Death of the pole vault star
“We hoped that he would win the fight against cancer”: This is how the sports world mourns Tim Lobinger
Tim Lobinger at the International Stadium Festival (ISTAF) for track and field athletes 2008 in the Berlin Olympic Stadium
© Bernd Settnik / DPA
The sports world mourns Tim Lobinger. The world-class athlete lost a battle with cancer and has now passed away at the age of 50. Most people remember him as a gifted pole vaulter.
After the death of the former world-class pole vaulter, former companions have expressed their condolences and sadness. “It’s a very, very sad day for athletics, which also affects me personally, because with Tim, who I have known since he was young, we are not only losing a great person, but also an athlete who was always committed to athletics has,” said Jürgen Kessing, President of the German Athletics Association, according to a statement. The entire athletics community wishes the family “a lot of strength”.
Lobinger died at the age of 50, his family confirmed on Thursday evening. The former exceptional athlete had fought cancer for years. According to his own statement from last fall, he knew that he would die soon.
Mourning for Tim Lobinger: “RIP my dear Friend”
DLV CEO Idriss Gonschinska spoke of the 2003 indoor world champion as a “great” person and “gifted” pole vaulter. “Until the end we hoped that he would win the fight against cancer,” said Gonschinska. “Pole vaulting without Tim Lobinger was unthinkable for many years. In his heart there was always room for his athletics, for which he has always been an excellent ambassador nationally and internationally.”
In 1997, Lobinger was the first German pole vaulter to break the six-meter mark outdoors. After his career, he worked for four years as an athletic trainer with the footballers at RB Leipzig. “Rest in peace my friend,” wrote RB striker Emil Forsberg on Twitter.