Bernhard GERMESHAUSEN

Bernhard Germeshausen won the two-man bob in 1976 with his compatriot Meinhard Nehmer, and they were both members of the winning four-man crew in 1976 and 1980. 1976 their bob was formed from a backbone of converted track and field athletes the GDR had threatened to break through to the podium positions over the previous seasons and in Innsbruck this was achieved in spectacular fashion. Therefore they were able to defeat the favored bobs from West Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The three Olympic gold medals they each won stand as the current Olympic record for bobsledding. Germeshausen also won silver in the two-man event at the 1980 Olympics (partnering Hans-Jürgen Gerhardt), and he was the winner at the World Championships in the two-man in 1981 (with Gerhardt) and in the four-man in 1977 and 1981.