Sailor Bernd Jäkel participated in four Olympic Games, representing East Germany in 1980 and 1988 and re-unified Germany in 1992 and 1996. He only missed the 1984 Los Angeles Games due to the Soviet-led boycott. He won the gold medals in the Soling class in 1988 and in 1996. In 1980, he replaced Olaf Engelhardt in the Star boat in the fourth regatta when the boat finished eighth in the final standings. From 1985-96, Jäkel partnered with the famous duo Jochen Schümann and Thomas Flach in the Soling class.
Jäkel won the East German national Soling titles in the 1979, and 1982-83 with Flach and Wolf-Eberhard Richter. Flach, Jäkel and Schümann then won four consecutive national titles from 1987-90. At the European Championships, the crew won gold in 1986, 1988, 1993, and 1994, silver in 1985, 1987, and 1990, and bronze in 1989 and 1991. At the Worlds they won gold in 1992, silver in 1991, and bronze in 1986 and 1996. By profession, Jäkel became a graduated economist working for Daimler-Benz.
East Germany 
Germany