Hans Leutelt

After briefly taking up skiing Hans Leutelt turned to cycling in the early 1930s. As an amateur Leutelt achieved decent results in local races in and around Liberec in Czechoslovakia. By early 1936 he had joined the Achilles Žandov cycling club with the aim of qualifying for the Berlin Olympics. After finishing second in a couple of races, Leutelt then won a 130 km race to and from Pilsen to earn himself a place on the Olympic team. He competed in the road race in Berlin where he finished the course, but his time was not recorded. After the Games he rode in further races, both in his native Czechoslovakia and in Switzerland.

Tragically, Leutelt’s life was cut short only a few months after competing at the Olympics. In mid-December 1936 the press reported a story of an alleged poisoning of the Olympian, who was found in unconscious in his apartment in Sandau. Leutelt was taken to a hospital but died shortly after. He was only 22-years-old. Following an autopsy, the cause of death was determined to be due to organ failure because of over-training, or down to a hidden health defect.