Hans-Ullrich Grapenthin

Goalkeeper Hans-Ullrich Grapenthin was a member of the East German (GDR) football team that beat Poland 3-1 at the Montréal Olympics to become the first German team to win an Olympic gold medal, although he did not play the final. From 1975-81 he played 21 international matches with the East German national team.

Grapenthin played with FC Carl-Zeiss Jena from 1966-85 in 308 Oberliga matches and helped them to win the GDR-Cup in 1980. In 1968 and 1970 he also won East German national titles. His greatest moment, other than the Olympic gold medal, came in 1981 when Jena reached the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup, losing against Dinamo Tbilisi from the Soviet Union 2-1. He was also named Footballer of the Year in 1980 and 1981.

By profession, Grapenthin trained as a bricklayer but worked with “Coca-Cola” after re-unification, organizing several sports and enterprise events. After his retirement he moved to Bavaria in 2007. His daughter Ina was a substitute rower for the 1988 East German Olympic team.