# Tilly Fleischer > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Tilly_Fleischer > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Tilly_Fleischer.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilly_Fleischer > Source revision: 1319702348 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|German javelin thrower (1911–2005)}} {{Infobox sportsperson | headercolor = | name = Tilly Fleischer | image = Berlin, Olympiade, Tilly Fleischer.jpg | caption = Fleischer after winning the javelin event at the 1936 Games | birth_name = | fullname = Ottilie Fleischer | nickname = | nationality = German | birth_date = {{birth date|1911|10|2|df=y}} | birth_place = [Frankfurt](/source/Frankfurt), Germany | death_date = {{death date and age|2005|7|14|1911|10|2|df=y}} | death_place = [Lahr](/source/Lahr), Germany | height = {{convert|5|ft|6|in|cm}} | weight = | country = {{GER}} | sport = Field athletics and handball | event = Shot, discus and javelin | club = [Eintracht Frankfurt](/source/Eintracht_Frankfurt) (handball) | worlds = | regionals = | nationals = | olympics = | medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{flagicon|GER|Nazi}} Germany}} {{MedalCompetition|[Olympic Games](/source/Olympic_Games)}} {{MedalGold| [1936 Berlin](/source/1936_Summer_Olympics) | [Javelin throw](/source/Athletics_at_the_1936_Summer_Olympics_-_Women's_javelin_throw)}} {{MedalCountry | {{flagicon|GER|Weimar}} Germany}} {{MedalBronze | [1932 Los Angeles](/source/1932_Summer_Olympics) | [Javelin throw](/source/Athletics_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics_-_Women's_javelin_throw)}} {{MedalCompetition|[Women's World Games](/source/Women's_World_Games)}} {{MedalSilver| [1930 Prague](/source/1930_Women's_World_Games) | Discus}} {{MedalSilver| [1934 London](/source/1934_Women's_World_Games) | Shot put}} }} '''Ottilie''' "'''Tilly'''" '''Fleischer''' (2 October 1911 – 14 July 2005) was a German athlete who competed in a variety of track and field athletic events. She competed for Germany in the [1932 Summer Olympics](/source/1932_Summer_Olympics) held in [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles) in three different events, taking the bronze medal in the javelin. Four years later in her home country at the [1936 Games](/source/1936_Summer_Olympics) she won the gold medal in the javelin in front of the [Berlin](/source/Berlin) crowds. The reaction of Olympic officials to the congratulations given to her by Nazi leader [Adolf Hitler](/source/Adolf_Hitler) was put forward as the reason why Hitler never congratulated American athlete [Jesse Owens](/source/Jesse_Owens) after his first gold medal victory. Rumours appeared in 1966 as to who was the father of one of her daughters, after her daughter Giselle claimed in a book to be the daughter of Adolf Hitler. ==Early life== Ottilie Fleischer was born on 2 October 1911; her father was a butcher. Even at an early age she was interested in sports, initially gymnastics, but when she was a teenager she became involved in athletics. She trained in a variety of events including pentathlon, javelin, discus and shot put.{{cite web|title=Zum 100. Geburtstag von Tilly Fleischer: "Königinmutter" und herzensguter Mensch|url=http://www.eintracht-frankfurt-museum.de/cms/pages/posts/zum-100.-geburtstag-von-tilly-fleischer-bdquokoeniginmutterldquo-und-herzensguter-mensch399.php|publisher=Eintracht Frankfurt Museum|accessdate=27 June 2012|language=German}} ==Career== Fleischer travelled across the Atlantic Ocean on board the [SS ''Europa''](/source/SS_Europa_(1928)) with the other members of the German team and then across the United States by train to Los Angeles in order to compete at the [1932 Summer Olympics](/source/1932_Summer_Olympics). At the 1932 Games, she went in as one of the favourites for the gold medal in the women's javelin along with [Ellen Braumüller](/source/Ellen_Braum%C3%BCller). In the competition, she finished third, while Braumüller took the silver medal. American [Babe Zaharias](/source/Babe_Zaharias) won the gold medal.{{cite book|last=Belval|first=Brian|title=Olympic Track and Field|year=2007|publisher=Rosen Pub. Group|location=New York|isbn=9781404209718|page=[https://archive.org/details/olympictrackfiel0000belv/page/15 15]|url=https://archive.org/details/olympictrackfiel0000belv|url-access=registration|quote=Tilly Fleischer.}} She also competed in the [Women's 4 x 100 metres relay](/source/Athletics_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Women's_4_%C3%97_100_metres_relay) with teammates [Grete Heublein](/source/Grete_Heublein), [Marie Dollinger](/source/Marie_Dollinger) and Braumüller. The team came in the sixth and final position out of the teams that entered the race. She also finished fourth in the [women's discus throw](/source/Athletics_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Women's_discus_throw), just outside the medal positions.{{cite web|title=Tilly Fleischer|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fl/tilly-fleischer-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174929/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fl/tilly-fleischer-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|publisher=Sports-Reference.com|accessdate=27 June 2012}} Whilst competing at the [1936 Summer Olympics](/source/1936_Summer_Olympics), she broke the Olympic record for the women's javelin throw twice during the rounds of the competition.{{cite news|title=Jesse Owens Set World Mark In Meet|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=N-wzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vO4HAAAAIBAJ&pg=6365,5807083&dq=tilly+fleischer&hl=en|accessdate=27 June 2012|newspaper=Lodi News-Sentinel|date=3 August 1936}} She threw a javelin 148 feet, 2 25/32 inches, beating the previous record holder by over five inches.{{cite news|title=Champion|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Q-wzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vO4HAAAAIBAJ&pg=869,6864836&dq=tilly+fleischer&hl=en|accessdate=27 June 2012|newspaper=Lodi News-Sentinel|date=21 August 1936}} In so doing, she became the first German woman to win a gold medal at an Olympics event.{{cite book|last=Mandell|first=Richard D.|title=The Nazi Olympics|year=1971|publisher=Macmillan|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/naziolympics00mand/page/200 200]|url=https://archive.org/details/naziolympics00mand|url-access=registration|quote=Tilly Fleischer.}} As opposed to the 1932 Games, the javelin event was the only competition she entered at the 1936 Games. After Fleischer won the javelin event, she was taken, along with the other two medallists, to meet [Adolf Hitler](/source/Adolf_Hitler). She was congratulated by the German leader and [Hermann Göring](/source/Hermann_G%C3%B6ring) and posed for photographs.{{cite news|last=Lowitt|first=Bruce|title=Owens spoils Hitler's party|url=http://www.sptimes.com/News/122899/Sports/Owens_spoils_Hitler_s.shtml|accessdate=27 June 2012|newspaper=St Petersburg Times|date=28 December 1999}}{{cite news|last=Williams|first=Joe|title=Hitler Walks Out On Yankee Negroes|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1SEbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_EsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1562,5732127&dq=tilly+fleischer&hl=en|accessdate=27 June 2012|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=3 August 1936}} Hitler was later warned by Olympic officials that heads of states were not permitted to conduct such congratulations, which in 1984 was what [Willi Daume](/source/Willi_Daume) claimed had prevented Hitler from congratulating gold medallist [Jesse Owens](/source/Jesse_Owens), causing the story that the Nazi leader refused to shake his hand.{{cite news|title=Berlin Street Renamed In Honor of Jesse Owens|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FxxKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HCINAAAAIBAJ&pg=5223,1302344&dq=tilly+fleischer&hl=en|accessdate=27 June 2012|newspaper=The Press-Courier|date=11 March 1984}} After retiring from athletics Fleischer became involved in handball and played for [Eintracht Frankfurt](/source/Eintracht_Frankfurt) handball club, winning the German championship in 1943. ==Personal life== Fleischer was married twice, having two daughters in her first marriage. In 1948 she opened a leather goods shop in [Lahr](/source/Lahr), near the [Black Forest](/source/Black_Forest).{{cite news|last=Beck|first=Wolfgang|title=Nach 28 Jahren ist Schluss|url=http://www.badische-zeitung.de/lahr/nach-28-jahren-ist-schluss--37418078.html|accessdate=27 June 2012|newspaper=Badische Zeitung|date=6 November 2010|language=German}} One of her daughters was named Gisela, who in 1966 was reported by the newspaper ''[Tribune de Genève](/source/Tribune_de_Gen%C3%A8ve)'' to be the illegitimate daughter of Adolf Hitler and was subsequently reported elsewhere in the press.{{cite news|title=A Geneva Paper|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KW0eAAAAIBAJ&sjid=S8kEAAAAIBAJ&pg=884,5118280&dq=tilly+fleischer&hl=en|accessdate=27 June 2012|newspaper=Daytona Beach Morning Journal|date=25 March 1966}}"Adolf Hitler's Daughter Wants to Visit Israel" בתו של אדולף היטלר רוצה לבקר בישראל Hebrew language article in La'Isha לאשה, May 31, 1966 This was due to the publishing of a book by Gisela, in which she claimed to be Hitler's daughter.{{cite news|title=Gisela, das Hitlerkind|url=http://www.zeit.de/1966/28/gisela-das-hitlerkind|accessdate=27 June 2012|newspaper=Zeit|date=8 July 1966|language=German}} Gisela later took over the two leather goods shops owned by her mother following Tilly's death on 14 July 2005.{{cite news|title=Tilly Fleischer|url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-41106227.html|accessdate=27 June 2012|newspaper=Der Spiegel|date=18 July 2005|language=German}} ==References== {{reflist}} {{Footer Olympic Champions Javelin Throw Women}} {{Authority control}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Fleischer, Tilly}} Category:1911 births Category:2005 deaths Category:German women javelin throwers Category:Olympic gold medalists for Germany Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Germany Category:Olympic athletes for Germany Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes from Frankfurt Category:Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics Category:Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics Category:Olympic bronze medalists in athletics Category:Women's World Games medalists Category:20th-century German sportswomen --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tilly Fleischer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilly_Fleischer) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilly_Fleischer?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.