Sigrun WODARS

When recalling the name of Sigrun Wodars, it is always inexorably linked to that of her East German teammate Christine Wachtel. The '2 Ws' as they came to be known, were born in the same year, ran for the same club, and were the best two 800m runners in the world during the late 1980's. Unfortunately for Wachtel, although she usually had the edge over her friend and rival in minor meets, it was invariably Wodars who would prevail in major international competitions. Competing under her maiden name of Ludwigs, Sigrun started her international career early, finishing 4th in the 400m Hurdles at the 1981 European Junior Championships at only 15 years of age. Her first major success in the senior ranks, and in her last major competition under the name of Ludwigs, Sigrun won the 800m in the 1986 European Indoor Championships at Madrid in February.

In June that year, competing under her married name of Wodars, Sigrun won the 800m at the East German national championships in a personal best time of 1min 57.05sec. Two months later, at the European Championships in Stuttgart, Wodars won the silver medal in the 800m, while Wachtel, who was off her form that year, finished 8th. Wachtel recovered her form in 1987, and Wodars was unable to defeat her teammate prior to the World Championships in Rome, including second place finishes at the European Indoor Championships and at the East German national championships on 21 August. In the World Championships at Rome (see photo above), Wodars breezed through the preliminary rounds of the 800m, and then in the final on 31 August, she staged a titanic battle for the lead with Wachtel down the home straight, first gaining, then losing the lead, before surging again near the line to narrowly win the gold medal. (Ron Casey)

At the 1987 World Championships in Rome, Sigrun Wodars and her friend and training partner, Christine Wachtel, firmly established their place at the top of the world's 800m runners, when Wodars narrowly beat Wachtel for the gold medal. In addition, their respective times of 1min 55.26sec and 1min 55.32sec were not only both personal bests, but were the fastest two times recorded in 1987. That was the only race in which Wodars had beaten Wachtel in their eight encounters during 1987, and was an early indication of the reputation she would build of keeping her best performances for the big occasions. In 1988, the pattern of the previous year continued, with Wachtel winning virtually all their encounters. Wachtel broke the world indoor record for 800m twice in February, and on each occasion, Wodars finished in second place.

It was again Wachtel first, Wodars second, at the national championships on 3 June, and prior to the Olympic Games in Seoul that year, Wodars had only won one of their nine encounters both indoors and out. At Seoul, they each won their respective heats, and then their respective semi-finals, setting the scene perfectly for a rematch of the final at the previous year's World Championships. Wodars' winning semi-final time of 1min 57.21sec was her best for the season, and signalled that she was peaking when it mattered. In the final, on 26 September, the '2 Ws' took turns setting the pace, and it was Wachtel who led around the last bend, before Wodars moved alongside her at the top of the straight, and gradually pulled away to eventually win the gold medal (see photo above) in her season's best time of 1min 56.10sec, while Wachtel's second-place time was also her best for the season. (Ron Casey)

Sigrun Wodars won the most important 800m race in 1987, at the World championships in Rome, and also in 1988, at the Olympic Games in Seoul. However, her two victories were at the expense of her friend and training partner Christine Wachtel, who finished second to Wodars on both occasions. The disappointment for Wachtel was magnified by the fact that she had beaten Wodars on nearly every occasion during those two years, except for the two occasions which mattered the most. In 1989, Wodars started to defeat Wachtel in minor meets as well, and her victory at the national championships in July ensured her representation at the World Cup in Barcelona, where she confronted 1989 Grand Prix champion Ana Quirot (Cuba).

Wodars set a cracking pace to try to nullify Quirot's kick, but in the end, the Cuban won the race, while Wodars second-place time of 1min 55.70sec was her season's fastest. In terms of the on track rivalry between Wodars and Wachtel, the 1990 season started in the same pattern as 1987 and 1988. Wachtel won all their encounters during the indoor season, and the first few times they met in the outdoor season, before Wodars came back later in the season to balance the ledger.

They were the overwhelming favourites to fill the first two places in the 800m at the European Championships at Split, with the only question to be answered was which one the '2 Ws' would win. In the final at Split on 29 August, Wachtel led at the end of the first lap, but Wodars moved to the front near the 600m mark, and stayed ahead to eventually win (see photo above 29th. August 1990 © G. Herringshaw) the gold medal. This was Sigrun's last success at a major international championships, and her winning time of 1min 55.87sec was the fastest time recorded in 1990. (Ron Casey).

She divorced and took part as Sigrun Grau in the 1991 World Championships and the 1992 Olympics, reaching the semi-finals both times. She retired after the Barcelona Olympics, and worked as a physiotherapist.