Athletics Fabian Schulze (†)
Former German pole vaulter dies at 39
Status: 29.02.2024 | Reading time: 2 minutes
Former pole vaulter Fabian Schulze is dead
Former pole vaulter Fabian Schulze is dead. He died of a treacherous illness at the age of just 39. The German Athletics Association announced this. He would have celebrated his 40th birthday on March 7th. He leaves behind his wife and two children.
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German athletics is in mourning: Fabian Schulze died of a “treacherous illness” shortly before his 40th birthday. Former companions and coaches find touching words for the former pole vaulter.
German athletics mourns Fabian Schulze. The former pole vaulter died in Sonthofen shortly before his 40th birthday. As the German Athletics Association announced, Schulze succumbed to an undisclosed “treacherous illness” last Sunday. He leaves behind his wife and two children.
Schulze belonged to a golden generation of German pole vaulters. He was German runner-up four times and narrowly missed out on international medals at the 2006 World Indoor Championships (4th place), the 2005 European Indoor Championships (5th place) and the 2010 European Championships (6th place).
With his personal career best of 5.83 meters, Schulze takes ninth place on the all-time German best list. Herbert Czingon, long-time national pole vault coach, describes Schulz in the DLV statement as a “friendly comrade who was always in the scene with a smile on his face.”
Teammate of Tim Lobinger
“Fabian was a long-time companion, I always looked up to him,” said former sprinter Marius Broening. The three Swabian top athletes Fabian Schulze, Tobias Unger and Marius Broening formed a shared apartment during their active time. “Fabian became a friend during our time together at Kornwestheim and in Munich,” said Tobias Unger. He is deeply sad and can hardly find words.
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About a year ago, Schulze stood at the grave of Tim Lobinger (†50). The former world-class pole vaulter died on February 16, 2023 as a result of leukemia. Completed by Danny Ecker, 46, and Björn Otto, 46, the quartet formed probably the best generation of pole vaulters that the Federal Republic has ever produced.
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Schulze once said that he discovered his passion for pole vaulting while watching airplanes. “As a boy, I sat on a meadow above Stuttgart airport and always watched the planes. Yes, flying with a stick would be something.”
