Carl August Berthold Schuhmann (12 May 1869 – 24 March 1946) was a German athlete who won four Olympic titles in
gymnastics
Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...
and
wrestling
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
at the
1896 Summer Olympics
The 1896 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 1896, Therinoí Olympiakoí Agónes 1896), officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 1ης Ολυμπιάδας, Agónes tis 1is Ol ...
in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, becoming the most successful athlete at the inaugural Olympics of the modern era.
He also competed in
weightlifting
Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift Weight training#Equipment, weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various t ...
.
Biography
Schuhmann, who was a member of the Berliner Turnerschaft, was a member of the successful German gymnastics team that won the team events in the
horizontal bar
The horizontal bar, also known as the high bar, is an apparatus used by male gymnasts in artistic gymnastics. It traditionally consists of a cylindrical metal (typically steel) bar that is rigidly held above and parallel to the floor by a syste ...
and
parallel bars
Parallel bars are floor apparatus consisting of two wooden bars slightly over long and positioned at roughly head height. Parallel bars are used in artistic gymnastics and also for physical therapy and home exercise. Gymnasts may optionally we ...
events. Schuhmann added a third title by winning the horse vault event.
He also competed in the parallel bars, horizontal bar,
pommel horse
The pommel horse is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. Traditionally, it is used by only male gymnasts. Originally made of a metal frame with a wooden body and a leather cover, the modern pommel horse has a metal body covered with foam rubber and ...
, and rings events without success.
The only extant information about his placing in those events, besides not being a medallist, is that he placed fifth in the rings competition.
Schuhmann then entered the wrestling competition, which he also won,
even though he was much lighter and smaller than most of the other combatants. In the first round, he faced
Launceston Elliot
Launceston Elliot (9 June 1874 – 8 August 1930) was a Scottish weightlifter, and the first British Olympic champion.
Biography
Launceston Elliot was conceived in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, after which he was named, but before his b ...
of
Great Britain and Ireland, who had won the
weightlifting
Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift Weight training#Equipment, weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various t ...
competition. Schuhmann won easily. The semifinals resulted in a bye for the German. In the final, he faced
Georgios Tsitas
Georgios Tsitas ( el, Γεώργιος Τσίτας, born 1872 in Smyrna, died between 1940 and 1945) was a Greece, Greek sport wrestling, wrestler. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.
In the first round of the wrestling competiti ...
of
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. The match went for 40 minutes before it was determined that it was too dark to continue and the bout was postponed until a second day.
The next morning, Schuhmann quickly finished the bout with a win for a gold medal.
He also entered the
weightlifting
Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift Weight training#Equipment, weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various t ...
competition, placing fourth.
Schuhmann was one of nine athletes to compete in the
long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...
. The only information known about his placing in the event is that he was not one of the top four. He also placed fifth in the
triple jump
The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...
and in the bottom three of a seven-man field in the
shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...
.
Schuhmann tied for fourth place in the two-handed weightlifting competition now known as the
clean and jerk
The clean and jerk is a composite of two weightlifting movements, most often performed with a barbell: the clean and the jerk. During the ''clean'', the lifter moves the barbell from the floor to a racked position across the deltoids, without res ...
. He and
Georgios Papasideris
Georgios Saranti Papasideris ( el, Γεώργιος/Γιώργος Παπασιδέρης, 1875 in Koropi – 1920) was a Greek athlete and weightlifter.
Career
Papasideris was born in Koropi.
He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics i ...
of
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
both lifted 90.0 kilograms.
In 1936, he was part of a gymnastics exhibition at the Olympic Stadium.
His tombstone at
Friedhof Heerstraße
The Friedhof Heerstraße cemetery is located at Trakehnerallee 1 (''Trakehner avenue No.1''), district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf in Berlin, Germany, to the east of the Olympic Stadium (Berlin), Olympiastadion. It covers an area of 149 ...
is inscribed with the five Olympic Rings, the epitaph "Germany’s first Olympic champion", and the legend "Athens 1896".
See also
*
List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games
This is a list of athletes who have won multiple gold medals at a single Olympic Games. List of most gold medals won at a single Olympic Games
This is a list of most gold medals won in a single Olympic Games. Medals won in the 1906 Intercalated Ga ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schuhmann, Carl
1869 births
1946 deaths
Sportspeople from Münster
Athletes (track and field) at the 1896 Summer Olympics
19th-century sportsmen
Gymnasts at the 1896 Summer Olympics
Weightlifters at the 1896 Summer Olympics
Wrestlers at the 1896 Summer Olympics
German male sport wrestlers
Olympic athletes of Germany
Olympic gymnasts of Germany
Olympic weightlifters of Germany
Olympic wrestlers of Germany
German male triple jumpers
German male long jumpers
German male shot putters
German male artistic gymnasts
German male weightlifters
Olympic gold medalists for Germany
Olympic medalists in gymnastics
Olympic medalists in wrestling
Medalists at the 1896 Summer Olympics
People associated with physical culture