Individual evidence

1. ↑ About the honor for the Olympic team of the GDR. Awarded high government awards. Patriotic Order of Merit in silver. In: New Germany . September 10, 1976, p. 4 , accessed on April 10, 2018 (online at ZEFYS - newspaper portal of the Berlin State Library , free registration required).