Carsten Keller

Carsten Keller participated in three Olympic Games with the West German field hockey team. The team finished seventh in 1960 and fourth in 1968, losing the bronze match against India 1-2. During this tournament the only official international match between East and West Germany was played in the preliminary round and was won by West Germany 3-2. In 1972 Keller won the first ever German gold medal in field hockey against Pakistan (1-0) as the team captain. He was a member of Berliner HC at the domestic level and earned 133 international caps from 1958-72. With Berlin he earned seven West German titles, 1961-63 and 1965 outdoor and 1962, 1963 and 1965 indoor. After his active career he became a coach in his home club.

Keller trained as an insurance salesman and earned his living as a self-employed insurance agent. He was also a brilliant tennis player and regularly participated in the Senior German Championships in Bad Neuenahr.

His father Erwin was the first member of a famous German hockey dynasty: his wife Helga Akermann also played in the national team, as did Carsten, his grandchildren Andreas, Natascha and Florian and his wife Navina Omilade. Andreas’ life partner Anke Wild also was a national player. The Keller family is only the third to see three generations win Olympic medals, after the Norwegian Lunde family of sailors and the Hungarian Bogen/Gerevich fencing dynasty.