View source for Martin Lauer

{{Short description|West German sprinter (1937–2019)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}

{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = 
| nickname = 
| image = Martin Lauer.jpg
| caption = Martin Lauer at the 1960 Olympics
| birth_date = {{birth date|1937|1|2|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Cologne]], Nordrhein-Westfalen, Nazi Germany
| death_date = {{death date and age|2019|10|6|1937|1|2|df=yes}}
| death_place = 
| height = {{convert|1.86|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|76|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| sport = Athletics
| event = 100 m
| club = ASV Köln
| pb = 100 m – 10.4 (1959)<br>200 m – 21.1 (1959)<br>110 mH – 13.2 (1959)<br>400 mH – 51.2 (1958)<br> Dec – 7478 (1959)<ref name=sr>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/la/martin-lauer-1.html |title=Martin Lauer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417222009/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/la/martin-lauer-1.html |archive-date=2020-04-17 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|alma_mater=
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates = 
{{MedalCountry|{{EUA}}}}
{{MedalOlympics}}
{{MedalGold| [[1960 Summer Olympics|1960 Rome]] | [[Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics|4 × 100 m relay]]}}
}}

'''Karl Martin Lauer''' ({{IPA|de|ˈmaʁtiːn ˈlaʊɐ|-|De-Martin Lauer.ogg}}; 2 January 1937 &ndash; 6 October 2019) was a [[West Germany|West German]] sprinter who won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m [[Relay race|relay]] at the [[1960 Summer Olympics]].

==Biography==
Lauer was a German champion in 110 m hurdles from 1956 to 1960 and in [[decathlon]] in 1956. At the [[1956 Summer Olympics]], he finished fourth in 110 m hurdles and fifth in decathlon. At the [[1958 European Athletics Championships|1958 European Championships]], he won the gold in 110 m hurdles. In 1958 Lauer also ran his first [[world record]], in the 4 × 100 m relay. He set his second world record in 1959, this time in his main event of 110 m hurdles (13.2); this record stood until 1972. The same year he also set his personal best in decathlon and was ranked second in the world in this event.<ref name=sr/> At the end of the year he was named [[Track & Field Athlete of the Year|Athlete of the Year]] by the sports magazine [[Track & Field News]], the first ever of the annual election.<ref>[http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/tfn_pdfs/mworldaoys.pdf T&FN's World Men's Athletes of the Year] {{Webarchive|url=https://www.webcitation.org/6ZQLm1NtP?url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/tfn_pdfs/mworldaoys.pdf |date=2015-06-20 }}, Track and Field News.</ref>

At the [[Rome]] [[Olympic Games|Olympics]] Lauer was again fourth in 110 m hurdles and ran the anchoring leg for the German's 4 × 100 m relay team. In the final the Germans finished second behind the [[United States]], but 15 minutes after the finish it was announced that the American team had been disqualified for an incorrect exchange. Germany's time, 39.5 seconds, equaled their own [[world record]].<ref>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1960/ATH/mens-4-x-100-metres-relay.html |title=Athletics at the 1960 Roma Summer Games: Men's 4 × 100 metres Relay |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417173757/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1960/ATH/mens-4-x-100-metres-relay.html |archivedate=2020-04-17}}</ref>

After the Olympics Lauer was forced to retire from sports – a non-sterile injection resulted in [[sepsis]] and prospects of leg amputation. While visiting Lauer in hospital, his girlfriend and brother had a car crash, with the girlfriend dying immediately and his brother several years later. After recovering Lauer became a country singer and sold a few million copies of his 40+ records. His single "Taxi nach Texas" was awarded the Silver Lion of Radio Luxembourg in 1964. Lauer attended the 1964 Olympics as a journalist and the 1972 Olympics as a representative of the Junghans Company. He later worked as director of the German company [[Triumph-Adler]].<ref name=sr/> Lauer died on 6 October 2019 at the age of 82.<ref name="Obituary">[https://www.leichtathletik.de/news/news/detail/72364-Die-deutsche-Leichtathletik-trauert-um-Martin-Lauer Martin Lauer's obituary] {{in lang|de}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Olympedia|70375}}
* {{Olympics.com|martin-lauer|oc_archive=20210426073858}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|aw}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|GER}} [[Fritz Thiedemann]]|title=[[German Sportspersonality of the year|German Sportsman of the Year]]|years=1959|after={{flagicon|GER}} [[Georg Thoma]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[Track & Field Athlete of the Year]]|before=—|after={{flagicon|USA}} [[Rafer Johnson]]|years=1959}}
{{s-end}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x100 m Men|1960}}
{{Footer European Champions 110 m hurdles Men}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lauer, Martin}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:Athletes from Cologne]]
[[Category:West German decathletes]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for the United Team of Germany]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United Team of Germany]]
[[Category:European Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Track & Field News Athlete of the Year winners]]
[[Category:West German Athletics Championships winners]]