Fritz Kaufmann
Fritz Kaufmann ( born April 15, 1905 in Grindelwald, † January 1941 ) was a Swiss ski jumpers and Nordic combined. He was in the late 1920s and early 1930s were the best Swiss Springer, took part several times at the World Championships and 1932 Olympics in the Winter Games and won in addition to numerous other competitions twice jumping at the Swiss Championships. His biggest success was winning the silver medal at the World Championships 1931 in Oberhof.
Biography
Fritz Kaufmann began during his school days with the skiing and showed as a youngster already a strikingly clean jump style. When he first started in Engelberg in the class of Senior I at the Great Ski Race in Switzerland in 1925, he finished third in the ski jumping. Kaufmann became the best jumpers of Switzerland and won in 1929 and 1930, the ski jumping at the Great Ski Race Switzerland, the Swiss Ski Championships in Arosa, Engelberg. Official Swiss championships were awarded in ski jumping but only from 1934.
In February 1930 Kaufmann first participated at the Nordic World Ski Championships, which was held that year in Oslo. There he was the best Swiss and simultaneously prime Central Europeans behind a phalanx of Norwegians and Swedes, the 22th place in ski jumping. In December of the same year he jumped on the Mettenberg hill in Grindelwald a new hill record of 52 meters. In the coming months, followed by other victories in Davos, Murren, Gstaad, Zermatt, Wengen or in Thuringia Oberschönau. The highlight of his career was celebrating clerk at the Nordic World Ski Championships 1931 in Oberhof, when he takes on 57 and 56 meters behind Norwegian Birger Ruud won the silver medal with jumps. Kaufmann also launched in the Nordic combined, finished in the long run number 55 and the combination of jumping only rank 38, because although the Tagesbestweite of 60 meters achieved in the first jump, the jump but was not, which meant rank 23 in the final standings of the combination.
In winter 1931/32 Kaufmann won among others jumping in Andermatt, Davos and Zermatt. He also won the New Year's jumping on the Mettenberg jump. In February 1932 Kaufmann participated in the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid next Cesare Chiogna and Fritz make at this time in the United States as a ski instructor Steuri. First, the Springer merchant and Chiogna launched in the Nordic combined, so as to have an extra special preparation for the jump. Kaufmann won the combination of ski jumping and finished with 32 rank in the long run the 23th Place in the combination. In the subsequent special jumping businessman with widths of 63.5 and 65.5 meters, was sixth.
At the World Cup in 1933 in Innsbruck merchant could not attend because he had a few days previously injured during training in Kitzbühel. 1934 won Kaufmann among others, two jumping in Adelboden and Wengen, but at the World Cup 1934 in Sollefteå he was only on the 28th place in ski jumping. In January 1935 Kaufmann won two jumping on the Mettenberg hill in Grindelwald and the Lötschberg hill in Kandersteg. However, at the World Cup in February 1935 he was again unable to attend because he crashed during training in the High Tatras and suffered injuries to his shoulder and ankle. In July of 1935 Kaufmann won for the second time after 1931 at the summer ski race on the Jungfraujoch.
In January and February 1936 won businessman jumping in Adelboden, Montana, Grindelwald and St. Moritz. In Gstaad, he was in the same year Master of the Bernese Oberland, he also achieved in 1936 and 1937 on the Olympic hill in St. Moritz two second places, in the summer of 1937, a victory at the Jungfraujoch and at the end of the year another victory when Altjahrsspringen Grindelwald. For the Olympic Winter Games in 1936 and the World Cup 1937 he was, however, not selected by the Swiss Ski Association.
His last major international appearance was a merchant dispense then at the Nordic World Ski Championships 1938 in Lahti, but he crashed in the first jump and had the second because Skibruchs. Two weeks after this World Cup won clerk at the Swiss Championships in Wengen jumping in the age group I and in December 1938 he won again on the Olympic hill in St. Moritz. At the beginning of 1939, Kaufmann won among others jumping in Arosa, St. Moritz, Adelboden, Engelberg and Grindelwald. On February 19, 1939 he performed subsequent to the Grisons in Pontresina Ski Championships with his cousin Christian Kaufmann a double jump, but in which they clashed seriously at the outlet. Fritz Kaufmann suffered a upper jaw and broken ribs, Christian Kaufmann a break in the wrist and both a concussion. However, they soon recovered from this mishap and took further part in competitions. 1939 and 1940 achieved Fritz Kaufmann at the Altjahrsspringen on the Grindelwald Ski Jump Mette each second.
In January 1941, Kaufmann different from suicide from the life.
Achievements
Olympic Winter Games
- Lake Placid 1932: 6 ski jumping, Nordic combined 23
World Championships
- Oslo 1930: 22 jumping
- Oberhof 1931: second ski jumping, Nordic combined 39
- Sollefteå 1934: 28 jumping