Luan Krasniqi

Kosovo-born boxer Luan Krasniqi won the heavyweight bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics representing Germany. In 1994, he won the German national title, and in 1995 the prestigious Chemie Cup at Halle on Saale. At both the 1995 World Championships and Military World Championships he collected silver medals, losing to Cuban Félix Savón, and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Klychko, respectively.

In 1987 Krasniqi immigrated to Germany with his family. The year after the Atlanta Games, he turned professional with the German boxing stable Universum. His professional career, however, was repeatedly overshadowed by catastrophic defeats that remained inexplicable. In 2002, he became European Champion by beating René Monse. That same year, he inexplicably lost his title to the Polish non-Olympian Przemysław Saleta, retiring after round eight, although up to that point he had been clearly leading on points.

After his active career of 35 professional fights, Krasniqi became a co-commentator at boxing contests for German television channels. He occasionally appeared in German TV series. Krasniqi also became a supporter of the organization SOS Children’s Villages worldwide. He was awarded the Silver Bay Leaf, Germany’s highest sports award, in 1996.