Martin Lauer

In today's world, Martin Lauer has become a topic of great relevance and interest to a wide spectrum of individuals. The importance of Martin Lauer lies in its direct impact on people's daily lives, as well as its influence on various aspects of society. Since its appearance, Martin Lauer has generated a great debate and has been the subject of numerous studies and research that seek to understand its essence and its impact in different contexts. In this article, we will explore in detail the meaning and importance of Martin Lauer, as well as its implications today.

Martin Lauer
Martin Lauer at the 1960 Olympics
Personal information
Born(1937-01-02)2 January 1937
Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Nazi Germany
Died6 October 2019(2019-10-06) (aged 82)
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight76 kg (168 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event100 m
ClubASV Köln
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)100 m – 10.4 (1959)
200 m – 21.1 (1959)
110 mH – 13.2 (1959)
400 mH – 51.2 (1958)
Dec – 7478 (1959)[1]
Medal record
Representing  Germany
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1960 Rome 4×100 m relay

Karl Martin Lauer (German pronunciation: [ˈmaʁtiːn ˈlaʊɐ] ⓘ; 2 January 1937 – 6 October 2019) was a West German sprinter who won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics.

Biography

Lauer was a German champion in 110 m hurdles from 1956 to 1960 and in decathlon in 1956. At the 1956 Summer Olympics, he finished fourth in 110 m hurdles and fifth in decathlon. At the 1958 European Championships, he won the gold in 110 m hurdles. In 1958 Lauer also ran his first world record, in the 4 × 100 m relay. He set his second world record in 1959, this time in his main event of 110 m hurdles (13.2); this record stood until 1972. The same year he also set his personal best in decathlon and was ranked second in the world in this event.[1] At the end of the year he was named Athlete of the Year by the sports magazine Track & Field News, the first ever of the annual election.[2]

At the Rome Olympics Lauer was again fourth in 110 m hurdles and ran the anchoring leg for the German's 4 × 100 m relay team. In the final the Germans finished second behind the United States, but 15 minutes after the finish it was announced that the American team had been disqualified for an incorrect exchange. Germany's time, 39.5 seconds, equaled their own world record.[3]

After the Olympics Lauer was forced to retire from sports – a non-sterile injection resulted in sepsis and prospects of leg amputation. While visiting Lauer in hospital, his girlfriend and brother had a car crash, with the girlfriend dying immediately and his brother several years later. After recovering Lauer became a country singer and sold a few million copies of his 40+ records. His single "Taxi nach Texas" was awarded the Silver Lion of Radio Luxembourg in 1964. Lauer attended the 1964 Olympics as a journalist and the 1972 Olympics as a representative of the Junghans Company. He later worked as director of the German company Triumph-Adler.[1] Lauer died on 6 October 2019 at the age of 82.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Martin Lauer". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  2. ^ T&FN's World Men's Athletes of the Year Archived 2015-06-20 at WebCite, Track and Field News.
  3. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Athletics at the 1960 Roma Summer Games: Men's 4 × 100 metres Relay". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  4. ^ Martin Lauer's obituary (in German)
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Awards
Preceded by German Sportsman of the Year
1959 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
—
 Track & Field Athlete of the Year
1959 		Succeeded by
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