Walter Steffens

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameWalter Johan Heinrich•Steffens
Used nameWalter•Steffens
Born26 December 1908 in Barnstorf, Niedersachsen (GER)
Died23 August 2006 in Barnstorf, Niedersachsen (GER)
AffiliationsSportverein Barnstorf
NOC Germany
Medals OG
Gold 1
Silver 0
Bronze 0
Total 1

Biography

Walter Steffens was a member of the German team that captured the 1936 Olympic all-around title, recording the sixth best individual score from the eight-man group. His speciality was the pommelled horse in which he captured a (shared) fifth place at the same Games. Two years prior to the Berlin Games, Steffens had been a part of the German team that came in third at the World Championships. In national competition, his best result was a second place at the 1938 National Championships, behind Alfred Schwarzmann.

After the war, Steffens set up his own gymnastics school and taught the sport until his 76th birthday. He also worked as a sports teacher at the Gymnasium Hamm, and the Freiherr-vom-Stein-Realschule in Bergkamen, and at the Schalke Gymnasium in Gelsenkirchen.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1936 Summer Olympics Artistic Gymnastics (Gymnastics) GER Walter Steffens
Individual All-Around, Men (Olympic) 17
Team All-Around, Men (Olympic) Germany 1 Gold
Floor Exercise, Men (Olympic) =6
Horse Vault, Men (Olympic) 29
Parallel Bars, Men (Olympic) =42
Horizontal Bar, Men (Olympic) 8
Rings, Men (Olympic) 58
Pommelled Horse, Men (Olympic) =5