German sport mourns: Olympic champion Klaus Wolfermann died with 78

German sport mourns: Olympic champion Klaus Wolfermann died with 78

Kelheim, Deutschland - Athletics mourns the loss of a legend: Klaus Wolfermann, the javelin throw Olympic champion from 1972, died at the age of 78. This was confirmed by his family of the German Press Agency. Wolfermann, a former toolmaker, had won a memorable victory during the Olympic Games in Munich. On September 3, 1972, he won with an impressive throw of 90.48 meters, just two centimeters in front of his great rival Janis Lusis from Latvia. This "golden Sunday" remained in the memory of German sport, as well as other athletes such as Hildegard Falck and Bernd Kannenberg, like evening newspaper Munich reported.

a tragic story

Klaus Wolfermann's victory was embedded in a dark context. Just two days after his triumph, the devastating assassination attempt on the Israeli Olympic team, in which Wolfermann's training partner Josef Romano was murdered. This tragedy led to Wolfermann, like many of his colleagues, were assigned to Bodyguards. "You hadn't just been concerned, but was already afraid," recalled Wolfermann. The formerly active athlete was not only appreciated for his sporting performance, but also for his warm way, which many friends brought him, so PNP .

In the years after his Olympic successes, Wolfermann remained active in sports business, both as a marketing agent and through social engagements. He was a German champion six times in a row between 1969 and 1974 and was awarded twice as the "athlete of the year". Despite his success in the javelin throw, Wolfermann was never able to win a medal at the European Championships and missed the 1976 Olympic Games due to an arm injury. His remarkable litter in 1973, which set a new German record, had existed for over three years until it fell into the background through technical changes in the spear.