Shaul Ladany
Shaul Paul Ladany (Hebrew: שאול לדני; born April 2, 1936) is an Israeli Holocaust survivor, racewalker and two-time Olympian.[5] He is now a Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management at Ben Gurion University,[2] has authored over a dozen books and 120 scholarly papers, and reportedly speaks nine languages.[4][2] Asked if it would be fair to call him the ultimate survivor, Ladany laughed and answered: "I don't know about that.[7][8] He and his wife Shosh were married for 58 years, until her death in 2019, and have a daughter Danit[2] and three grandchildren who live in Modi'in.[7][12][16][17][18] Ladany recalled: I saw my father beaten by the SS, and I lost most of my family there... A ransom deal that the Americans attempted saved 2,000 Jews and I was one.[3][4][15][25] In September 1972, he returned as the sole male member of the Israeli track and field team, to compete in the 50-kilometer walk in the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany.[7][15] He said he wanted to show the Germans that a Jew had survived,[2] and he wore a Star of David on his warm-up jersey.[17][27] When he was congratulated by locals on his fluent German, he responded: "I learned it well when I spent a year at Bergen Belsen".[29][32] Early in the morning somebody wakens me, I open my eyes and that's when my roommate from the Mexico Olympic Games says, 'Get up, Monie was killed by Arab terrorists'.I knew him as a joker but that sounded too serious, so without thinking much, in my pyjamas, I went to the entrance door of the apartment, opened it and looked around.I have noticed his dark skin and the hat and I listened, still without being afraid or thinking that something is very dangerous for me, and the guards are asking the permission to let the Red Cross enter apartment one and provide some aid to a wounded person and the man, he refuse.[33] The terrorists from the second floor, from apartment number one, had a clear view from the window and we moved out, walked along the lawn without running or zigzagging but in strong and confident legs.Bowerman called for the U.S. Marines to come and protect American Jewish Olympians swimmer Mark Spitz and javelin thrower Bill Schmidt.[12]Three Black September members survived and were arrested at a Munich prison, but the West German authorities decided to release them the following month in exchange for the hostages of hijacked Lufthansa Flight 615[37][38] Two of the released Black September members were later killed, as were others who organized the Munich massacre, during a campaign of assassinations by the Israeli Mossad.The specialist in ultra long distance walking competed in the 1972 World Championships, in Lugano, Switzerland.[48] In his academic life, Ladany was a Lecturer of at the Tel Aviv University Graduate School of Business and, for over three decades, a Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, where he was formerly Chairman of the department and is now emeritus professor.[4] In 2012, a biography was written about him in Italian by Andrea Schiavon, and published under the title: Cinque cerchi e una stella – Shaul Ladany, da Bergen-Belsen a Monaco '72 (ADD Editore, Torino).[50] In 2007, Ladany was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal for outstanding service to the Olympic Movement.[3][25][51] He was cited as a special person with "unusual outstanding sports achievements during a span covering over four decades."[25] Ladany said he would set up a 10,000₪ Olympic race-walking fund, and offer 1,000₪ to any Israeli who can complete the 50-kilometer race in less than five hours.