Andreas Behm

Andreas Behm was a German weightlifter who won the bronze medal in the lightweight class at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He placed a disappointing 10th four years later at Atlanta. Behm also competed at 10 World Championships between 1981 and 1995, earning silver medals in 1982 and 1987, and bronze medals in 1983 and 1993.

Domestically, Behm won three national titles in 1996-98, and set 21 GDR records. He also set three world records, one in the clean & jerk and two in the total. Behm won two European titles, back-to-back in 1985 and 1986, and was on the podium seven times at the Europeans, adding a silver in 1982 and bronze medals in 1981, 1983, 1989, and 1991. He was one of the most successful weightlifters ever in Germany.

For his Olympic bronze medal Behm was awarded the Silver Bay Leaf in 1993, Germany’s highest sport award. He later turned to coaching, training among others his son Robert “Robby” Behm. Andreas Behm died in December 2021 after a long battle with cancer.