Ernst Helmut Berndt (17 June 1915 – 30 April 1990) was a
Sudeten German-
Czechoslovak
Czechoslovak may refer to:
*A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93)
**First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38)
**Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39)
**Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60)
**Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...
athlete who competed in both
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...
and
luge. As a
hurdler
Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...
he represented Czechoslovakia at the
1936 Summer Olympics. Berndt was born in
Liberec in June 1915. He moved to
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
and took up luge. Competing for
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, he became the German national champion in 1958 before winning the gold medal in the men's singles event at the
1960 FIL World Luge Championships in
Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
He died in
Seesen
Seesen is a town and municipality in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the northwestern edge of the Harz mountain range, approx. west of Goslar.
History
The Saxon settlement of ''Sehusa'' was first mentioned i ...
in April 1990 at the age of 74.
References
1915 births
1990 deaths
Czechoslovak male hurdlers
German male lugers
West German male lugers
Olympic athletes for Czechoslovakia
Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics
German Bohemian people
Sudeten German people
Sportspeople from Liberec
Sportspeople from Lower Saxony
{{Germany-luge-bio-stub