Sports Physician - Athlete 1955
1955
Belgian Toon Claes (1955-) graduated from the Catholic University of Leuven in 1980 and specialized there in Orthopedic Surgery. As Head of Orthopedics at the Sint-Elizabeth Hospital in Herentals, he was also the chairman of Sporta and of the Flemish Cycling School. He became European champion in the individual pursuit and kilometer time trial in the competition for medics. But he became most well-known with the Ventourist competition, where the participants had to climb the Mont Ventoux as often as possible in 24 hours. With ten climbs, Toon Claes improved the existing record.
1955
Gordon Downie (1955) won the bronze medal with the British swimming team 4 x 200m freestyle at the 1976 Olympics in Montréal. Although he was born in the United States and he also studied at the University of Michigan, he was allowed to compete for Great Britain because his father was a Scot. At the 1975 World Cup in Cali, Colombia, he won the silver medal with the British relay teams at 4 x 200m free style and the bronze medal at 4 x 100m medley. After studying Medicine he specialized in Pulmonology and started to practice in the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.
1955
Born in New Zealand, Canadian Hugh Fisher (1955) took part as a kayaker in three Olympiads. In Los Angeles he won the gold medal in the K-2 1,000m and the bronze medal in the K-2 2,500m. At the 1982 World Championships he finished second in the K-2 1,000m and at the 1983 World Championships he won the bronze medal in the K-2 2,500m. He graduated as a medical doctor and specialized in sports medicine. He joined the Northlands Medical Clinic in Whistler, British Columbia.
1955
Roland Freund (1955-) was selected for the German water polo team that participated in the 1976 Olympics in Montréal. The team finished sixth, just like the year before at the World Championships. At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Germany won the bronze medal. In 1981 the European title was won and the following year the bronze medal at the World Championships. He first played with Aegir Uerdingen, but in 1978 he transfered to German champion Wasserfreunde Spandau 04 Berlin and with that team he won nine German titles and three European national champions cups. He graduated as a medical doctor and specialized in Orthopedic Surgery. He settled in Reininckendorf and became team physician at Spandau and the German national water polo team.
1955
Water polo player Andy Hoepelman (1955-) was called up for the 1976 Olympics in Montréal, where he won the bronze medal with the Dutch team. After his player career, he became an international referee. After obtaining his medical degree, he specialized in Internal Medicine and was appointed Professor of Internal Medicine & Infectious Diseases at Utrecht University Medical Center.
1955
East German Jan Hoffmann (1955-) became world champion figure skating in 1974 and 1980 at which he added four European titles. At the age of 12, he was selected for the first time to participate at the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble, with three more to follow and with the silver medal of 1980 in Lake Placid as a highlight. In addition, he obtained nine DDR titles. After graduating he specialized in Orthopedic Surgery and settled in Radeberg near Dresden
1955
In 1975 and 1976 Candace Jones (1955-) and her partner and future husband Don Fraser (1955-) won the Canadian figure skating championship. That last year they finished 14th at the Olympics in Innsbruck. After she graduated at McGill University in Montreal, she settled as a GP in Colchester, Vermont.
1955
At the 1975 World Championship in the Colombian capital Cali, Michael Kraus (1955-) finished sixth in the final of the 200m butterfly stroke. He also won the silver medal with the West German relay team 4 x 100m medley. The following year he was part of the same relay team who won the bronze medal at the Montreal Olympics and he also finished fifth in the 200m butterfly final. In 1977 he won the European title 200m butterfly and with the relay team the 4 x 100m medley. The following year, the German quartet captured the silver medal. He himself was seven times consecutively German champion in his favorite 200m butterfly. He graduated as a medical doctor and specialized in sports medicine. He accompanied the GermanTriathlon Union and married Dutch swimmer Annelies Maas (1960-).
1955
At the 1976 Olympics in Montréal, American Rodney Strachan (1955) won the 400m medley in a new world record. That time of 4.23.68 remained on the charts until 1978. Three years earlier at the World Cup in Belgrade he had won the silver medal in that event. He graduated from Southern Californian Medical School and specialized in Internal Medicine.
1955
In the late 70s, Austrian Gerda Winklbauer (1955-) was one of the most successful judokas worldwide. In 1979 she won the European title, the first of a series of five. The following year in New York she won the first World Cup for women. In 1981 she graduated and practiced for four years as a Sports Physician in Stockerau. From 1984 onwards she specialized in emergency medicine and worked in the hospital of her municipality. In between she also studied for nutrition specialist and in 1996 she obtained her diploma in Internal Medicine.
1955
David Young (1955-) was a member of the American rowing team and won national titles in 1968, 1969 and 1971. In 1980 he graduated from the University of Southern California as a physician and enrolled in the Air Force. Six years later he became Chief of the Clinical Medicine Division of the Air Training Command. Afterwards he became Vice Commander of the medical center of Keesler Air Force Base, in 1998 Command Surgeon of the Pacific Air Forces and in 2005 he was commanded by the 59th Medical Wing at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas as Brigade General.
