Martin Zawieja

Martin Zawieja was a super-heavyweight lifter who won the bronze medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics representing West Germany. He then finished ninth four years later at Barcelona, by then representing re-unified Germany. At the 1991 World Championships he won another bronze medal. Nationally, he won the German title three times in 1984, 1990-91.

After his active career Zawieja turned to coaching and graduated from the Deutsche Sporthochschule in Köln in 1995. In 1997 and 1999 he was German Champion with his club AC Soest. From 2001-06 he became national youth coach and from 2002-05 was also national coach of the women’s weightlifting team. From 2011-14 Zawieja was the strength training coach for the men’s national handball team. He also had stints with the Austrian national wrestling team and the Luxembourg Olympic team.

Beside his coaching Zawieja started a career as a lecturer for strength training for national teams in basketball, ice hockey, badminton, rowing, hockey, handball, fencing, soccer, cycling, skeleton, bobsleigh and sledge, inline, short-track speedskating, table tennis and swimming. He also published several books about strength training.