An iconic European all-rounder Kurt Bendlin has died (0)

IN MEMORIAM - Kurt  Bendlin  (1943 – 2024)

Kurt Bendlin, the charismatic West German decathlete of the 1960s, died last week at the age of 81...

Born on 22 May 1943 in Malente, Schleswig-Holstein, Kurt is only one year old when his mother flees among the ruins of war in search of food under the whistling bullets (his father dies in a Russian prison as a hostage of war). Bendlin tried several different sports in his youth, but finally his love for the Queen prevailed. Kurt was headed to the all-around already at 21, to boot in 1962 and his first appearances failed to impress anyone.....

For the first time, Bendlin exceeded 7,000 points in the 1964 Olympic Games year (7,110 in Salzburg), but they did not trust him to send him to the Tokyo Games. In the Japanese capital, the champion became another West German - Willi Holdorf..... And here in the post-Olympic 1965, Kurt has already collected (in Augsburg) an impressive sum of 7848 points (7748 according to the current table). This mark gives him second place in the world rankings for the year, just 11 points behind Ukraine's Storozhenko.....

Alas, fate tested him and he missed all of 1966 due to injuries. "Throughout my sports career, I underwent no less than 14 (!) Surgeries. My problem all along was that my strength was far greater than the durability of my joints and bones!”

Kurt Bendlin's instant of life became on May 13-14, 1967 in Heidelberg. At the qualifying contest to determine the selection of the FRG squad for the match against the USA & USSR, Bendlin competed brilliantly, setting a new world record of 8319 points (8235 according to the current table). Kurt run, jumped and threw under unusually high temperatures (38 degrees in the shade!) for this part of the year... That were Bendlin's achievements in the individual events: 100m 10.9; LJ 7.25; SP 15.08; HJ  1.78; 400 m 48.9 and on the second day 110 m hrudles. 15.6; DT 46.82; PV 4.30; JT 62.97 and 1500m 4:57.9min. In all his all-around events, Kurt is strongest in the throws, while in the high jump (straddle style) he occasionally managed to get more than 1.85m.....

Excited with great ambitions and hopes, Bendlin approached the Olympic year 1968 focused and determined. In July in Kassel, he again surpassed the eight thousand points (8086 points) and went to a training camp in the USA. But after all, it was there (in Flagstaff, Arizona ) that the disaster happened – during training at hurdles, Kurt stretched a thigh muscle. For six whole weeks, he hardly trained, but still managed to recover for Games...

In Mexico, Bendlin struggled like a lion in battle for the bronze medal and eventually climbed the podium of honor (third with 8064 points), just after the Olympic champion  Bill Toomey (USA) 8193 and runner-up Hans-Joachim Walde (FRG) 8111 points. The most suffering (because of the rarefied air and the high altitude in Mexico – 2248 m) for all decathletes were the ultimate 1500 meters. Finally Kurt almost collapsed after the final line – 5:09.8 min. The two Germans, Walde and Bendlin, at that time were graduates of the ubiquitous coach Friedel Schirmer, who for a while even coached the new champion Toomey... In general, Kurt throughout whole his career was guided by only two permanent coaches – Bert Sumser and Friedel Schirmer!

In the post-Olympic 1969, Bendlin again passed the “grossmeister” 8000 points - 8055 again in Augsburg. Two years later, in 1971, at the German all-around championship in Bonn, he was again the familiar warrior and hegemon - 8244. Kurt went to the European championship in Helsinki with the self-confidence of number one favorite. In the Finnish capital, Bendlin led after the penultimate event with mighty 7493 points (!). But unfortunately, on his second attempt at javelin throwing, he was seriously injured and could not complete the decathlon. The European champion (for the third time in a row) became Joachim Kirst (GDR) with 8196 points. And that even as Bendlin led him before the last 1500 m with 260 points!!!!.....

In 1972, the West Germans hosted the jubilee twentieth Olympic Games. However, the Olympics began without Bendlin, who watched the competitions on the television screen in the hospital room with his leg in a cast (ruptured Achilles tendon).

Kurt Bendlin's sporadic performances in the following years (only one completed decathlon - 7945 in 1974) nevertheless led to his preparation for third Olympics - that in Montreal in 1976. But at the German qualification in Dortmund in June, however, Bendlin finished only sixth (7849 points)...His last all-around contest (pentathlon) was in October 1977.

In 1966 Kurt married his youthful love, Martina, and their marriage gave birth to a daughter Nikola, and a son Kolja. He graduated in sports sciences in Paderborn and started working in a fitness center in his native Malente in West Prussia. Bendlin was also involved in various social projects and helped & advised many young people to get rid of alcohol and drugs and start playing sports. The motto, with which he used to work in social programs, has always been: "Never give up! Do everything by giving your best!”

On the occasion of the celebration of his 75th anniversary, Bendlin confessed: "For me, only the present moment is important. I live in the here and now and always as if it were the last day!”

In conclusion, here is what score Kurt Bendlin would collect from his personal bests in each of the decathlon's events: 100m 10.5; LJ 7.76; SP 16.07; HJ 1.88; 400m 47.9; 110 m hurdles 14.5; DT 49.28; PV 4.70; JT 79.36 and 1500m 4:18.0 min. That would meant an impressive total of 8791 points!

Alexander Vangelov