Alfred Proksch

Who was Alfred Proksch?

Alfred Proksch was an Austrian Olympic athlete and graphic designer. The son of one of the co-founders of the Wiener Sport-Club, Proksch took an active interest in both athletics and graphic design from an early age. By the age of 19 he had started his own design company and would later become a founder, then president, of the Confederation of Austrian Graphic Designers. He was also a key figure in the founding of Icograda.

By the age of 17, Proksch was a champion pole vaulter and competed internationally, most notably placing 6th in the event at the 1936 Summer Olympics. He broke the Austrian record for the event on eight separate occasions. Even after turning 100, he continued to compete at the World's Masters Championships, often unopposed in his age bracket. Having won 14 gold medals at the games after 1994, he was considered the world's oldest active athlete. He was one of the last two known surviving track and field competitors from the 1936 Olympic Games to still be competing.