Helmut Oblinger

Austrian whitewater canoeist Helmut Oblinger participated in five Olympic Summer Games between Atlanta 1996 and London 2012 without winning a medal. On each occasion he competed in the kayak singles and came an unfortunate fourth in 2000 as his best Olympic result. The highlights of his career included one World Championship medal (bronze 2003) and four European Championship medals (gold 2005, silver 2002 and bronze in 1996 and 2012).

Oblinger was world #1 in 2001 and 2005. In 2001, 2005, and 2008, he obtained third place in the overall World Cup. He also added several national titles. In 2006, Oblinger was awarded the Decoration of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria.

In 2016, Oblinger was appointed head coach of the Austrian national team. He was married to German canoeist Violetta Oblinger-Peters, the daughter of Wolfgang Peters, and they raised two sons.