Goodbye to an extraordinary person

Wolfgang Goldner

I moved to Nelspruit with my parents in 1995.

Back then we were 17. Back then as well I was fanatic about martial arts. On my second day in school I found Wolf giving a someone a quick demonstration of his techniques.

Now- there will always be karate kids that get made fun of. I think it is safe to say that nobody would have dared to take this guy lightly...

At the age of 17 his speed and technique was lightyears ahead of that of his peers and even those older than him. In 1995-1996 he was definitely the one guy that you would not have been able to beat up.

Although Wolf had the ability to literally kill a grown man with his bare hands- he was one the least aggressive people I know. Not that it helped much- He still scared the living shit out of me.

Wolf never told me what style he practised, but what he showed me was that a lot of black belts out there are not ready to face an opponent like him. Inwardly I am grateful for the fact that the mugger, drunkard or sparring partner one might face is most likely not going to be as strong, fast and skilled as he was. Whenever I would feel complacent about my training the thought of facing this guy spurred me on to train harder.

After finishing school in 1996 I have not heard from him again.

Today, however, I was informed of his untimely and unexpected passing.

Rest in Peace. You will live on in our hearts and memories.      

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