Freestyle bantamweight wrestler Hans-Dieter Brüchert performed really well at the 1976 Montréal Olympics, winning the silver medal. He lost only to the eventual champion, the Soviet Vladimir Yumin, by a decision. At the 1974 World Championships, Brüchert won a bronze medal, and at the Europeans that year won silver, and bronze in 1976.
In 1974-75 and 1978 Brüchert won the East German national title. By profession, he graduated as a school teacher in 1978 after studying at the DHfK Leipzig sports. From 1980-81 he was head of the training centre at Potsdam.