At the 1968 Olympics, track cyclist Jürgen Kissner replaced his injured team-mate Rainer Podlesch after the quarter-final. The team then reached the pursuit final against Denmark. The Germans always led and the race looked over when, after 9 of 12 laps, a Danish rider went off the back. However, they re-grouped but still trailed at the bell. The German team then began to split, with Jürgen Kissner dropping off the pace. As his teammate Karl Heinz Henrichs passed him, Kissner’s hand appeared to touch him, possibly giving him a slight push. Germany held on to win by 3½ seconds, but Kissner was an East German defector and East Germany immediately protested that the touch had been an illegal shove. After a 15-minute conference among the judges, West Germany was disqualified, and Italy and the Soviet Union were announced as the silver and bronze medal winners. FRG officials then protested, stating that Italy and the Soviets should not be placed ahead of their riders. Another long conference ensued, and the result was announced as Denmark first and Italy third. No silver medal placement was given until a meeting of the Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC, later the UCI) in November, when West Germany was awarded second place and their silver medals.
In 1960, Kissner was a substitute on the East German pursuit team at the Roma Olympics, but did not compete. He then won two East German national titles, with the pursuit team of TSC Berlin. He defected to the West during the 1964 inter-national qualifications, and won a silver (1966) and a bronze (1967) with the West German pursuit team at the World Championships. In 1967, he also won the West German national omnium title. After his active career, Kissner started a short coaching career as an assistant to his team-mate Udo Hempel, before becoming a sports and biology teacher in Cologne.
West Germany