Ronny Weller

Like his teammate Ingo Steinhöfel, German weightlifter Ronny Weller participated in five consecutive Olympics between 1988-2004. Hungarian Imre Földi, from 1960-76, was the only other lifter to appear in five consecutive Games.

Weller was a heavyweight lifter who won four Olympic medals. He won bronze in 1988, gold in 1992, and silver in both 1996 and 2000. In 2004, he suffered a torn tendon, which preventing him from realising his dream of becoming the first weightlifter to win five Olympic medals. At World Championships, Weller won gold in 1993, and silvers in 1991, 1995, and 1997. In total, he won 49 international medals and set 11 world records. In 1998, 2002 and 2005 he also won the European Championships, and additionally won three silvers (1993, 1999, 2000) and two bronze medals (1988, 2004).

In 1989 Weller and his girlfriend were in an accident when the car they were travelling in left the road in wet conditions. He was in a coma for almost a week. Sadly, his girlfriend died at the scene of the accident. Remarkably, Weller survived. After German re-unification, Weller moved to Duisburg, and later to Mutterstadt and then Koblenz. He started correspondence courses in sports management and also worked in Koblenz for Lotto Rhineland-Palatinate in the sponsorship division.