Robert Fein

Robert Fein (9 December 1907 – 2 January 1975) was an Austrian Jewish weightlifter who won multiple international medals and set numerous world records. Born in Vienna, he competed in several European championships, winning gold in 1929 and again in 1934, bronze in 1930, and silver in 1935. At the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Fein won a shared gold medal in the lightweight class with Anwar Mesbah, lifting a world record of 342.5 kilograms (755 pounds). Despite the anti-Semitic policies of the Nazi regime, he became one of only thirteen Jewish athletes to medal at those games.

In 1937, Fein won a silver medal at the World Weightlifting Championships in Paris and set his final world record of 360 kilograms. That year, he was also decorated with Austria's Gold Medal for Service. However, following the Anschluß of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938, Fein was barred from further competition due to his Jewish heritage and faced persecution under the Austrian Nazi regime.

Fein's career ended abruptly after this exclusion, and he never competed again. He died at age 67 in Vienna after a long illness. His achievements are documented in works about Jewish Olympians, highlighting his perseverance despite the challenges of his time.