The once world-class athlete had been battling cancer for years. Tim Lobinger was very open about his illness. He has now passed away at the age of 50.
Tim Lobinger 2018 on the NDR Talk Show
In August 1997, Germany suddenly had a new track and field star. Tim Lobinger took pole vaulting to a new level in his home country. In Cologne-Müngersdorf, under the open sky, he was the first to jump the magical six-meter mark.
“Won the fight in his own way”
Now it's not just athletics that mourn the loss of a man who always stood up for what was important to him. Lobinger succumbed to his severe cancer on Thursday. The broadcaster RTL and the “Bild” newspaper quoted from a statement by the family. Lobinger died in Munich, “fell asleep peacefully in a small circle”. His family emphasized that he didn't lose the fight, but won it in his own way.
The athlete was first diagnosed with leukemia in March 2017. “My back is against the wall, now I have to function and fight,” he said at the time. Lobinger underwent several chemotherapies and a stem cell transplant, according to his own statements as “cancer cell-free” for a while, but then the blood cancer was back.
Tim Lobinger won the silver medal at the 2006 European Outdoor Championships in Gothenburg
Lobinger always spoke very openly about his illness. Last fall, he no longer assumed a cure. “My cancer is too aggressive,” he told the “Bild” newspaper. However, he did not think about giving up: “It is worth fighting for every day that I live and can spend with my family.” His son Okkert started school last year, daughter Fee got married. Lobinger once said that he “always finds small ways to gain strength”.
Face of the German pole vault
As an athlete, he became known to a whole generation. Lobinger was the face of German pole vaulting. Born in Rheinbach, he won his greatest title indoors: Lobinger became European Champion in Valencia in 1998 and in 2003 he won gold at the World Championships in Birmingham. He also won the bronze medal at the 2006 World Championships in Moscow. Lobinger won three medals at the outdoor European Championships: silver in 1998 in Budapest and 2006 in Gothenburg and bronze in 2002 in Munich.
After his active days as an athlete, Lobinger worked as an athletic trainer for the RB Leipzig football team. As a personal trainer, he later looked after Bayern international Joshua Kimmich.
se/mak (sid, dpa, bild.de)