Günter Heßelmann

Günter Heßelmann was a distance runner who competed in the steeplechase at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. In his senior career at the national level from 1950-56 he never won a German title, but had four second-place finishes – 1951 cross-country and 10K, 1952 steeplechase, and 1953 5K; and four third-place finishes – 1950 5K, 1953 steeplechase, 1955 cross-country and steeplechase.

However, Heßelmann continued to compete as he got older and became among the world’s best in veteran’s competition, winning four World Championships in 1981 (1,500, 5,000, 10,000, cross-country), and three European Championships in 1980 (1,500, 5,000, 10,000). During his senior career he ran for SuS Dinslaken 09 (1950-52), VfB Lohberg (1953-56), and Sportfreunde Hamborn 07 (1960), but in veteran competition represented LG-Dinslaken-Walsum (1979-80) and SuS Dinslaken 09 (1981). Heßelmann worked as a janitor at the commercial vocational school in Dinslaken and died after a long period of illness at the age of 85 in September 2010.

Personal Best\: 3000S – 8:55.98 (1952).