Medal of honor for sports legend Gaich: Stainz celebrates his triathlon hero!

Medal of honor for sports legend Gaich: Stainz celebrates his triathlon hero!

Deutschlandsberg, Österreich - On July 21, 2025, Vice -utian A.D. Werner Gaich was awarded the bronze medal for special services by the Comradeship Association of Stainz. Chairman Franz Hopfgartner presented the honor in a solemn ceremony in which Gaich's many years of commitment to the community was recognized. At the age of 65, Gaich can look back on an impressive sporting career in which he took part in around 30 marathons, triathlons and Ironman competitions. Among these events, the famous Ironman in Hawaii is particularly noteworthy.

gaich, who is considered a passionate all-round athlete, not only involved in various disciplines such as skiing, swimming and cycling, but also worked as head of the army sports and performance center in Graz. There he promoted numerous talents and contributed significantly to the development of important sports personalities. His successes speak for itself: Gaich has firmly anchored his name in the sports world through good results in national and international competitions.

a model in the fire brigade

But not only in sport gaich set standards. He also introduced his knowledge and experience as a fire inspector in the Stainz volunteer fire brigade. For this purpose, he actively promoted the physical fitness of the fire brigade members. In 2015 he was even able to win the gold medal at the fire department world championships ("Fire Fighters") in Roth/Nuremberg, where he won the world championship title in his age group M55. So Gaich was the first Styrian to win this title in his category.

Franz Hopfgartner emphasized the importance of Gaich's tireless effort for the market town in his laudation. This is already the third high award for the athlete: before that he received the medal of merit in iron and the silver medal for his ten and 25 years of membership in the Comradeship Association. Hopfgartner invited him to actively participate in the fire brigade in the future.

35. Stainz Schilcherlauf is on

The native of Stainz is also a respected organizer. This year the Schilcher run from Stainz is already celebrating its 35th edition. The run is dedicated to a wide variety of distances of 5.25 km, 10.5 km to a half marathon over 21 km. A walking competition as well as children and youth skates are also in the program. This run is not only a highlight for regional athletes, but also attracts many participants from all over Austria.

The event takes place from September 5th to 7th, 2023 and promises to become an experience for all sports enthusiasts. Gaich's commitment to this run shows that he not only celebrates unique successes, but also campaigns sustainably in sports and for the community.

Werner Gaich is not only a role model in competitive sports, but also in his efforts to fire the fire brigade and the promotion of sport in the Stainz region. A truly admirable life path that will certainly inspire many future athletes.