Gerardo Bönnhoff

Gerardo Bönnhoff
Bönnhoff in El Gráfico, 1947
Personal information
BornGerhard Bönnhoff Koch
(1926-06-24)June 24, 1926
DiedDecember 26, 2013(2013-12-26) (aged 87)
Sport
SportSprint (running)
Event(s)
100 metres, 200 metres, 4 × 100 metres relay
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals6th place, 200 metres, 1952 Summer Olympics
Gerardo Bönnhoff
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Argentina
Pan American Games
1951 Buenos Aires 4x100 m relay
South American Championships
1947 Rio de Janeiro 100 m
1947 Rio de Janeiro 200 m
1947 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 metres relay
1949 Lima 4×100 metres relay
1952 Buenos Aires 200 m
1952 Buenos Aires 100 m
1952 Buenos Aires 4×100 metres relay
1952 Buenos Aires 4×400 metres relay}
1956 Santiago 100 m
1956 Santiago 200 m
1956 Santiago 4×100 metres relay
1956 Santiago 4×400 metres relay

Gerardo Bönnhoff Koch (born Gerhard Bönnhoff Koch;[1] 24 June 1926 – 26 December 2013) was a German-born Argentine athlete who competed mainly in sprinting.[2]

Born in Berlin, his family moved to Argentina when Bönnhoff was 10 years old.[3] In 1947, at the age of 21, he became an Argentine citizen and legally changed his name from Gerhard to Gerardo.[1] He excelled at the 100m and 200m, and in 1945 he became the 100m Junior South American record holder running in a time of 10.3 sec.[3]

He competed in the 100 m, 200 m and the 4 × 100 m, at the 1948 Summer Olympics but did not get past the 2nd round in any.[2] In 1951 he won the bronze medal at the Pan American Games held in Buenos Aires in the 4 × 100 m relay. He reached the final of the 200 m in the 1952 Summer Olympics and finished sixth.[2]

Bönnhoff was a co-founder of the Confederación Argentina de Atletismo, (CADA).[3]

He died on 26 December 2013 in Ciudad Jardín Lomas del Palomar, Buenos Aires.[2]

International competitions

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Argentina
1947 South American Championships Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 1st 100 m 11.0
2nd 200 m 22.3
1st 4 × 100 m relay 42.3
1948 Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 21st (qf) 100 m 11.09
4th (qf) 200 m NT
8th (h) 4 × 100 m relay 42.4
1949 South American Championships Lima, Peru 3rd (h) 100 m 11.2
3rd (h) 200 m 22.7
2nd 4 × 100 m relay 42.3
1951 Pan American Games Buenos Aires, Argentina 8th (sf) 100 m 11.3
4th 200 m 21.9
3rd 4 × 100 m relay 41.8
1952 South American Championships Buenos Aires, Argentina 2nd 100 m 10.8
1st 200 m 21.5
1st 4 × 100 m relay 41.4
2nd 4 × 400 m relay 3:18.0
Olympic Games Helsinki, Finland 6th 200 m 21.59
7th (sf) 4 × 100 m relay 41.4
1953 South American Championships (unofficial) Santiago, Chile 1st 100 m 10.9
1st 200 m 21.8
2nd 4 × 100 m relay 41.9
3rd 4 × 400 m relay 3:19.4
1955 Pan American Games Mexico City, Mexico 4th (sf) 200 m 21.3
4th 4 × 100 m relay 42.12
1956 South American Championships Santiago, Chile 2nd 100 m 10.7
3rd 200 m 10.7
2nd 4 × 100 m relay 41.5
3rd 4 × 400 m relay 3:16.8
1957 South American Championships (unofficial) Santiago, Chile 3rd 100 m 11.0
6th 200 m 22.4
2nd 4 × 100 m relay 41.6
World Festival of Youth and Students Moscow, Soviet Union (h) 100 m 11.1[4]
(h) 200 m 22.8[4]
1959 South American Championships (unofficial) São Paulo, Brazil 3rd 4 × 100 m relay 44.1
1960 Ibero-American Games Santiago, Chile 8th (sf) 200 m 21.7
5th 4 × 100 m relay 42.3
5th 4 × 400 m relay 3:18.5

Personal bests

  • 100 metres – 10.3h (Buenos Aire 1945)
  • 200 metres – 21.3h (Buenos Aires 1947), 21.59 (+1.0 m/s, Helsinki 1952)

References

  1. ^ a b "Gerardo Bönnhoff". Olympedia. OLYMadMen. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "Gerardo Bonnhoff". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-07-05.
  3. ^ a b c "Gerardo Bönnhoff, Goodbye". Damian Caceres. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  4. ^ a b Vinker, Luis. "Gerardo Bönnhoff y Eduardo Balducci cita en Moscú" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2026.