Ondrej Hekel

During his career, Ondrej Hekel was Czechoslovakia’s best weightlifter. For 12 years in a row, he won a national title (first in the lightweight, later middleweight), and he was named Czechoslovakian lifter of the year on three occasions. Internationally, his only overall medal came at the 1971 European Championships, where he placed third. In 1972, he was closed to the medals at the Olympics (doubling as the World Championships), placing 4th. But Hekel collected event medals in the snatch, winning twice at the Europeans and once at the World Championships (1971).