Karl HIPFINGER

Karl Hipfinger competed at the 1928 Olympic Games as one of the favorites, but was not able to finish the competition due to an injury. He then won a middleweight bronze medal at the 1932 Olympics. Hipfinger set eight world records in the middleweight and light-heavyweight classes – six in the clean & jerk, one in the snatch, and one in the middleweight total in 1927. A policeman by profession, he was European Champion in 1929 in his hometown of Wien (Vienna), placed third in 1930 and 1934, and in 1935 missed the podium only because of his heavier bodyweight. His first Austrian Championship came in 1926 in the middleweight class, and he won five more national titles, in 1927 and 1929-32.