Canoe slalom events – held on the canoe slalom course of Augsburg – appeared at the Olympics for the first time in 1972 (and for the last time until 1992). Rolf-Dieter Amend partnered with Walter Hofmann in the Canadian doubles and won the gold medal as the reigning World runners-up in the C-2, defeating reigning World Champions and teammates from East Germany Jürgen Kretschmer and Klaus Trummer, who came in a disappointing fourth. Amend and Hofmann also won the World Championships as members of the C-2 team in 1971 and 1975. In 1969, 1972 and 1975 they also claimed East German titles.
After his active career Amend graduated as a sports teacher and became a successful canoe coach. He started coaching at ASK Vorwärts Potsdam and after reunification became German national coach for kayak race canoeing in 1991, a position he held until 2008. In 2008, he was named Coach of the Year by the German Sports Association. He was also a member of the German Canoe Slalom Hall of Fame.
East Germany