{ "id": "ephs6twd6c", "slug": "heinrich-keimig", "title": "Heinrich Keimig", "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.team", "label": "Other team and ball sports", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.team" }, { "id": "play.team.court", "label": "Basketball and court team sports", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.team.court" }, { "id": "play.team.court.handball", "label": "Handball", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.team.court.handball" }, { "id": "play.team.court.handball.field-handball", "label": "Field handball", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.team.court.handball.field-handball" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.weu.t1800.play.team", "label": "Western Europe · 1800 to 1945: Other team and ball sports", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1800.play.team", "path": [ { "id": "geo.weu", "label": "Western Europe", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1800", "label": "Western Europe · 1800 to 1945", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1800" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1800.play", "label": "Sports, games, and recreation", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1800.play" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1800.play.team", "label": "Other team and ball sports", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1800.play.team" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Heinrich Keimig (1913–1966) was a German field handball goalkeeper who won the gold medal with the German national team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the only Olympic field handball tournament.", "snippet": "Heinrich Keimig (1913–1966) was a German field handball goalkeeper who won the gold medal with the German national team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the only Olympic field handball tournament.", "node": "play.team.court.handball.field-handball", "markdown": "# Heinrich Keimig\n\n**Heinrich Keimig** (12 June 1913 in Leiselheim, Worms, Germany – 15 January 1966 in Offenbach am Main) was a German field handball goalkeeper who won the gold medal with the German national team at the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, the only Olympic field handball tournament ever held.[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/32081) • [2](https://archive.ihf.info/upload/matchresuts/SReihe_Olympic_Games.pdf)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Born / died | 12 June 1913, Leiselheim (Worms), Rheinland-Pfalz; 15 January 1966, Offenbach am Main, Hessen[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/32081) |\n| Position | Goalkeeper; second choice behind Heinz Körvers on the 1936 Olympic team[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/32081) |\n| Olympic result | Gold, Field Handball, Men, Berlin 1936; played one match[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/32081) • [3](https://www.olympedia.org/results/34500) |\n\n## Club career\nOlympedia records his affiliation as Militär-SV Darmstadt.[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/32081)\n\n## 1936 Berlin Olympics\n[Field handball](https://www.edgepedia.org/field-handball), the eleven-a-side outdoor form of the game, appeared on the Olympic program once, at the 1936 Berlin Games, from 6 to 14 August, with six nations participating.[2](https://archive.ihf.info/upload/matchresuts/SReihe_Olympic_Games.pdf) Ten nations originally intended to enter, but Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden withdrew, leaving Germany, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Romania, and the United States.[3](https://www.olympedia.org/results/34500)\n\nGermany dominated the preliminary round, beating Hungary 22-0 and the United States 29-1, then won all three matches of the final round, including a 10-6 win over Austria in the deciding match played before a crowd of 100,000 in the [Olympic Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/olympic-stadium).[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/32081) • [2](https://archive.ihf.info/upload/matchresuts/SReihe_Olympic_Games.pdf) Austria took silver and Switzerland bronze.[2](https://archive.ihf.info/upload/matchresuts/SReihe_Olympic_Games.pdf)\n\nKeimig was the second-choice goalkeeper behind [Heinz Körvers](https://www.edgepedia.org/heinz-korvers) and played just one match, the game against Hungary on 10 August 1936; he scored no goals.[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/32081) • [4](https://www.olympedia.org/results/34502) • [3](https://www.olympedia.org/results/34500) The squad of 22 players was coached by Otto Kaundynia.[2](https://archive.ihf.info/upload/matchresuts/SReihe_Olympic_Games.pdf)\n\n## World War II\nDuring the Second World War Keimig served as a Feldwebel and was severely wounded in North Africa in September 1941.\n\n## Commemoration\nKeimig was a member of Turnverein 1863 e.V. Worms-Leiselheim. The medal recognizes people who have rendered special service to handball in Worms; recent honorees include Florian Stenner and Michael Hierse.[5](https://hsgworms.com/2026/05/wormser-handball-ehrt-verdiente-persoenlichkeiten-mit-der-heinrich-keimig-medaille/)\n\n## Birth year discrepancy\nMost reference works give 12 June 1913 as Keimig's birth date, including Olympedia and the German-language biographical record.[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/32081) A 2026 report by HSG Worms on the medal named after him states he was born in 1912.[5](https://hsgworms.com/2026/05/wormser-handball-ehrt-verdiente-persoenlichkeiten-mit-der-heinrich-keimig-medaille/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Olympedia – Heinrich Keimig](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/32081)\n2. [International Handball Federation – The Medal Winners at Olympic Games (Berlin 1936)](https://archive.ihf.info/upload/matchresuts/SReihe_Olympic_Games.pdf)\n3. [Olympedia – Field Handball, Men (Berlin 1936)](https://www.olympedia.org/results/34500)\n4. [Olympedia – Field Handball, Men, Match #1 (Germany–Hungary, 10 August 1936)](https://www.olympedia.org/results/34502)\n5. [HSG Worms – Wormser Handball ehrt verdiente Persönlichkeiten mit der Heinrich-Keimig-Medaille](https://hsgworms.com/2026/05/wormser-handball-ehrt-verdiente-persoenlichkeiten-mit-der-heinrich-keimig-medaille/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Handball › Field handball*\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/heinrich-keimig", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/heinrich-keimig.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": "\"Heinrich Keimig\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/heinrich-keimig. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Heinrich Keimig](https://www.edgepedia.org/heinrich-keimig)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/heinrich-keimig](https://www.edgepedia.org/heinrich-keimig). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Heinrich Keimig\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/heinrich-keimig. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Heinrich Keimig was a German field handball goalkeeper who won the gold medal with the German national team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the only Olympic field handball tournament." }