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Ulrich Wehling

Move To Switzerland



Wehling retired from competition immediately following his third Olympic victory in Lake Placid. He became a member of the skiing association in East Germany in Berlin, a member of the National Olympic Committee in Germany, and held the post of president of the GDR ski federation.



Although he had been working in Berlin, he moved to Seftigen, Switzerland where, for the past ten years, he has been racing director of the International Skiing Federation (FIS), responsible for the Nordic Combined event. He said he does not plan to return to Berlin, and annually renews his permit to live in Switzerland.

In 2002, Ulrich Wehling was named to Bud Greenspan's list of the 25 Greatest Winter Olympians. Wehling is married and has two daughters.

In a 2002 interview to commemorate Wehling's 50th birthday, Ulrich Wehling spoke with Peter Stracke about his achievements in sport. On his 1972 visit to the Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, Wehling said he was a "nobody. I just was the last one who luckily qualified for the Olympic team, and nobody was expecting anything from me." He admitted, "I wasn't very good in training, but I always was a fighter. You can lose despite fighting. And you can lose because you resign. For me, success in sport always was a question of attitude."

Wehling noted that today, media interest and attendance for Nordic Combined events are growing, and world cup events have been popular. He plans to continue extending his permit to live in Switzerland, and does not plan to return home to Berlin, where he had a successful career as an operative of the skiing association in the German Democratic Republic.

Chronology

1952 Born July 8, in East Germany
1961 Becomes a member of SC Traktor Oberwiesenthal
1972 Participates in Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan, wins Nordic Combined gold medal
1974 Wins Nordic Combined world championship
1976 Participates in Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, wins Nordic Combined gold medal
1980 Participates in Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, wins Nordic Combined gold medal

Awards and Accomplishments

1972 Nordic Combined gold medal, Winter Olympics, Sapporo, Japan
1974 Nordic Combined world championship
1976 Nordic Combined gold medal, Winter Olympics, Innsbruck, Austria
1980 Nordic Combined gold medal, Winter Olympics, Lake Placid, New York

Although his career was short, Ulrich Wehling earned his place in the history books as the first Winter Olympian to win three successive gold medals in the Nordic Combined skiing event.

Additional topics

Famous Sports StarsSkiingUlrich Wehling Biography - Olympic Competition, Move To Switzerland, Chronology, Awards And Accomplishments