One committed suicide, another bought a castle – what happened to the wrestlers who narrowly missed the title of king

Karl Oberholzer: Slowed down by the authorities

At the 1961 Federal Wrestling Championships in Zug, Karl Oberholzer had the best of his wrestling career. He began by knocking two wrestling champions flat on their backs, one of whom had previously been undefeated for over five years. Oberholzer stormed into the final round and only then found a conqueror: fellow wrestler Karl Meli from northeastern Switzerland. A piquant point: Observers believe Meli shouldn't have been in the sawdust at all. On Saturday, he only competed in three rounds instead of the required four. What happened?

During his victory over a tough wrestler from Muotatal, Meli fell on his head and lay dazed. He was taken to the hospital and appeared to have dropped out of the competition. But on Sunday morning, he reappeared, fresh and cheerful. The judges suspended the rules and allowed him to compete in the fourth round – which sparked controversy: Some felt this was a special treatment for a popular and politically well-connected wrestler. If it weren't for Meli, Oberholzer would have been almost unstoppable. But Oberholzer isn't the type to complain. He accepted the verdict – and found marital bliss a few days later.

Oberholzer had struggled more five years earlier. He wanted to leave recruit school and go to Thun for his first federal military training, but the army rejected his request for leave. Oberholzer never warmed to military service again for the rest of his life.

He also eluded luck at the 1964 Federal Wrestling Championships in Aarau. In a duel with Max Widmer, he seemed to have once again defeated a wrestling champion, but, oh dear, a referee who was never well-disposed towards Oberholzer vetoed the match. The fight was restarted and ended in a draw. Oberholzer lost important points, and Meli was again crowned wrestling champion. Years later, that same referee begged Oberholzer to come to his deathbed. A conciliatory discussion ensued.

Oberholzer, the youngest of thirteen children, won 100 wrestling medals. He remained loyal to wrestling long after his career. Because he was technically more versatile than almost anyone, he was often consulted when techniques and rules were written down in a wrestling booklet. He died in 2020 at the age of 83.

Fritz Uhlmann: The best friend shows no mercy

Bernese Fritz Uhlmann has also spent almost his entire career in the shadow of a wrestler who shaped a generation. In his case, the opponent is his best friend Ruedi Hunsperger; the two were even almost related by marriage.

The crowning moment is that they face each other in the final bout at the 1974 Swiss Federal Wrestling Championships in Schwyz . Hunsperger is already king, Uhlmann is not. But Hunsperger makes it clear before the duel that he's not giving away any gifts. He has the chance to become only the second wrestler to win the most important title a third time. So he says to Uhlmann: "Peace, if you want to win, you have to give me." The winner is Hunsperger.

It's been a source of controversy that Uhlmann bought a BMW from Hunsperger's garage at favorable conditions during those days. Was that why he gave him the historic triumph? Both have always vehemently denied this.

Immediately after the Federal Championships, they traveled to the South of France with their wives for a vacation and saw that they had made the cover of "Schweizer Illustrierte." Hunsperger then ended his career. The path seemed clear for Uhlmann. But he never achieved the big breakthrough. "Without Rüedu, the quality of training suffered," says Uhlmann. "It was his presence that drove me to peak performance."

Uhlmann's moment could have come as early as 1972; as the Brünig winner, he entered the Swiss Federal Championship as the favorite, with Hunsperger absent due to the death of his father. But another Bernese won.

Uhlmann wasn't the strongest mentally. He usually went to competitions with Hunsperger, who picked him up by car. And when the chauffeur was late to the meeting point, Uhlmann paced around nervously, barely able to bear the tension. Hunsperger, on the other hand, remained calm and used to say: "Peace, you can't start without us."

After his career, Uhlmann had more luck. Hunsperger suffered setbacks in his business and health, and he took his own life in 2018. At their last meeting, he shook Uhlmann's hand and thanked him for the good times.

Peter Steiger: Reservations about the rebel

At the 1977 Federal Wrestling Championships in Basel, something almost unimaginable happened to Peter Steiger. As the man from the Rhine Valley entered the final round , the highest official of the Schwinger Association approached his opponent, Arnold Ehrensberger, and told him he had to win because Steiger's appearance was unworthy of a king.

Steiger had a rebellious streak. He cared little about dress and hair regulations; on the wrestling court, he wore a floppy hat and black sideburns. His fighting style was daring. This had something to do with his wrestling background, in which he was a Swiss champion and world champion. In the sawdust, at 82 kilograms, he was almost forced to defend himself with violence, as he usually had to compete against heavier opponents.

In 1977, Steiger overheard the referee giving his opponent a piece of his mind. "I had worked with a deaf person for a long time and could read lips," Steiger says today. "Holy anger rose within me; I would have been invited. But unfortunately, it was still an hour and a half until the final round, so my anger dissipated at the crucial moment."

Despite everything, his relationship with his conqueror, Ehrensberger, remained friendly. Steiger has made it his hobby to restore old cars; he even owns some built in 1895, the year the Swiss Wrestling Federation was founded. Once, when Ehrensberger celebrated a special birthday, Steiger picked him up in a vintage Rolls-Royce. "I'm happy to take Noldi on board. He may be king, but the foal I won back then was worth twice as much as his bull, which was destined for the butcher's shop."

Original ideas were Steiger's thing. When he didn't know what to do with all the bells and cowbells he'd won after his retirement, he and his neighbor, a farmer, spontaneously organized a cattle drive through his home village of Oberriet.

Jörg Schneider: His death came suddenly

Jörg Schneider left many questions unanswered when he left. At the end of March 1998, the news that the Baselbieter had committed suicide at the age of 36 shocked the wrestling world. The day before, he had been at the indoor swimming pool with other wrestlers to wind down a training camp, and from there, he went to celebrate his mother's 70th birthday. He reportedly left this celebration in a hurry. After that, his signs of life fell silent.

Schneider was considered a phenomenon. In 1977, at the Basel Joggeli, at the age of 15, he became the youngest winner of a national wreath at a national competition, requiring a dispensation from school for the major event. Later, he astonished with his willingness to sacrifice, viewing his profession as a craftsman as ideal training; when digging for his small house, he relied on his strength rather than machines. He competed in the Swiss Championships on the rowing ergometer. And he defied the fact that he didn't belong to any of the three major federations, which was a disadvantage because he had few strong federation colleagues to support him.

He was always someone who put a lot of thought into his wrestling, as his longtime companion Rolf Klarer confirms. In 1992 in Olten, Schneider had the chance to become the first person from Northwestern Switzerland since Max Widmer in 1958, and the first person over thirty, to win the wrestling championship in the final bout against Silvio Rüfenacht . But Schneider lost. "I've rarely seen him wrestle as badly as he did in this match," says Klarer. "He must have been incredibly nervous."

Schneider was an artist. In a radio interview, he once said that wrestling was "a philosophy of life," and that you remain a wrestler until you're a veteran. This made his passing all the more unexpected. Klarer is convinced: "It must have been a rash act."

Eugen Hasler: The farm didn’t work out either

This, too, remains a mystery in wrestling history: that Eugen Hasler never became wrestling champion. Twice he faced a young contender in the final bout of a Swiss wrestling championship as a clear favorite: in 1989 on home soil against the feed mill apprentice Adrian Käser, and in 1995 in Chur against Thomas Sutter. Twice Hasler dominated the fight, both times his opponents countered with brilliant techniques.

In 1989, Hasler retained the unpopular title of first-time champion, a kind of consolation prize for those who are tied on points with the king. In 1995, it was even more bitter, because no one would have objected if the referee had interrupted the final bout because Sutter had briefly lost his grip on Hasler's trousers before his decisive move.

Hasler's disappointment was immense; he was ashamed and didn't leave the house for three days. But he sees it from a different perspective today: "I almost ended my career in 1986. So everything that came afterward was a nice bonus."

In 1986, Hasler missed the wreath at the Federal Championships by a quarter of a point, which led to him having to listen to some lame remarks. And he wanted to become a farmer anyway. But his parents had promised their "home" to one of his brothers, and the idea of ​​running an alpine pasture with his wife never came to fruition.

So Hasler worked as a mailman—which allowed him to continue swinging. He became so good that he set a goal not only to win, but also to do so with a variety of swings. When he saw his fans' T-shirts with the slogan "Schränz, Geni, schränz!" on them, he got goosebumps.

Meanwhile, Hasler works as a bank clerk. And he could imagine having a farm someday, "something small" to accommodate his rheumatic condition, "perhaps a few Scottish Highland cattle." But at the moment, he has enough to do for the upcoming Federal Horse Show in Mollis; he has spent hundreds of hours on various tasks on the organizing committee and is the godfather of Zibu, the bull. His daughter is one of the ladies of honor.

And, after the experience of 1995, would he wish for video refereeing to be introduced in wrestling so that incorrect decisions could be corrected? "Absolutely not! Then every wrestling festival would take far too long. And conversation is part of wrestling."

Niklaus Gasser: No coronation for the dynasty

The Bernese wrestling family Gasser boasts an incredible 24 federal wrestling crowns; the last was won by Christian Oesch in 2004. And they have produced the winner of the prestigious Unspunnen Festival three times – but never the king.

The founder of the dynasty is Ernst Gasser. It is said that he made an unconventional journey home from the Federal Cheese Festival in Basel in 1929. He took the train to Burgdorf, and from there, at night, he walked the seven kilometers to his cheese dairy with the sheep he had won by his side, so that he could serve the farmers who had brought him their milk in time.

His grandson Niklaus is considered the "baddest" Gasser. With his mustache and magnificent curls, he always seemed so "gentle," occasionally smoking Gauloises, and was affectionately called "Chlöisu." In preparation for wrestling festivals, he swore by the "Siegelumpe" (rope pump) to stay supple, as he had seen great boxers like Muhammad Ali do.

He was also a fan of football tournaments, playing on a team with former YB goal-getter Bert Theunissen. Gasser once reluctantly left a "Grümpeli" because he had to attend the important wrestling festival on Brünig. He actually won it—and the tournament in absentia, thanks to his fellow footballers.

But at the Swiss Championships, he lacked the so-called killer instinct. Or perhaps he was paying the price for being injured beforehand. When Gasser reached the final round in Langenthal in 1983 , he was under too much pressure because he had dropped points in the penultimate round against a surprising Eastern Swiss player (who is the godfather of the author of this article). Gasser appears reconciled and says: "For me, it's fine the way it is."

Perhaps it's some consolation that he played a part in the king titles of others from his wrestling club, Kirchberg. In 1989, he was considered an influencer for Adrian Käser. Later, as technical director of the Bernese, Gasser witnessed the beginning of Matthias Sempach's rise. But when Sempach became king, other officials reaped the laurels. But why were the Gassers so powerful? Niklaus Gasser says: "Many of us worked as cheesemakers back when there were no robots and the roughly 100-kilogram wheels had to be moved by hand."

Recently, Niklaus Gasser's cousin Rolf also resigned as managing director of the Swiss Wrestling Federation. A dynasty has come to an end.

Werner Vitali: He found peace in France

You don't have to be a king to own a castle. Lucerne resident Werner Vitali proves this. Just over ten years ago, he and his partner acquired the Château d'Embourg in the heart of France to run a hotel. Today, they can accommodate eighty guests and host many a wedding celebration.

Vitali could afford the acquisition; he had previously helped build a profitable civil engineering company and was also mayor of Mauensee. He still held this position while restoring his castle, commuting the six-hour drive back and forth between the Auvergne and Mauensee. But then he suffered a heart attack. Vitali decided to slow down and devote himself entirely to his noble residence in France.

He came close to the title of king twice. In 1995, he led the rankings after six of eight rounds. But then he learned that even then, the Bernese team's tactics worked better than those of the Central Swiss. King Käser, it should be noted, unselfishly played defensively against him and achieved a draw for his association. Thus, Eugen Hasler carried the Central Swiss hopes into the final round – with a well-known result.

Vitali subsequently retired. But in 1998, at the age of 31, he made a comeback for the Swiss Federal Championships in Bern's Wankdorf , reaching the final round. Waiting for him was Jörg Abderhalden, just 19 years old. Vitali had to attack – and landed on his back. Abderhalden's great career began.

Vitali had helped the upstart out of a jam a few weeks earlier. When Abderhalden won at Stoos, he wanted to call his new girlfriend, but like almost all wrestlers, he didn't have a cell phone. The busy Vitali, however, had one and lent it out. Abderhalden later married this girlfriend.

And, does Vitali still follow the wrestling competitions in France? "Yes," he says on the phone, "when there's a competition on TV, I like to retreat to the castle office."

An article from the « NZZ am Sonntag »