Johann (Hans) SAUTER

Hans Sauter began his promising career in gymnastics in 1938, which was interrupted by the advent of World War II. He was drafted into the German Navy, but fortunately was not on board when his ship, the Admiral Scheer, was sunk in 1945 in Kiel. After the end of the war Sauter became the top Austrian gymnast and dominated national competition until the end of the 1950s. From 1949-59 he was an eight-time Austrian All-Around Champion, also winning 35 national apparatus titles.

His best finish during a total of four Olympic appearances was a sixth place on the pommelled horse at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. In 1955 at the first European Championships in Gymnastics in Frankfurt/Main he won the bronze medal in his favorite event, the pommels. Even during his active career Hans Sauter served as Austrian national coach, and he coached until 1969. His main job was as an official in the Vorarlberg provincial government.