Hermann Otto Ludwig Weingärtner (27 August 1864 – 22 December 1919) was a German

gymnast 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, s ...

. He started his career in his hometown

Frankfurt (Oder) Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (), is a city in the German state of Brandenburg. It has around 57,000 inhabitants, is one of the easternmost cities in Germany, the fourth-largest city in Brandenburg, and the largest German ...

at the local gymnastics club ''Frankfurter Turnverein 1860''. Later on he moved to

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

to compete for the ''Deutsche Turnerschaft''. He competed 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 ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...

. Weingärtner was a member of the German team that won two gold medals by placing first in both of the team events, the

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 w ...

and 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 syst ...

. He also won a number of individual medals, taking the gold in the horizontal bar, silver in pommel horse and rings, and bronze in the vault. He competed in the parallel bars, but did not win a medal in that event. His six medals made him one of the most successful competitors at the first modern Olympic Games. After his return to Germany he and most of the other German gymnasts were suspended, because the ''Deutsche Turnerschaft'' (at this time the

governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken g ...

of German gymnastics) boycotted the Olympic games with the reason that competing is "un-German". So he moved back to

to manage the open-air swimming pool founded by his father on the ''Ziegenwerder'' island. He drowned trying to rescue a person from drowning in the

Oder The Oder ( , ; Czech language, Czech, Lower Sorbian language, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder ri ...

. In 1996, the main footpath on the ''Ziegenwerder'' island was named ''Hermann-Weingärtner-Weg''.

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Hermann Weingärtner Olympic medals and stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weingartner, Hermann 1864 births 1919 deaths Sportspeople from Frankfurt (Oder) German male artistic gymnasts Olympic gymnasts of Germany Gymnasts at the 1896 Summer Olympics 19th-century sportsmen Olympic gold medalists for Germany Olympic silver medalists for Germany Olympic bronze medalists for Germany Olympic medalists in gymnastics Medalists at the 1896 Summer Olympics Deaths by drowning Accidental deaths in Germany 19th-century German people 20th-century German people

See also

References

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