Willi Holdorf

Willi Holdorf (17 February 1940 — 5 July 2020) was a West German athlete. In 1964 he won the first Olympic medal for Germany in decathlon and was named German Sportspersonality of the Year. In 1997, he became a member of the German Olympic Committee, and in 2011 inducted into the German Sports Hall of Fame.[1]

Willi Holdorf
Willi Holdorf at the 1964 Olympics
Personal information
Born17 February 1940 (1940-02-17)
Blomesche Wildnis, Germany[1]
Died5 July 2020(2020-07-05) (aged 80)
Achterwehr, Germany
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight90 kg (198 lb)
Sport
SportDecathlon
ClubBayer Leverkusen
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)7726 (1964)
Medal record
Representing  Germany
Olympic Games
1964 Tokyo Decathlon

Holdorf was the German champion in 1961 and 1963 in decathlon, and in 1962 in the 200 m hurdles. He placed fifth in decathlon at the European Championships in 1962 and 1964. He was trained as a high-voltage electrician, but later worked as a sporting goods representative and a coach, both in athletics and football. He coached Olympic pole vaulter Claus Schiprowski, Reinhard Kuretzky and Günther Nickel, and later managed German Bundesliga side SC Fortuna Köln in football, where he could not avoid relegation.[1][2][3] At the Bobsleigh European Championships 1973 he was runner up in the two men competition.

Holdorf was the father of Dirk Holdorf, a former professional football player.[3]

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Willi Holdorf". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  2. "Holdorf at the Hall of Fame of German Sports" (in German). hall-of-fame-sport.de. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  3. "Willi Holdorf – Ein wahrer König der Athleten" (in German). ndr.de. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Gerhard Hetz		 German Sportsman of the Year
1964		 Succeeded by
Hans-Joachim Klein


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