60 years after Tokyo: Olympic stars Hastik and Querch combined in Breitenfurt

60 years after Tokyo: Olympic stars Hastik and Querch combined in Breitenfurt

On October 18, 2024, there was a very special meeting in Breitenfurt during the team league team fight between the SVS Schwechat and AC Feldkirchen. On this day, two outstanding athletes met 60 years ago in the Tokyo Olympics: Gerhard Hastik and Udo Querch. The joint get -together recalled the glorious days of the Olympics and the successes that the athletes could achieve at the time.

Udo Querch, the Styrian, competed in heavyweight over 90 kg exactly 60 years ago, while Gerhard Hastik played his competitions up to 82.5 kg two days earlier. Both athletes not only showed impressive performance in the weightlifting, but also left lasting traces in the Austrian sports scene. The now deceased Kurt Herbst, who took up to 90 kg in the middle heavyweight class and ranked 10, would also have been part of this special memory moment.

The performance of Gerhard Hastik

Gerhard Hastik, born on June 1, 1939, achieved a total output of 397.5 kg in TOKTIG in Tokyo in 1964, which brought him 18th place. Olympic champion Rudolf Plyukfeld set a new Olympic record with 475 kg. He started Hastik's career at HSV Milon in St. Pölten in 1955 before moving to SK Vöest Linz in 1958. In total, he became a team of the team four times and three times the state champion in the general class. At the European Championships, he was able to reach fifth place in Moscow in 1964 and was active at World Championships four times. His impressive talent meant that he set 19 Austrian records and is still one of the largest in weightlifting.

Udo Querch and its Olympic memories

Udo Querch, born June 16, 1941, was also a pioneer in his sport. He competed in heavyweight (+90 kg) and also achieved an 18th place with an output of 442.5 kg. His Olympic champion was the legendary Leonid Zhabotinsky, who secured first place with a world record of 572.5 kg. Querch started his career at Vorwärts Graz in 1957 before moving to the KSV press tree in 1965. He was able to become an Austrian champion ten times in his career and was at the start three times at World Championships, with his best rank of ninth place in 1963 in Stockholm.

The meeting in Breitenfurt was not only a nostalgic review, but also led to an emotional appreciation of the two sports sizes. Gerhard Peya, President of the Austrian Weightlover Association (ÖGV), and the chairman of the AC ASKÖ Feldkirchen presented the former Olympic participants a souvenir to honor their great performance and keep the memories of past success.