UWW Live

UWW LIVE: Frank Staebler: Three-Time World Champion

Wednesday, July 29, 2020 - 19:34 By United World Wrestling Press

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Frank STAEBLER (GER) has been one of the world's most successful Greco-Roman wrestlers over the past five years. 

The 31-year-old German has captured three world titles since 2015, and also has two world bronze medals on his wrestling resume.

Staebler won his first world title in 2015 at the World Championships in Las Vegas at 66kg. After competing at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Staebler added back-to-back world titles in 2017 and 2018 at 71kg and 72kg respectively. Last year, Staebler finished with a bronze medal at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan. 

Staebler joined Eric Olanowski to talk about how wrestling has impacted his life, how his loss to Olympic champion Ismael BORRERO (CUB) in Nur-Sultan drives him every day and how he plans on becoming a keynote speaker after retiring after the conclusion of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
 

Obituary

Olympian and longtime referee Eberhard Probst passes away

Thursday, February 22, 2024 - 10:11 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 22) -- Two-time world bronze medalist and Olympian Eberhard PROBST from Germany passed away at the age of 69 years.

Probst was born on June 4, 1955, in Querfurt, where he grew up and began wrestling in 1966 at his club the BSG Merseburg. He attended the Children's and Youth Sports School in Halle an der Saale. From 1970 to 1985, Probst collected 17 East German championship titles for the Chemie Halle Sports Club, making him one of the most successful national freestyle wrestling champions all over Germany. 

At the international level, Probst won World Championships bronze medals in 1979 and 1982 while finishing fifth at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He also placed eighth at the 1976 Montreal Games. He also won bronze medals at the European Championships in 1976, 1979 and 1981.

After his active career, Probst began a career as a referee in 1984 and, due to his reserved, factual-calm, and expert manner, also internationally developed into one of the best referees in the world from 1986 onwards.

Probst was nominated for his first Olympic Games as a referee in 2004, the third overall, in Athens. As the only German mat official, he represented Germany at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. At the World Championships in Herning, Denmark, in 2009, he received the Golden Whistle, the highest award for referees by UWW.