Former German Olympic champion Ilke Wyludda dies at age 55

According to an announcement by President of the Saxony-Anhalt State Sports Association Silke Renk, Ilke Wyludda has passed away aged 55.

In a statement, Silke Renk told reporters at the German news outlet DPA, “The whole German throwing community is in mourning,” adding, “The news is terribly hard and leaves me stunned.”

Renk also said, “Ilke struggled with health problems straight after her career…  She was always a fighter, but unfortunately lost her last fight far too early.”

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A statement by the German Athletics Federation called Wyludda “a truly great athlete,” and a “figurehead of German athletics.”

Before starting her senior career, Wyludda dominated the junior ranks, winning a World Junior World Championship in 1986. During her time in the junior ranks, the German recorded 11 world junior records in discus and two in shot put, per Die Welt.

Wyludda’s career included an Olympic gold medal at the 1996 games in Atlanta, a European championships gold, and multiple silvers at the world championships.

During the peak of her powers, Wyludda recorded an astonishing 41 straight wins in major competitions, with the streak running from 1985 to 1991.

Following her career as an able-bodied athlete, Wyludda contracted a sepsis infection in one of her legs, leading to an amputation.

In 2011, Wyludda told the Times of Malta, “I had a choice between losing my leg or losing my life, so I chose to live,” adding, “Pain had become a part of me,” following the infection and multiple failed surgeries.

Following the amputation, Wyludda experienced a new dawn in her athletics career, competing in the 2012 Paralympics in London and multiple IPC Athletics World Championships, per DW.

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