Norbert Dill
| Norbert Dill | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Norbert Emil Dill |
| Born | December 21, 1938 Würzburg, Germany |
| Died | February 27, 2021 (aged 82) San Pedro, California, United States |
| Gymnastics career | |
| Discipline | Wheel gymnastics |
Country represented |  Germany |
| Club | TG Würzburg 1848 |
Norbert Emil Dill (21 December 1938 – 27 February 2021[1]) was a German wheel gymnast, entrepreneur, and sports official. He was a pioneer of wheel gymnastics in the United States.
Career and life
[edit]Dill began practicing wheel gymnastics in Würzburg, Germany. Competing for TG Würzburg 1848[2], he won the Bavarian Championship title by a wide margin in 1958. When wheel gymnastics was officially integrated into the German Gymnastics Federation (Deutscher Turner-Bund) in 1959, national championships were established. Dill became the first German national champion in wheel gymnastics in 1960[3][2][4] in Hannover and defended his title at the second edition in 1962 in Berlin.[3][1][5] He also won the first German National Team Champion competion in 1961.[6]
In the early 1970’s, Dill emigrated to the United States[1], where he founded a gymnastics supply company Norbert's Athletic Products.[7][1]
To increase public awareness of the sport, he made guest appearances on several US national television programs, including The Tonight Show, That's Incredible!, and The Guinness Game.[4] Through his business and family initiatives starting in the 1970s, Dill actively promoted the development of wheel gymnastics in the US.[8][1] These efforts laid the foundation for the creation of the USA Wheel Gymnastics Federation in 2011, the official national governing body for the sport in the United States.[8]
Norbert Dill passed away on 27 February 2021 in San Pedro, California.[1]
Awards and honors
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "In Memoriam of Norbert Dill". USA Wheel Gymnastics. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- 1 2 "Geschichte, Historie, Rhönrad TGW Würzburg - Turngemeinde Würzburg e.V., TGW, Sportverein". tgw-online.de. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- 1 2 "RHÖNRADTURNEN - Alle Deutschen Meisterschaften seit 1956". gymmedia.com. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- 1 2 World Acrobatics Society (2021-09-19). Norbert Dill (1938-2021) - 2021 World Acrobatics Society - Golden Achievement Award. Retrieved 2026-07-23 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "95 Jahre Rhönradturnen in der TGW". dm2023-rhoenrad-wue.framer.ai. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- ↑ "2021 WAS GOLHOF Inducteess – World Acrobatics Society". Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- 1 2 "About Norbert Dill - Founder of Norbert's Athletic Products, Inc. - Norbert's Athletic Products, Inc". www.norberts.com. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- 1 2 "Rhönradturner Norbert Dill ist im Alter von 83 Jahren gestorben". mainpost (in German). 2021-03-25. Retrieved 2026-07-23.