Tokyo Olympics 1964: 'I was a better shot than the American soldiers'

The floods may have buried his medal, but the memories of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics remain. As the Games return to Japan, Hans Kaupmann-sennecke recalls his unique journey from novice shooter to crack Olympic marksman.

The floods may have buried his medal, but the memories of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics remain. As the Games return to Japan, Hans Kaupmannsennecke recalls his unique journey from novice shooter to crack Olympic marksman.

Who knows if the Olympic medal is still there, locked in the cupboard in the cellar? And what about the silk pennant with the Tokyo 1964 logo? And the Japanese stamp collection?

Hans Kaupmann-sennecke doesn't know. He and his wife Renate were woken up in their flat in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler in western Germany last week by the rapidly rising water levels, and they weren't the only ones.

The water tore down bridges and swept away cars, caravans and furniture like leaves. Streets disappeared under water, houses and buildings completely flooded. The ice cream shop opposite, which only opened last year, now resembles a car showroom full of filthy, ruined vehicles.

Still no water or electricity "It sounded like canon fire as the windowpanes of the shops and houses gave way," Hans tells

DW. "Sights and images that you can barely explain or comprehend if you weren't there."

Many died in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. Of those who survived, most are still without power and water. Those