Horst Bulau (born 25 July 1962) is a former Canadian ski jumper who competed internationally during the 1980s. Representing Canada, he participated in three Winter Olympic Games (1980 Lake Placid, 1984 Sarajevo, and 1988 Calgary) and earned 22 World Cup podium finishes, the most by any Canadian ski jumper to date.
Early life and background
Bulau was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, to German immigrants. He began ski jumping at a young age at the local ski club in Saskatchewan and later trained at the Canadian national ski jumping program.
Competitive career
- World Cup: Bulau achieved 22 podium finishes between 1980 and 1990, including three individual victories (Voss 1984, Lahti 1985, and Sapporo 1986). He recorded a career-best overall World Cup ranking of 13th in the 1984‑85 season.
- World Championships: He competed in the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, achieving a top‑10 finish in the individual normal hill at Seefeld 1985 (9th place).
- Olympic Games: Across his three Olympic appearances, Bulau’s highest individual result was 13th place in the large hill event at the 1988 Calgary Games. He also contributed to Canada’s team results in the ski jumping team event introduced in 1988.
Post‑competition activities
Following his retirement from competitive ski jumping in the early 1990s, Bulau remained involved in the sport as a coach and mentor for emerging Canadian ski jumpers. He has also taken part in commentary for ski jumping broadcasts and has been inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame (1998).
Legacy
Bulau is widely regarded as the most successful Canadian ski jumper in World Cup history. His achievements helped raise the profile of ski jumping in Canada and inspired subsequent generations of athletes in the discipline.
