European Athletics is very saddened to hear of the death of German sprint hurdler Annelie Ehrhardt at the age of 74.
Ehrhardt won 100m hurdles gold for East Germany at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich in a world record of 12.59 before repeating two years later at the Roma 1974 European Athletics Championships, taking the title in a championship record of 12.66.
Ehrhardt also won medals at four editions of the European Athletics Indoor Championships, including gold medals in 1972 in the rarely-contested 50m hurdles and in 1973 in the 60m hurdles.
Her last competitive appearance came at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal where Ehrhardt, who amassed a 44-competition win streak in the 100m hurdles between 1972-1975, exited in the semifinals.
“Annelie [has] not only shaped our club but also sport in Saxony-Anhalt and far beyond. Her extraordinary talent, her iron discipline and her tireless will have made her an unforgettable icon,” read a tribute to Ehrhardt by her long-time club SC Magdeburg.
The German Athletics Federation also paid tribute to Ehrhardt: "With the loss of the first Olympic champion in the history of the hurdles, German athletics has lost an outstanding personality of German sport."