Gene Kotlarek
Robert Eugene "Gene " Kotlarek ( born March 31, 1940 in Duluth ) is a former American ski jumper.
Career
Kotlarek learned to ski jumping from his father George Kotlarek. At the age of 17, he won first national title. So a year later won by the youth title in 1958, the U.S. Junior Championship. Prior to its launch at the Olympic Winter Games in 1960 in Squaw Valley, he won a total of 14 jumping 11 and relied 10 new hill records. Finally, that he went as one of the hopes of the Americans in the games. However, he came in jumping on the normal hill only ranked 42
1963 Kotlarek won his first U.S. title. When Holmonkollen Ski Festival in the same year he narrowly missed out on his first podium as a fourth. In the Four Hills Tournament 1963/64, he jumped on the Schattenbergschanze in Oberstdorf on a good 14th place, before going on the Olympic Hill, Garmisch- Partenkirchen with fifth his best tour - single result. After Rank 13 Rank 30 in Innsbruck and in Bischofshofen, he finished his only tour on the 12th place on the tour overall standings. At the Olympic Winter Games in 1964 in Innsbruck, he landed on the normal hill on points with Niilo Halonen and Torbjørn Yggeseth in 14th place. From the large hill, it was enough to rank 24th in the year of the Games succeeded Kotlarek to set a new American record in Oberstdorf at the Heini Klopfer ski jump with 138 meters, who had nine years inventory.
After he again U.S. champion in 1967, he was injured during a difficult jump and had to end his ski jumping career. The following year he began to work as a coach of Americans. He held until 1970 this position.
1982 Kotlarek was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, where his father had been taken since 1968.