German thrower won gold in Atlanta 1996 plus two European titles in the 1990s and went on to compete in the Paralympics at London 2012
Ilke Wyludda, the 1996 Olympic discus champion and two-time European gold medallist, died on Sunday (Dec 1) aged 55.
She represented East Germany when she won her first European title in Split in 1990 but took her second Euro crown for a unified Germany in Helsinki in 1994.
A dominant athlete during the period, her win in 1990 was part of a 41 meeting win streak from 1989 to 1991.
In Atlanta in 1996 she also threw for Germany to take the Olympic crown with a best mark of 69.96m.
Ilke Wyludda (centre) in Atlanta 1996 (Mark Shearman)
At the World Championships she finished runner-up in 1991 and 1995. She also finished ninth in the 1992 Olympics and seventh at the 2000 Olympics in addition winning her event at the World Cup in 1989 and 1994.
“With Ilke Wyludda, a figurehead of German athletics has unfortunately left us far too early at the age of 55,” said German Athletics Federation chair Idriss Gonschinska. “The athletics family mourns the loss of a truly great athlete who fought against injuries and illnesses throughout her life and yet remained committed to her sport for decades. The German Athletics Federation and its regional associations wish Ilke Wyludda’s family and friends a lot of strength in these difficult times.”
Wyludda’s best throw of 74.56m sits No.3 on the world all-time rankings. A prodigious teenage thrower, she won world junior titles in 1986 and 1988 and broke multiple age bests during her junior years with her under-20 best of 74.40m still the world record for that age group.
Ilke Wyludda (Mark Shearman)
She retired in 2000 after the Sydney Olympics before returning to the competitive fray in Paralympic sport after having he right leg amputated in 2011 due to sepsis.
In doing so, she became the first German to compete in both the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in London 2012. She went on to win medals at both the World and European Para Championships before finally retiring in 2017.
» Subscribe to AW magazine here, check out our new podcast here or sign up to our digital archive of back issues from 1945 to the present day here
The post Ilke Wyludda, 1996 Olympic discus champion, dies aged 55 appeared first on AW.