Frank Henter
Frank Henter (full name Frank August Henter) is a German former swimmer from Dortmund who competed for West Germany in the 50 meters freestyle at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, finishing seventh in the final, and who set a European record in the 50 meters butterfly in 1988.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Olympic result | 7th, men's 50 m freestyle final, 1988 Seoul Olympics, 23.03 s (heat 22.98 s)1 |
| European record | 50 m butterfly, 24.61 s, set 22 July 1988 in Karlsruhe; listed as held from 22 July 1988 to 8 November 19902 |
| World Cup medals | Gold, 50 m butterfly, 24.49 (World Cup mark), and bronze, 100 m butterfly, 55.13, FINA Swimming World Cup 1988-1989, 15 December 1988, Canada3 |
| Clubs | SV Derne 49, Dortmund (home club); SG Hansa Dortmund affiliation at the Olympics2 |
| Later career | Founder and managing director of HenterPersonal, a personnel services company in Gummersbach4 |
Swimming career
Henter's home club was SV Derne 49 in Dortmund, and at the time of the 1988 Olympics his registered affiliation was SG Hansa Dortmund2. The club's own history places him alongside the swimmer Gerald Mörken with the long-serving club chairman August Henter in 19775. Olympedia records his measurements as 191 cm and 82 kg2.
German championships. Henter placed repeatedly at the German championships over the sprint freestyle and butterfly distances. The long-course results archive gives his championship times as 23.30 in 1987 and 22.93 in 1988, when Stephan Güsgen won in 22.876.
1988 Seoul Olympics
At the 1988 Summer Olympics Henter swam the 50 meters freestyle. In the final on 24 September 1988 he finished seventh in 23.03 seconds, having swum 22.98 seconds in the preliminary round1. Henter was the faster of the two West German entrants in the event; his compatriot Stephan Güsgen reached the B final and placed 14th7.
World Cup and European record
Henter's best results came on the short course. At the FINA Swimming World Cup 1988-1989 meet in Canada on 15 December 1988 he won the 50 m butterfly in 24.49 seconds, a World Cup mark, and took bronze in the 100 m butterfly in 55.13 seconds3. World Aquatics credits him with two AQUA and Olympic medals, one gold and one bronze3.
His 50 m butterfly time of 24.61 seconds, set on 22 July 1988 in Karlsruhe, is listed by Olympedia among Olympians who set a European record in long course swimming, with the record standing from 22 July 1988 to 8 November 19902.
Later career
After his swimming career Henter moved into personnel services. He spent more than two decades in the sector, including as regional director at Manpower responsible for more than 20 branches with more than 2,000 employees from 2002 to 2005, chairman of the management of the Tremonia and Profi group from 2006 to 2014, and managing director of stewe Personalservice from 2019 to 20218. In October 2021 he founded HenterPersonal, based in Gummersbach, which he runs with his wife and his eldest son8. The company reports around 6 internal and roughly 100 external employees and group revenue of 2.5 to 3 million euros9. A related company, Henter International GmbH & Co. KG, was registered on 18 October 2021 and recruits skilled workers from abroad for German companies10.
References
- Olympedia – 50 metres Freestyle, Men, 1988
- Olympedia – Frank Henter
- Frank HENTER, World Aquatics
- Impressum, HenterPersonal
- SV Derne 49 club magazine No. 169
- Deutsche Meisterschaften im Schwimmen, Langbahn (50 m)
- Olympedia – West Germany at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- Frank Henter, XING profile
- zvoove im Kundeneinsatz: Die Erfolgsgeschichte HenterPersonal
- Henter International GmbH & Co.KG, CompanyHouse
Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Water sports › Swimmers (biographies and medalists) › Freestyle swimmers › German freestylers
Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026
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