Rudolf Vesper (born 3 April 1939) is a former Olympic wrestler for East Germany. Born in Niehmen, Lower Silesia, Vesper competed for the Unified German team in the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...

in Tokyo, and then East Germany in

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

in Mexico City. Both times, he competed in the men's welterweight division of the

Greco-Roman The Greco-Roman civilization (; also Greco-Roman culture; spelled Graeco-Roman in the Commonwealth), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and countries that culturally—and so historically—were di ...

wrestling event. The first time Vesper competed, in 1964, he did not win a medal. However, the second time, in 1968, Vesper won a gold medal in the Greco-Roman wrestling event. Vesper also competed for East Germany in the FILA Wrestling World Championships. Upon his first appearance,

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

, in Helsingborg, he came in second in the Greco-Roman event. He competed in the 78 kg weight class and the

Senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

s age group. His second appearance, in

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

, held in Bucharest, also resulted in a silver medal in the Greco-Roman event. He competed in the Seniors age group and the 78 kg weight class.

Sources

* * * German wrestlers 1939 births Living people Olympic medalists in wrestling Olympic gold medalists for East Germany Wrestlers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1968 Summer Olympics German male sport wrestlers Olympic wrestlers for the United Team of Germany Olympic wrestlers for East Germany People from Oława County Sportspeople from Lower Silesian Voivodeship Sportspeople from the Province of Silesia World Wrestling Championships medalists Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics {{Germany-wrestling-bio-stub