Sven Thiele

Sven Thiele was a German freestyle super-heavyweight wrestler who participated in three consecutive Olympic Games. He finished sixth at Atlanta in 1996, seventh at Sydney in 2000, and ninth four years later at Athens. In 1995 Thiele won the silver medal at the World Championships and at the European Championships the following year. From 1999-2001, he added three bronze medals at the Europeans.

Domestically, Thiele won 17 consecutive national titles between 1992-2008. He later turned to coaching and was German freestyle national coach from 2013-16. In 2018, he became Austria’s chief national coach. Thiele trained as an electrical engineering and later became a schoolteacher. His son Erik also became a successful German wrestler.