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Eberhard Riedel, East Germany’s Leading Alpine Skier, Dies at 88

His 1961 Adelboden giant slalom win stood out in a career shaped by Cold War limits on DDR alpine sport.

Overview

  • Riedel, who died Sunday after a short, severe illness, was 88, his son Peter said in an online obituary.
  • The family will hold a small private funeral and asks for donations to ASC Oberwiesenthal instead of flowers or formal condolences.
  • He won the 1961 giant slalom at Adelboden in Switzerland and later raced at the 1960, 1964, and 1968 Olympics, placing 13th in the 1968 slalom.
  • France barred him and other East German athletes from the 1962 World Championships in Chamonix because it did not admit competitors from the Soviet bloc.
  • He left top-level racing after East Germany cut support for alpine skiing and then studied sports in Leipzig and coached in Oberwiesenthal, including work with ski-jumping star Jens Weißflog.