Walter Demel (cross-country skier)

Walter Demel in a race at Bretterschachten, Bavarian Forest

Walter Demel (born December 1, 1935 in Bayreuth , Upper Franconia ) is a former German cross-country skier.

Life

The trained roofer went to the Federal Border Police in Deggendorf at the age of 18 . There he was discovered for cross-country skiing at the age of 22. Demel, who has been a member of SC Zwiesel since 1960, did competitive sports from 1957 to 1987, of which from 1961 to 1976 he was a member of the national team of the German Ski Association. At the opening ceremony of the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo , he was the flag bearer of the German team.

From 1978 to 1985 Walter Demel was a cross-country trainer for the Bavarian Ski Association and from 1982 to 1987 a cross-country skiing specialist. The police chief in the BGS a. D. lives in Bayreuth. His biggest success was winning the bronze medal over 30 km at the Nordic World Ski Championships 1966 in Norway Oslo . Demel is a member of the SPD and was a city councilor in his hometown of Bayreuth from 1966 to 2008.

Walter Demel is married with two children and three adult grandchildren. He lives in the Bayreuth district of Seulbitz .

Sporting successes

• 40 times German champion, including 26 individual titles
• 17 times Bavarian champion, including 13 individual titles
• 4 times participation in Nordic World Ski Championships :

1962 22nd place over 30 km

1966 3rd place over 30 km and 9th place over 15 km

1970 6th place over 50 km, 7th place over 15 km and 19th place over 30 km

1974 18th place over 15 km and 20th place over 30 km

• 4 times participation in the Olympic Winter Games :

1964 10th place over 30 km, 22nd place over 15 km and 7th place with the relay

1968 9th place over 30 and 50 km, 12th place over 15 km and 8th place with the relay

1972 5th place over 30 and 50 km, 7th place over 15 km and 7th place with the relay

1976 25th place over 50 km

• Victories in various international ski competitions in Switzerland, Slovenia, USA, Canada, Finland, Italy and Russia

Awards

• 1964 Award of the silver bay leaf
• 1972 honorary member of the Bavarian Ski Association
• 1972 Golden Ring of Honor of the City of Bayreuth
• 1972 Letter of Honor from the City of Zwiesel
• 1982 honorary member of SC Zwiesel
• 1997 Georg von Opel Prize "The silent winners of Adam Opel AG"
• 7 times Golden Ski from the German Ski Association
• 7 times silver ski from the Bavarian Ski Association

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Report on www.bsv-ski.de on Demel's 70th birthday  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on September 5, 2011)  
2. ↑ Klaus Angermann at the DOSB on his 80th birthday (accessed on March 19, 2017)

Web links

• Article of April 5, 1974 in Die Zeit .
• Walter Demel in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )