Gerd Heßler

Gerd Heßler was an East German cross-country skier who won a 1974 World Championship title in the 4x10 km relay. Four years earlier the relay had won a silver medal. At the Olympics, Heßler came in sixth with 1972 Sapporo relay, and did not finish the 1976 relay, as the GDR relay team did not finish because Axel Lesser collided on the second leg with an unknown person and was injured. The team refused to protest because they did not know who to protest against, nor did anybody witness the incident. Individually, Heßler finished 18th over 30 km in 1972 as his best result.

Heßler won individual East German titles in the 40 km event in 1975, in the 15 km event in 1976, and in the 30 km event in 1977, adding eight relay titles. He later married his teammate Monika Debertshäuser but they later divorced. He started coaching until German reunification, and then managed an insurance agency.