Wilfried Dietrich (14 October 1933 – 2 June 1992) was a German heavyweight wrestler. Between 1956 and 1972 he took part in five Olympics and six world championships,[2] often entering both the freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling contests – a feat unmatched by any other wrestler. He won five Olympic and five world championship medals, becoming an Olympic (1960), World (1961) and European champion (1967). Between 1955 and 1962 he won all his freestyle bouts.[1][3]

Wilfried Dietrich
Taylor and Dietrich at the 1972 Olympics
Personal information
Born14 October 1933[1]
Schifferstadt, Germany[1]
Died2 June 1992 (aged 58)[1]
Durbanville, South Africa[1]
Height1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Weight118 kg (260 lb)
Sport
SportGreco-Roman wrestling
Freestyle wrestling
ClubVfK Schifferstadt
ASV Mainz 1888[1]
Medal record
Representing  Germany
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1960 Rome Freestyle +87 kg
Silver medal – second place 1956 Melbourne Greco-Roman +87 kg
Silver medal – second place 1960 Rome Greco-Roman +87 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1964 Tokyo Greco-Roman +97 kg
Representing  West Germany
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1968 Mexico City Freestyle +97 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1961 Yokohama Freestyle +87 kg
Silver medal – second place 1957 Istanbul Freestyle +87 kg
Silver medal – second place 1969 Mar del Plata Greco-Roman +100 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1962 Toledo Freestyle +97 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1962 Toledo Greco-Roman +97 kg
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1967 Minsk Freestyle +97 kg

In 1968 Dietrich was selected as the Olympic flag bearer for West Germany at its first appearance at the Summer Olympics;[4] he won a bronze medal at those games. He failed to medal at his last Olympics in 1972, yet he produced the most spectacular victory of his career by throwing over his back the 182 kg American Chris Taylor in the Greco-Roman contest.[5] Dietrich lost to Taylor in their freestyle bout.[1][6] In 2008 he was inducted into the Germany's Sports Hall of Fame and in 2014 to the International Wrestling Hall of Fame.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Profile: Wilfried Dietrich". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2009.
  2. ^ Wilfried Dietrich. iat.uni-leipzig.de
  3. ^ "Stats: Wilfried Dietrich". abc.net. 2008.
  4. ^ West Germany. sports-reference.com
  5. ^ Video. youtube.com
  6. ^ Chris Taylor: The giant Olympian. slam.canoe.com
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