Horst Queck (†)

German ski jumping legend dies

Former Four Hills Tournament winner Horst Queck has died at the age of 81. As the Thuringian Ski Association confirmed with reference to his family, the four-time East German champion died on September 20.

September 30, 2025

From: dpa

Queck from Thuringia made ski jumping history when he won the Four Hills Tournament in the winter of 1969/70 – without a single stage victory. After finishing second in Oberstdorf, the first international podium finish of his career, he only finished tenth in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. But thanks to a second place in Innsbruck and fourth place in Bischofshofen, the jumper from SC Motor Zella-Mehlis secured the overall victory by just 2,8 points, ahead of Norwegian Björn Wirkola, who thus missed out on his fourth consecutive title.

Hill record in Innsbruck

Some of the top favorites also made mistakes, while Queck's jumps were stable. In Innsbruck, Queck also set a hill record of 99,0 meters, which wasn't broken until five years later.

In 1969, Queck became East German champion on the large hill, and in 1970 he won the titles on the normal and large hills. Shortly afterward, he suffered a serious fall during a ski jumping competition in Oberstdorf. He fractured the fourth cervical vertebra and spent several weeks in the hospital in Oberstdorf and Sonthofen.
End of career due to injuries

A year later, Queck ended his sporting career after a serious thigh injury, without a single international victory. He later worked as a coach, including serving for a time as assistant coach to head coach Reinhard Heß, who died on Christmas Day 2007.