Joaquín Blume (; 21 June 1933 – 29 April 1959) was a Spanish gymnast. The son of a German gymnastics instructor established in Barcelona,50 años sin Joaquim Blume
/ref> he belonged to the gymnastics section of FC Barcelona.50 años de la muerte de Joaquín Blume
/ref> He became Spanish gymnastics champion at 15 and he competed in the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

of Helsinki with only 19 years. He went to win eight medals in the

1955 Mediterranean Games The 1955 Mediterranean Games, officially known as the II Mediterranean Games, and commonly known as Barcelona 1955, were the 2nd Mediterranean Games. The Games were held in Barcelona, Spain over 10 days, from 15 to 25 July 1955, where 1,135 athl ...

and in 1957 he won the European Championship, defeating favourite Yuri Titov. He was a favourite for the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

of Melbourne, until Spain boycotted the games in protest against the presence of the USSR, after their brutal suppression of the Hungarian Revolution. He was also a favourite in the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

, but he died in a plane crash at the

Valdemeca Valdemeca is a municipality in the province of Cuenca, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. The municipality has an area is 70 km² and its climate is continental. The geographical coordinates of Valdemeca are: la ...

mountains, in Cuenca, on 29 April 1959. The plane was headed for Canarias, where the Spanish gymnastics team were to do a gymnastics exhibition. His wife, also a gymnast and pregnant with their second child, was also a passenger. There were no survivors.La Vanguardia - Edición del viernes, 27 abril 1984, página 44
/ref> In his honour, the Catalan Gymnastics Federation started in 1969 the Memorial Joaquim Blume tournament, first only of male gymnastics with female competition introduced in 1972. A sculpture in his honour is displayed at the Gardens of Joan Brossa, in Barcelona.

References

1933 births 1959 deaths Spanish male artistic gymnasts Spanish people of German descent Gymnasts from Catalonia Gymnasts at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic gymnasts of Spain Burials at Montjuïc Cemetery Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1959 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Spain Competitors at the 1955 Mediterranean Games Mediterranean Games medalists in gymnastics Mediterranean Games competitors for Spain European champions in gymnastics 20th-century Spanish people {{Spain-artistic-gymnastics-bio-stub