Klaus Kater

Goalkeeper Klaus Kater belonged to the West German handball team that finished sixth after losing the match for fifth place 17-16 against the Soviet Union at the 1972 München Olympics. He won 71 international caps. Kater became well-known for positioning himself at the 7-metre free throw line, blocking the shooter, and decreasing his view of the goal. This soon became standard practice, which caused a rule change stating that the defender could not position himself within three metres of the free throw line.

Domestically, Kater played with VfL Gummersbach from 1966-76 and helped them to win the West German Championship in 1967, 1969 and 1973-76. The team also won the European Champions Cup in 1967, 1970-71 and 1974. In 1967, he was awarded the Silver Bay Leaf, Germany`s highest sports award. He later moved to Bayer Leverkusen. By profession, he was a trained toolmaker working with a Bayer company.