Mourning for javelin throw legend Klaus Wolfermann: Germany's gold star died

Mourning for javelin throw legend Klaus Wolfermann: Germany's gold star died

München, Deutschland - Klaus Wolfermann, the famous Olympic champion in the javelin throw of Munich in 1972, died at the age of 78, as his family confirmed. The athlete, born in Altdorf near Nuremberg, known as "the little giant with the golden arm", leaves a remarkable sporty legacy. Wolfermann won on September 3, 1972 at the "Golden Sonntag" of German Athletics in the Olympic Stadium in Munich with a throw of 90.48 meters, only two centimeters in front of his Latvian rival Janis Lusis, who started with the Soviet Union. This mini margin not only made him a winner, but also a sports legend, whose emotional hug with Lusis went after the competition for the world. "Sorry that I won," Wolfermann is said to have said to his opponent what the sporting fairness showed beyond national rivalries, reports the Krone .

Wolfermann's litter and his victory in the javelin throw made the event an unforgettable experience, while the time was overshadowed during and after the games of grief - just two days later the terrorist attack on the Israeli athlete delegation shook the Olympic Games. Wolfermann, like many of his colleagues, remained shaken and received security measures that were assigned to him and other German athletes. In the memory, however, above all, his sporting success and the unforgettable moments that he shared with Lusis, who also became his close friend, died after the litter opponent died of 2020, as the Welt reported.

His career was characterized by ups and downs; Despite his impressive Olympic victory, however, he does not get a medal at the European Championships. Wolfermann was six times German champion between 1969 and 1974 and even set up a world record with 94.08 meters in 1973, which lasted for almost four years. After ending his active career, he remained connected to the sport, was socially committed and was a role model for many athletes. His death leaves a gap in German sport that is now mourning one of his greatest.