Hartwig Gauder facts for kids
Gauder in 1994
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| Born | 10 November 1954 Vaihingen an der Enz, West Germany |
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| Died | 22 April 2020 (aged 65) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Hartwig Gauder (born November 10, 1954 – died April 22, 2020) was a famous German race walker. A race walker is an athlete who competes in a special kind of long-distance walking event. Hartwig Gauder won a gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. He was known for his amazing achievements in the 50-kilometre walk.
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Early Life and Moving to East Germany
Hartwig Gauder was born in Vaihingen an der Enz, which was in West Germany at the time. In 1960, when he was just six years old, his family moved to East Germany. They moved because they inherited some property in a town called Ilmenau. Because he lived in East Germany, Gauder competed for that country in sports.
An Amazing Race Walking Career
Hartwig Gauder was a very successful athlete. He specialized in race walking, especially the very long 50-kilometre event. This event tests an athlete's endurance and technique.
Olympic Games Success
Gauder won two Olympic medals during his career.
- In 1980, he won a gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. This was for the men's 50-kilometre walk.
- In 1988, he won a bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. This was also for the 50-kilometre walk.
World and European Championships
Besides the Olympics, Gauder also won medals at other major competitions:
- He won a gold medal at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome.
- He also won a gold medal at the 1986 European Athletics Championships in Stuttgart.
- He earned a bronze medal at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo.
- He won another bronze medal at the 1990 European Athletics Championships in Split.
- In 1981, he won a gold medal at the European Indoor Championships for the 5-kilometre walk.
Facing Health Challenges
In 1996, Hartwig Gauder faced a very serious health problem. He got a virus infection that affected his heart. His heart became so weak that he needed an artificial heart to stay alive for several months.
After this, he received a heart transplant. This is a major surgery where a sick heart is replaced with a healthy one from a donor. It was a very difficult time for him.
An Inspiring Comeback
Even after such a serious illness and surgery, Hartwig Gauder showed incredible strength. He didn't give up on being active. He started taking part in the New York City Marathon several times. The New York City Marathon is a very famous long-distance running race.
Because of his heart transplant, he was considered a disabled participant. Once, he was even disqualified from the marathon for being too fast! There was a rule that disabled participants had to finish within a certain time, and he finished faster than that minimum time. This shows how strong and determined he was.
His journey from being very sick to getting back to a normal life was so inspiring that it was featured in a documentary. This documentary was shown on a German TV channel called Phoenix.
Later Life
Hartwig Gauder passed away on April 22, 2020, when he was 65 years old. He was undergoing dialysis at the time, which is a treatment for kidney problems. He died from a heart attack that was complicated by his kidney issues.
