Like Wolfgang Hoppe and Matthias Trübner, Bernhard Germeshausen was originally a decathlete. He trained with them in Erfurt and finished fourth in the 1974 East German championships. In 1975 he changed sport and training location (Oberhof), became East German champion as a brakeman for Meinhard Nehmer and a year later double Olympic champion in Innsbruck.
Wolfgang Hoppe: “Germeshausen paved the way for me”
In view of the quick success, his friends said: “If we don’t do anything in the decathlon, then we’ll go to bobsleigh too.” handed down. Hoppe and Trübner later made the announcement come true – and also became bobsleigh Olympic champions and world champions. “Bernhard Germeshausen paved the way for me and was responsible for my coming to bobsleigh,” said Hoppe.