Iris Opitz surprises with gold at the Sprint Triple in Gotha!

Iris Opitz surprises with gold at the Sprint Triple in Gotha!

Today, August 24, 2025, the German Masters Championships in Gotha reached their crowning conclusion. In ideal, albeit changeable, weather conditions, athletes from all over Germany have once again proven that the average age is just a number when it comes to top sporting performance. Outstanding results and exciting competitions characterized the last day of this traditional event, which looks back on a long history and has grown steadily over the years, as many athletes were able to testify.

The big surprise of the day was undoubtedly Iris Opitz. The athlete from LAV Elstertal Bad Köstritz ran to the gold medal over 200 meters in the W55 age group with a time of 27.68 seconds, rounding off her set of medals perfectly: silver over 100 meters and bronze over 400 meters. Tatjana Schilling from TSV 1850/09 Korbach, who secured second place in 28.10 seconds, is also no stranger; she already has five medals in her career portfolio. The new championships not only celebrated the stars of yesterday, but also those of the future in the 200 meter sprint.

Thuringian talents shine

Thuringian athletes were also represented in large numbers and were able to win several medals. Carmen Hildebrandt from Eisenacher LV showed her skills in the shot put and won the gold medal with a personal best of 11.68 meters. Anja Schüppel (ASV Erfurt) was also on the winning road and secured first place with 46.62 meters in the hammer throw. Rudolf König, another hero of the day, became German champion over 100 meters in 13.22 seconds.

Barbara Gähling from LT DSHS Cologne was one of the most successful athletes at the championships, winning five titles, including the 200 meter sprint in 29.02 seconds and shining in the javelin throw with a distance of 31.91 meters. However, the competition was characterized by rapid best performances, including from Sven Medenbach (LSG Goldener Grund Selters), who improved his best time in the 100 meter hurdles to 14.78 seconds.

More exciting results

The championships were a showcase for numerous impressive performances. Wolfgang Ritte (Sportclub Krefeld 1905) dominated in the M70, winning several titles, including in the hurdle sprint with 14.24 seconds and reaching a distance of 4.51 meters in the long jump. Carolin Strophff from TG Holzwickede also impressed with a time of 26.46 seconds in the W35 sprint and third place in the long jump (4.87 meters).

• Roland Gröger (TopFit Berlin) glänzte mit einem Sprint-Triple in der M60: 100, 200 und 400 Meter.
• Heinz Schwarz (LG Rhein-Wied) gewann im 800-Meter-Lauf der M75 in 2:56,44 Minuten.
• Andrea Mende (TSV Germania Helmstedt) setzte sich im Diskuswurf der W55 mit einer neuen Bestmarke von 32,10 Metern durch.

Overall, this year's German Masters Championships were a celebration for the athletes and their supporters. Over 2,000 participants gathered in Gotha and the atmosphere there was simply great. At the upcoming championships we will probably hear again from these talented athletes who have impressively proven the motto “Age is just a number”. For many, the competition is not only a challenge, but has also become an integral part of their lives - a great reason to go out on the track again and again and give it their all.

With this event, German athletics has once again shown that sport has no age limits and that even as an older athlete it is worthwhile to have the courage to achieve your best performance - whether with a new record or simply in the company of like-minded people. It's like you never grow up.

For more information and results, we invite you to visit the reporting pages: athletics.de, tlv-sport.de and Wikipedia.