 Ricky Bruch c. 1972 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 July 1946 Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Died | 30 May 2011 (aged 64) Ystad, Sweden |
| Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) |
| Weight | 140 kg (309 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event(s) | Discus throw,shot put |
| Club | Malmö AI IFK Helsingborg Österhaninge KA 2 |
| Coached by | Kurt Alexandersson[1] |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest(s) | DT – 71.26 m (1984) SP – 20.28 m (1973)[2][3] |
Medal record | |
Björn Rickard "Ricky" Bruch (Swedish pronunciation:[ˈbrʊɧː]; 2 July 1946 – 30 May 2011) was aSwedishdiscus thrower,poet andactor.
Bruch was born inÖrgryte,Gothenburg, grew up inSkåne, and was later a long-time resident ofMalmö. His main discipline was theshot put, and later the discus, as he joined the ranks of the world's greatest in the early 1970s. The highlight of his career came in 1972, when he equalled the world record of 68.40 metres at theDagens Nyheter games inStockholm and, later that season, won a bronze medal at the1972 Summer Olympics inMunich.[1][2][4]
Throughout his career, Bruch was known as being both outspoken and controversial. He readily changed his opinions on various matters, and represented around a dozen athletics teams, including his own IK Diskus. Bruch was a solid athlete, but failed to achieve the greatest success possible in major international events. Arguably, Bruch's greatest successes wereOlympicbronze in 1972 along withsilver and bronze at theEuropean Championships in Athletics. Bruch equaled theworld record in 1972 with a throw of 68.40 metres.[4] His personal best (71.26 metres in November 1984)[2] puts him ninth in the all-time performers list.[1] As well as achieving his sporting career and his turbulent personal life, Bruch also acted in light-entertainment films, debuting in the Italian action comedy filmAnche gli angeli tirano di destro and appearing in a minor role in thefilm version ofRonia the Robber's Daughter.After Bruch retired, he admitted to having useddoping throughout his career. Despite this, he never tested positive during his career.[5][6]
His autobiographyGladiatorns kamp (The Gladiator's Battle) was printed in 1990, and an anthology of his poetry,Själ och kropp: Dikter (Body and Soul: Poems), has also been published.
After a few years away from the glare of publicity in the early 1980s, he returned to the spotlight at the age of 38 in the autumn of 1984 – returning to form, he managed a number of throws over the 70 metre mark. He achieved his personal record of 71.26 metres in November 1984 at a competition inMalmö.[1] This mark stood as the Swedish record for 35 years untilDaniel Ståhl surpassed it in 2019. At the Swedish Championships inVästerås in 1985, Bruch was involved in a dispute withAnders Borgström, the team captain at the time. Bruch's willingness to speak his mind resulted, effectively, in his disqualification.[1] However, he continued to appear in the media from time to time, most recently in aTV4 documentary from July 2005.
Bruch died on 30 May 2011 frompancreatic cancer.[1][7]
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Men's Discus World Record Holder equalled the 68.40 m mark fromJay Silvester 5 July 1972 – 14 March 1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Men's Discus European Record Holder 21 September 1969 – 21 May 1976 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
