Rainer Schmidt
Rainer Schmidt ( born August 1, 1948 in Long Meadows ) is a former German ski jumper.
Career
Schmidt won the 1966 jumping at the Youth Spartakiade. But after he had to pause for some time in the sequence due to an injury, he could be included in the GDR national squad until 1968. At GDR Ski Championships 1968 in Oberhof, he secured with the team silver medal. His first Four Hills Tournament 1968/69 ended Schmidt on rank 25 of the tour overall standings.
At GDR Ski Championships 1969 in Upper Wiesenthal, he won the team title and therefore the gold medal. In the Four Hills Tournament 1969/70 Schmidt was able to significantly improve over the previous year. So he jumped in Oberstdorf and Garmisch -Partenkirchen twice on a good 14th place, before he surprised on the Bergiselschanze in Innsbruck sixth. In Bischofshofen he stood by rank two on the Paul- Ausserleitner hill for the first time on the podium.
In the Nordic World Ski Championships 1970 in Štrbské Pleso he jumped from the large hill with jumps of 84 and 98.5 meters on the 28th place. From the normal hill he took after jumps 77 and 76 meters on points with Karel Kodejška at the end of 20th Rank In the GDR Ski Championships 1970 in Brotterode little later he missed fourth of the normal hill and sixth from the large hill just a medal. In the Four Hills Tournament 1970/71 he did not start then the team of East Germany. Only the Four Hills Tournament 1971/72 he returned to the national team and jumped as second in the opening event at Innsbruck again on the podium. However, he could not repeat this performance in the following jumping and then ended the tour only ranked 16 overall. Even before the tour, he had won earlier in the year at the East German Ski Championships 1971 in Johanngeorgenstadt his first GDR Champion title on the large hill. From the normal hill, he also won silver.
At the Olympic Winter Games Sapporo in 1972 he won the bronze medal on the large hill. From the normal hill he was previously bound only ranked 15. The following Four Hills Tournament 1972/73 he played his successful tour. He won the competition in Oberstdorf and Garmisch- Partenkirchen and stood in second in Innsbruck on the podium. After a 12th place in Bischofshofen, he finished finally the first rank in the tour - Appreciation.
This success Schmidt was not able. At GDR Ski Championships 1973 in forging field, he missed two fourth places a new medal.
In the Ski Flying World Championships 1975, Schmidt secured once the silver medal. In 1976, he finished after he did not get a spot at the Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck in 1976, eventually his active ski jumping career.
Today, Schmidt has worked as a successful country - and youth coach in Oberhof.