Heinrich Keimig

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 • 2}

Club career

Olympedia records his affiliation as Militär-SV Darmstadt.¹

1936 Berlin Olympics

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 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

Germany 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.^{1 • 2} Austria took silver and Switzerland bronze.²

Keimig was the second-choice goalkeeper behind Heinz Körvers and played just one match, the game against Hungary on 10 August 1936; he scored no goals.^{1 • 4 • 3} The squad of 22 players was coached by Otto Kaundynia.²

World War II

During the Second World War Keimig served as a Feldwebel and was severely wounded in North Africa in September 1941.

Commemoration

Keimig 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

Birth year discrepancy

Most reference works give 12 June 1913 as Keimig's birth date, including Olympedia and the German-language biographical record.¹ A 2026 report by HSG Worms on the medal named after him states he was born in 1912.⁵

References

1. Olympedia – Heinrich Keimig
2. International Handball Federation – The Medal Winners at Olympic Games (Berlin 1936)
3. Olympedia – Field Handball, Men (Berlin 1936)
4. Olympedia – Field Handball, Men, Match #1 (Germany–Hungary, 10 August 1936)
5. HSG Worms – Wormser Handball ehrt verdiente Persönlichkeiten mit der Heinrich-Keimig-Medaille

Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026

© 2026 Biostate AI. Free to use with credit under the Edgepedia Community License. Embed a reference card.