Henry Kaltenbrunn

In the years following the end of World War I Henry Kaltenbrunn became one of the best cyclists in South Africa. In 1920 Kaltenbrunn competed in the road race at the Antwerpen Olympics where he crossed the finish line in first place, ahead of Fernand Canteloube (FRA) in second and Harry Stenqvist (SWE) in third. The race contained many railroad crossings along the route, with any delays being subtracted from a rider’s overall time by the official judges. The South African celebration was short-lived, with Stenqvist upgraded to gold after being delayed by four minutes and one second. Kaltenbrunn took home silver, with Canteloube finishing with bronze.

In addition to the road race at the Antwerpen Games, Kaltenbrunn also competed on the track, winning bronze as part of the 4,000 metres team pursuit. The South African team beat Canada in the round one heats, setting an Olympic record in the process, before losing to the eventual gold medallists Italy in the semi-finals. After the Olympics, Kaltenbrunn was part of a South African tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1921 and 1922, where he won more than 20 races. Back home in South Africa he also won multiple track titles.

Kaltenbrunn made his second appearance at the Olympics for the 1924 Games in Paris, with him being the lone cyclist to represent South Africa. He once again competed in the road race, this time finishing 11th out of the 77 cyclists who started. Kaltenbrunn also took part in the 50 kilometres race on the track but did not finish the race.