Hans Günter Winkler

Who is Hans Günter Winkler?

Hans Günter Winkler is a retired German show jumping rider. He is the only show jumper to win five Olympic gold medals and seven total Olympic medals, and the only equestrian in any discipline to compete and win medals in six different Olympic Games.

In the 1950s and 1960s Winkler was one of Germany's most popular athletes. He won his first German championship in 1952, making him one of the favorites for the Olympic Games 1956.

1956 found the Equestrian Games in Stockholm, as the athletes and their horses were not allowed to travel to Melbourne due to quarantine restrictions. In the first round, Winkler pulled a groin muscle at the penultimate obstacle, after his mare took off early and threw him out of position. Despite the pain, Winkler decided to ride in the third round, as the German team would be eliminated without him. After he was given tranquilizers, Winkler found that he was comfortable sitting, but riding was difficult and painful. Any drugs that could reduce the pain enough to make him comfortable in the saddle would also reduce his mental capacity, and therefore he was only given black coffee before his ride to try to help reduce his dizziness and double-vision.