Bernhard Germeshausen, third left, won three bobsleigh gold medals at the Winter Olympics for East Germany ©Getty Images

Three-time Olympic bobsleigh gold medallist Bernhard Germeshausen has died at the age of 70 after a battle with serious illness.

Germeshausen's sporting career began in decathlon before he went on to enjoy bobsleigh success representing East Germany.

He was brakeman of the crew piloted by Meinhard Nehmer at the Innsbruck 1976 Winter Olympics, where he won gold in the two-man and four-man bobsleigh.

This was followed by another victory in the four-man event and a silver in the two-man at Lake Placid 1980.

Bernhard Germeshausen, right, won two-man bobsleigh gold for East Germany at the Innsbruck 1976 Winter Olympics with pilot Meinhard Nehmer, left ©Getty Images
Bernhard Germeshausen, right, won two-man bobsleigh gold for East Germany at the Innsbruck 1976 Winter Olympics with pilot Meinhard Nehmer, left ©Getty Images

He was the pilot with brakeman Hans-Jürgen Gerhardt in the two-man competition.

Germeshausen won three gold medals at the World Championships - in the four-man bobsleigh at St Moritz 1977 and the two-man and four-man events at Cortina d'Ampezzo 1981.

A four-man silver at Königssee 1979 and bronze at Lake Placid 1978 were also included among his career medal haul.

After retiring, Germeshausen went on to serve as a career advisor at the Olympic base in Erfurt, and a boarding school director at the sports high school in the central German city.