Eberhard Gienger

West German gymnast Eberhard Gienger was the founder of a flying element on the horizontal bar named after him (“Gienger-Salto”). In the 1970s he was the most prominent and most popular gymnast in West Germany, and in 1974 and 1978 was elected Sportsman of the Year. Gienger finished fifth with the team at the 1972 München Olympics. Individually he placed 14th and failed to reach the finals in all individual events. In 1976 at Montréal, Gienger won a bronze medal on the horizontal bar, his favorite apparatus. Again, the team came in fifth and Gienger placed 16th in the individual all-around.

Domestically, Gienger won 34 national titles from 1971-81. He also won three European titles on the horizontal bar. His greatest moment came in 1974, when he won the World Championship on the horizontal bar. In 1978 and 1981 he added three more silver medals. Gienger was inducted into the International Gymnast Hall of Fame in 2007 and the German Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. He later was active in his passion – sky diving.

In 1975 Gienger helped Wolfgang Thüne, a fellow gymnast, flee from East Germany in his car. Gienger studied sports and became a graduated sports teacher, and he also studied Russian and English. He then worked in several positions as a sports marketing manager, at least in his own company. He also became a sports administrator, a member of the NOC of Germany, and technical commissioner in both the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the German Gymnastics Federation (DTB). In 2001 he joined the German right-winged political Party CDU and became a Member of Parliament in 2002. He became speaker of the working group for sports and volunteer work.