Willi Steputat

German wrestler Willi Steputat grew up in Berlin and became a member of SC Heros Berlin as a teenager. In 1911, he competed in the unofficial World Championships in Dresden in the <70 kg division and finished as a joint 4th. He then competed at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. As a wrestler in the Greco-Roman middleweight A division (≤75 kg), Steputat was eliminated in the 3rd round. Domestically, he was runner-up in the lightweight category in 1921 and eventually, in 1923, German lightweight champion.

In 1928 in Amsterdam Steputat was a member of the German official heavy athletics delegation, and in 1932 at the Los Angeles Olympic Games, he was a wrestling referee. In 1936 Steputat acted as spokesman for the Organizing Committee for heavy athletics. From 1926-40 he was – with short interruptions - sports manager for wrestling in the German Heavy Athletics Federation. During this time, freestyle wrestling was introduced and in 1934 German championships in this style were held for the first time.