Ewald Tilker

Ewald Tilker ( born November 3, 1911 in Herford, † September 8, 1998 in San Francisco ) was a German canoeist, who in 1936 won an Olympic silver medal.

Tilker launched for the canoe club Herford. He won the German championship in 1934 and one kayak together with Fritz Bondroit in double kayak respectively on the 1000 meter course. At the European Championships 1934 in Copenhagen Tilker also won on both routes. 1935 won Tilker and Bondroit again over 1000 meters, but lost in 1936 against Willi Horn and Erich Hanisch and only reached the second place. At the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin horn and Hanisch started in the 10,000 meters, while Bondroit and Tilker competed over 1000 meters. In the final, the Austrian Adolf Kainz and Alfons Dorfner winning ahead of the Swedish boat and the two Germans. The Swedish boat, however, was disqualified because it had the Germans hindered, so that Bondroit Tilker and received the silver medal.

Ewald Tilker a trained locksmith. After his sporting achievements, he received from the city of Herford a scholarship to finance his engineering studies.