23/04/2020   A hearts attack took us away Hartwig Gauder






 

 

 
Today is a sad day for the world of walking and personal for the writer.
 
In the German newspaper Thueringer-Allgemeine, the news of the death at 65 years of one of the most important markers in the world, the German Hartwig Gauder, with an impressive history in the 50 km race walk passed away.
 
The death, which occurred yesterday, was caused by a heart attack.
 
During his sporting life, he competed with two countries, the German Democratic Republic and with the Federal Republic of Germany, once the unification of the two Germans was achieved.
 
The Erfurt athlete had won everything over 50 kilometers: Olympic gold in 1980, plus the titles at the World Cup and European Championship.
 
With an overwhelming fighting spirit, he continued to march after his career. After a bacterial infection, the performance of his heart declined rapidly. Only a transplant could save him. On January 30, 1997 he received a donor organ, while he was waiting for ten months with an artificial heart.
 
 
Personal memory
 
On November 9, 2019, we posted news for his 65th birthday (November 10) with a dissertation on his career click here ).
 
The next day I found a message on my mobile phone that said this:
 
Hi Nicola, ich schreibe Dir mal auf Deutsch. Ich wollte mich bei Dir bedanken für Deine Aktivitäten für Race Walking. Es ist mir ein persönliches Bedürfnis. Danke.
 
Even today I have not been able to understand how he managed to find the number.
 
I met personally for the first time, after he stopped competing, in Monaco in 2002, on the occasion of the European Athletics Championships and since then we have kept in touch. He wanted to remain tied to the international family of race walking.
The last time I met in person was in Rome on the occasion of the 2016 World Race Walk Team Championship.
He had come to enjoy the 50km in the eternal city and to breathe the air of race walking with friends.
The embrace with Maurizio Damilano was very fraternal.
 
Rest in peace Hartwig.