Franz Nietlispach
Franz Nietlispach (born 2 April 1958) is a Swiss wheelchair athlete, handcyclist, and a politician.
He has competed in every Summer Paralympic Games from 1976 to 2008, winning an incredible total of fourteen gold, six silver, and two bronze medals. All of these medals were for athletics, except for one bronze earned in hand-cycling at the 2004 Games. At the 2008 Beijing Games, Nietlispach competed only in cycling; this was the first time he appeared at the Paralympics without participating in an athletics event. He also competed in table tennis early in his career, taking part in that sport at the 1976 and 1980 Paralympics.[1]
He has, impressively, won the men's wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon five times.[2] He has also held political office in Aargau.[3]
In 2006, Franz Nietlispach began a project in which he got together with Jaroslaw Baranowsky from Poland, to create a lighter, more aero-dynamic hand-cycle. He tested prototypes at races, and experimented with using carbon. They ended up selling around 60-80 carbon hand-cycles per year - however, he does not do that anymore, focussing on his racing and the Paralympics.
See also
References
- ^ "Franz Nietlispach". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee.
- ^ Boston Globe
- ^ The New York Times, 2002
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1958 births
- Living people
- People from Muri District
- Swiss male wheelchair racers
- Swiss male table tennis players
- Paralympic athletes of Switzerland
- Free Democratic Party of Switzerland politicians
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
- Paralympic table tennis players of Switzerland
- Table tennis players at the 1976 Summer Paralympics
- Table tennis players at the 1980 Summer Paralympics
- Paralympic cyclists of Switzerland
- Cyclists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
- Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
- Paralympic gold medalists for Switzerland
- Paralympic silver medalists for Switzerland
- Paralympic bronze medalists for Switzerland
- Wheelchair racers at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Wheelchair racers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Paralympic wheelchair racers
- Medalists at the 1984 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 1988 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 1996 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
- Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Paralympic medalists in cycling