West German Greco-Roman heavyweight wrestler Gerhard Himmel surprisingly won the silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, losing the final against Polish Andrzey Wroński by a 3-1 decision. Only three years earlier, Himmel was involved in a severe car accident and could not wrestle for almost a full year. He recovered to compete at Seoul and win a bronze medal at the 1989 Europeans and became World Champion the same year. Nationally, he won three titles from 1988-90.
Himmel studied economics with studies in Switzerland, China, and the United States. He then worked as a manager in a chemical corporation at Essen eventually becoming Vice-President for Procurement Base Petrochemicals.
West Germany