{ "id": "epagrh9md1", "slug": "bernd-baumgart", "title": "Bernd Baumgart", "updated": "2026-10-25", "topic_path": [ { "id": "play", "label": "Sports, games, and recreation", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play" }, { "id": "play.individual", "label": "Individual sports and outdoor recreation", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.individual" }, { "id": "play.individual.water", "label": "Water sports", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.individual.water" }, { "id": "play.individual.water.rowing.people", "label": "Rowers and coxswains", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.individual.water.rowing.people" }, { "id": "play.individual.water.rowing.people.german-and-east-german-rowers", "label": "German and East German rowers", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.individual.water.rowing.people.german-and-east-german-rowers" }, { "id": "play.individual.water.rowing.people.german-and-east-german-rowers.east-german-rowers", "label": "East German rowers", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.individual.water.rowing.people.german-and-east-german-rowers.east-german-rowers" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.eeu.t1946.play.individual.water.rowing.people.german-and-east-german-rowers", "label": "Eastern Europe · 1946 to 2000: German and East German rowers", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t1946.play.individual.water.rowing.people.german-and-east-german-rowers", "path": [ { "id": "geo.eeu", "label": "Eastern Europe", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t1946", "label": "Eastern Europe · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t1946.play", "label": "Sports, games, and recreation", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t1946.play" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t1946.play.individual", "label": "Individual sports and outdoor recreation", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t1946.play.individual" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t1946.play.individual.water", "label": "Water sports", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t1946.play.individual.water" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t1946.play.individual.water.rowing.people", "label": "Rowers and coxswains", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t1946.play.individual.water.rowing.people" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t1946.play.individual.water.rowing.people.german-and-east-german-rowers", "label": "German and East German rowers", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t1946.play.individual.water.rowing.people.german-and-east-german-rowers" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Bernd Baumgart (born 1955, Lutherstadt Wittenberg) is a retired East German rower, SC DHfK Leipzig, who won gold in the men's coxed eight at the 1976 Montreal Olympics in 5:58.29; retired 1979, became a sports teacher.", "snippet": "Bernd Baumgart (born 1955, Lutherstadt Wittenberg) is a retired East German rower, SC DHfK Leipzig, who won gold in the men's coxed eight at the 1976 Montreal Olympics in 5:58.29; retired 1979, became a sports teacher.", "node": "play.individual.water.rowing.people.german-and-east-german-rowers.east-german-rowers", "markdown": "# Bernd Baumgart\n\n**Bernd Baumgart** (born 1955 in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Sachsen-Anhalt) is a retired East German rower who won Olympic gold in the men's coxed eight at the 1976 Montréal Summer Games.[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37574) He competed for East Germany (GDR) and rowed for SC DHfK Leipzig, a sport club of the German University of Physical Culture.[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37574) • [2](https://www.olympedia.org/affiliations/2277)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Born | 1955, Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Sachsen-Anhalt[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37574) |\n| Club | SC DHfK, Leipzig[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37574) |\n| Measurements | 190 cm / 84 kg[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37574) |\n| Olympic result | Gold, men's coxed eight, Montréal 1976, final time 5:58.29[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37574) • [3](https://www.olympedia.org/results/158723) |\n| National title | Coxless pairs, 1974, with Roland Kostulski (his only East German national title)[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37574) |\n| Retirement | 1979, for reasons of ill-health; became a sports teacher[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37574) |\n\n## The 1976 Olympic eight\n\nThe crew consisted of Bernd Baumgart, Gottfried Döhn, Werner Klatt, Roland Kostulski, Hans-Joachim Lück, Dieter Wendisch, Ulrich Karnatz, and Karl-Heinz Prudöhl, with Karl-Heinz Danielowski as coxswain.[3](https://www.olympedia.org/results/158723) • [4](https://odp.mjchost.com/mobilexhtml/results/1976c-row.htm)\n\nEast Germany entered the event as the favorite, having won the men's eight at the final European Championships (the tournament was discontinued after 1973) and at the 1975 World Championships.[3](https://www.olympedia.org/results/158723) In the opening round on 18 July 1976 the crew won its heat in 5:32.17, an Olympic record that broke the mark Australia had set earlier the same day.[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37574) • [3](https://www.olympedia.org/results/158723) In the final on 25 July the East German boat won in 5:58.29, nearly three seconds ahead of Great Britain (6:00.82), with New Zealand taking bronze in 6:03.51.[3](https://www.olympedia.org/results/158723) • [4](https://odp.mjchost.com/mobilexhtml/results/1976c-row.htm)\n\nThe gold was one of nine rowing titles East Germany won at Montréal, where GDR crews took 14 of 42 rowing medals.[5](https://mcubed.net/oly/summer/years/y1976srowing.shtml)\n\n## Career before and after Montréal\n\nIn 1974, rowing for SC DHfK Leipzig, Baumgart finished as East German vice-champion in the coxless pair together with [Roland Kostulski](https://www.edgepedia.org/roland-kostulski); the pair went on to win the 1974 national title, the only East German championship of Baumgart's career.[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37574)\n\nIll-health forced him to end his career early, in 1979, and he later worked as a sports teacher, at a vocational school in Bernau according to the German-language account.[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37574) SC DHfK Leipzig has included him in its \"Club der Legenden\" (Club of Legends) honoring the club's Olympic medalists.[6](https://scdhfk.de/club-der-legenden/)\n\n## Namesakes\n\nBernd Baumgart should not be confused with other athletes of similar name: Bernd Baumgartner, an Austrian HYROX athlete whose best recorded time is 1:03:24,[7](https://www.rox-coach.com/athletes/bernd-baumgartner) and the wrestler [Bruce Baumgartner](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruce-baumgartner), an American Olympic medalist in four consecutive Games from 1984 to 1996.[8](https://usopm.org/bruce-baumgartner/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Olympedia – Bernd Baumgart](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37574)\n2. [Olympedia – SC DHfK, Leipzig (GER)](https://www.olympedia.org/affiliations/2277)\n3. [Olympedia – Eights, Men (Montréal 1976 results)](https://www.olympedia.org/results/158723)\n4. [Montréal 1976 – Rowing results](https://odp.mjchost.com/mobilexhtml/results/1976c-row.htm)\n5. [mcubed.net – 1976 Rowing medal counts](https://mcubed.net/oly/summer/years/y1976srowing.shtml)\n6. [SC DHfK Leipzig – Club der Legenden](https://scdhfk.de/club-der-legenden/)\n7. [Rox-Coach – Bernd Baumgartner, HYROX athlete](https://www.rox-coach.com/athletes/bernd-baumgartner)\n8. [U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame – Bruce Baumgartner](https://usopm.org/bruce-baumgartner/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Water sports › Rowers and coxswains › German and East German rowers › East German rowers*\n\n*Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/bernd-baumgart", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/bernd-baumgart.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Bernd Baumgart\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/bernd-baumgart. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Bernd Baumgart](https://www.edgepedia.org/bernd-baumgart)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/bernd-baumgart](https://www.edgepedia.org/bernd-baumgart). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Bernd Baumgart\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/bernd-baumgart. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Bernd Baumgart is a retired East German rower, SC DHfK Leipzig, who won gold in the men's coxed eight at the 1976 Montreal Olympics in 5:58.29; retired 1979, became a sports teacher." }