Helmut Recknagel

Squaw Valley February 1960, VIII Olympic Winter Games. Ski jumping 90m: eventual winner Helmut RECKNAGEL of Germany in action. Credit: IOC Olympic Museum Collections/RÜBELT Lothar

Born: 20 March 1937

Birthplace: Steinbach-Hallenberg (Germany)

Nationality: Germany

Sport: Skiing

ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Squaw Valley 1960

Innsbruck 1964

AWARDS

Olympic medals:

Gold: 1

Other results:

World Championships

Gold : 1 (62)

Bronze : 2 (58, 62)

First Non-Scandinavian Ski Jump Champion

Helmut Recknagel recorded the longest jump of each of the two rounds in the 1960 ski jumping contest and won the gold medal by 4.6 points.

An East German, he was the first non-Scandinavian to earn an Olympic ski jumping title. In 1964, a second jumping event was added and Recknagel entered both. He place sixth on the normal hill and seventh on the large hill.