Siegfried Brietzke

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Siegfried Brietzke

| image = Siegfried Brietzke 1974.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Brietzke in 1974

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|6|12|df=y}}

| birth_place = Rostock, East Germany{{Cite sports-reference |title = Siegfried Brietzke |url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/br/siegfried-brietzke-1.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200417235715/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/br/siegfried-brietzke-1.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = 17 April 2020 |access-date = 18 February 2018 }}

| death_date =

| death_place =

| residence =

| education =

| alma_mater =

| occupation =

| years_active =

| spouse =

| height = 192 cm

| weight = 90 kg

| sport = Rowing

| club = SC DHfK Leipzig

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry | {{GDR}} }}

}}

Siegfried Brietzke (born 12 June 1952) is a German rower. He competed for East Germany, first in coxless pairs, together with Wolfgang Mager, and then in coxless fours. In these events he won Olympic gold medals in 1972, 1976 and 1980, as well as four world championships in 1974–1979.

Rowing career

Brietzke responded to a television programme screened at Christmas 1967 where tall boys were sought as rowers, and he joined SC DHfK Leipzig in response.{{cite web |title= Siegfried Brietzke |url= http://www.worldrowing.com/athletes/athlete/1403/results/ |publisher=International Rowing Federation |access-date=18 February 2018}}{{cite web|title=Siegfried Brietzke|url=https://www.munzinger.de/search/portrait/Siegfried+Brietzke/1/50206.html|publisher=Munzinger-Archiv|access-date=18 February 2018}} After training for just three years, he won a gold medal with Wolfgang Mager and cox Werner Lehmann at the 1970 World Rowing Junior Championships in Ioannina in the coxed pair.{{cite web |title= (JM2+) Junior Men's Coxed Pair – Final |url= http://www.worldrowing.com/events/1970-world-junior-championships/junior-mens-coxed-pair/final/ |publisher=International Rowing Federation |access-date=18 February 2018}} At the 1971 East German national championships, he came second in the coxless four.{{cite web | first=Wilfried | last=Hoffmann |title=DDR-Rudermeisterschaften: Vierer-ohne – Männer (Plätze 1–3) | url= http://www.rrk-online.de/rudern/chronrudern/ddrmeist/ddr-m-vo.htm | publisher= Rüsselsheimer Ruder-Klub 08 |access-date=18 February 2018 | language=de}}

At the 1972 Summer Olympics, Brietzke and his partner Mager won the gold medal in the coxless pair event. Mager and Brietzke won the East German national championship in the coxless pair in 1973,{{cite web | first=Wilfried | last=Hoffmann |title=DDR-Rudermeisterschaften: Zweier-ohne – Männer (Plätze 1–3) | url= http://www.rrk-online.de/rudern/chronrudern/ddrmeist/ddr-m-zo.htm | publisher= Rüsselsheimer Ruder-Klub 08 |access-date=18 February 2018 | language=de}} but a few weeks later at the 1973 European Rowing Championships in Moscow they came fourth only in this boat class.{{cite web |title= (M2-) Men's Pair – Final |url= http://www.worldrowing.com/events/1973-european-championships/mens-pair/final/ |publisher=International Rowing Federation |access-date=18 February 2018}}

At the 1974 East German national championships, Brietzke, Mager, Stefan Semmler, and Andreas Decker became champions in two boat classes: in the coxless four, and in the coxed four assisted by coxswain Matthias Sommer.{{cite web | first=Wilfried | last=Hoffmann |title=DDR-Rudermeisterschaften: Vierer-mit – Männer (Plätze 1–3) | url= http://www.rrk-online.de/rudern/chronrudern/ddrmeist/ddr-m-vm.htm | publisher= Rüsselsheimer Ruder-Klub 08 |access-date=18 February 2018 | language=de}} They went to the 1974 World Rowing Championships in Lucerne as a coxless four and won gold.{{cite web | first = Karlheinz | last = Heckert |url=http://www.sport-komplett.de/sport-komplett/sportarten/r/rudern/hst/82.html |title=Rudern – Weltmeisterschaften. Vierer ohne Steuermann |trans-title=Rowing – World Championships. Coxless four |language=de |website=Sport-Komplett.de}} Brietzke, Mager, Semmler, and Decker won the national coxless four event every year until 1979. The four won the 1975 World Rowing Championships in Nottingham,{{cite web |title= (M4-) Men's Four – Final |url= http://www.worldrowing.com/events/1975-world-championships/mens-four/final/ |publisher=International Rowing Federation |access-date=18 February 2018}} the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal,{{cite web |title= (M4-) Men's Four – Final |url= http://www.worldrowing.com/events/1976-olympic-games/mens-four/final/ |publisher=International Rowing Federation |access-date=18 February 2018}} the 1977 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam,{{cite web |title= (M4-) Men's Four – Final |url= http://www.worldrowing.com/events/1977-world-championships/mens-four/final/ |publisher=International Rowing Federation |access-date=18 February 2018}} but were beaten to second place by the team from the Soviet Union at the 1978 World Rowing Championships in Cambridge, New Zealand.{{cite web |title= (M4-) Men's Four – Final |url= http://www.worldrowing.com/events/1978-world-championships/mens-four/final/ |publisher=International Rowing Federation |access-date=18 February 2018}} They won gold again at the 1979 World Rowing Championships in Bled,{{cite web |title= (M4-) Men's Four – Final |url= http://www.worldrowing.com/events/1979-world-championships/mens-four/final/ |publisher=International Rowing Federation |access-date=18 February 2018}} and won a further Olympic gold in 1980 in Moscow, but with Jürgen Thiele having replaced Wolfgang Mager.{{cite web |title= (M4-) Men's Four – Final |url= http://www.worldrowing.com/events/1980-olympic-games/mens-four/final/ |publisher=International Rowing Federation |access-date=18 February 2018}} After the Moscow Olympics, Brietzke was the only sports person that year to be awarded the Patriotic Order of Merit in gold with honour clasp, the highest sports award of the GDR.{{cite news |title=Hohe Auszeichnungen verliehen |url=http://zefys.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/ddr-presse/ergebnisanzeige/?purl=SNP26120215-19800822-0-4-27-0 |access-date=18 February 2018 |work=Berliner Zeitung |volume=36 |issue=198 |date=22 August 1980 |page=4 |language=de |url-access=registration |archive-date=18 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218024153/http://zefys.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/ddr-presse/ergebnisanzeige/?purl=SNP26120215-19800822-0-4-27-0 |url-status=dead }}

Post-rowing life

Brietzke is married and has a son, born in 1974.

In 2013, it was revealed that Brietzke was a member of the Stasi, the state security service of the German Democratic Republic. Under the codename "Charlie", his role was to control other athletes and report those with "deviant thinking".{{cite news |title=Perfektes Dopen mit der Stasi |url= https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/meldung100924.html |access-date=18 February 2018 |work=Tagesschau | trans-title=Perfect doping with the Stasi |date=3 August 2013 |language=de}}

References

{{Commons category-inline|Siegfried Brietzke}}

Category:1952 births

Category:Living people

Category:Rowers from Rostock

Category:East German male rowers

Category:Olympic rowers for East Germany

Category:Rowers at the 1972 Summer Olympics

Category:Rowers at the 1976 Summer Olympics

Category:Rowers at the 1980 Summer Olympics

Category:Olympic gold medalists for East Germany

Category:Olympic medalists in rowing

Category:World Rowing Championships medalists for East Germany

Category:Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics

Category:Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics

Category:Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics

Category:Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit (honor clasp)

Category:Stasi informants