Klaus Wolfermann

Javelin thrower Klaus Wolfermann was elected Sportsman of the Year in West Germany in 1972 and 1973 after sensationally winning the gold medal at the 1972 München Games. He was also elected German javelin thrower of the 20th century. In a legendary duel Wolfermann beat Latvian javelin throwing hero Jānis Lūsis, then starting for the Soviet Union, by only two centimeters. In his fifth attempt Wolfermann recorded 90.48, and on his last attempt Lūsis just missed gold with 90.46. Both competitors became exceptionally good friends despite the Cold War. Four years earlier in Mexico City Wolfermann was eliminated in the qualification, and in 1976 at Montréal he could not start due an arm injury. He later became Special Ambassador for Special Olympics.

Wolfermann was nominated for the 1969 Europeans, but could not start due to the scandal and the West German boycott concerning former GDR runner Jürgen May. In 1971 he placed sixth and in 1974 fifth. He won the 1973 European Cup, came in third in 1970, and was fifth in 1975. From 1969-74 Wolfermann won six consecutive West German titles. His best performance led to his only world record of 94.08 in 1973.

Wolfermann then turned to bobsleigh and finished fifth in the 1979 European Cup in the two-man bob together with Georg Heibl. For his achievements he was awarded the Silver Bay Leaf in 1972, the Rudolf Harbig Memorial Award in 1978, and was inducted to the German Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. Wolfermann owned a sports marketing agency.

Personal Best: JT – 94.08 (1973).