Pioneers of Vitality

Athletic Senior Sprinter, 81

Friedhelm Adorf began sprinting and long jumping at age 60 – and found his athletic home there. His six gold medals at the 2025 European Championships in Madeira, where he finished as the best German male among more than 4,000 participants, testify to an unwavering will to win. The discipline with which the 81-year-old structures his training rhythm, his methodical preparation for each competition, and his ability to learn from setbacks make him a role model for generations. His faith and composure are as much part of his recipe for success as decades of experience in motorsport and the support of his family.

Best Ager Model, 67

Hella Willimsky stands for pro-aging instead of anti-aging. After 30 years as a teacher of nutrition and sports, she took a radical new direction in her early 60s and has been working as a best ager model for five years. Her decision to stop dyeing her hair and to love her natural silver-gray color is an expression of her authenticity. The energy she draws from running, cycling, and cross-country skiing in the Black Forest, as well as from yoga, shapes her path. The 67-year-old mother and grandmother commutes between Freiburg, Munich, and international shooting locations – her lived years are for her a precious treasury of experience that lends authentic beauty.

Composer, Pianist, Painter, 73

Alfons Karl Zwicker composes operas about resistance fighters and martyrs – themes that have captivated him since his first opera visit at age 13. His sound research, the complex sound layers, and his art of transporting existential questions about perpetrator and victim to a musical-artistic meta-level demonstrate masterful craftsmanship. The trained pianist and student of Rudolf Kelterborn and Edison Denisov began his career as a painter and continues to combine both forms of expression: when composing, he first draws, literally creating a picture of the sounds. His opera "Death and the Maiden" premiered in Dresden in 2010, with the Swiss premiere celebrated at Theater St. Gallen in 2011. The 73-year-old, recipient of the Cultural Prize of the St. Gallen Cultural Foundation, is currently working on a new opera.

Athlete, Painter, 74

Eliane Piret has combined her passion for running, jumping, and throwing with artistic creativity since elementary school. After a twelve-year competition hiatus, she returned to hurdling at age 67 – a training video reignited her old enthusiasm. Her achievements: triple World Champion in 2023, World Champion in the 80-meter hurdles in 2024 with a world record, European Champion in 2025 in Madeira. The precision of her visualized movement sequences, the support of her husband Pierre, and her home-cooked nutrition shape the path of the 74-year-old mother and grandmother of eight, who has become a role model for generations in her club.

Photographer, 85

Peter Thomann transformed decisive moments into timeless images. As a student, he won the 1963 World Press Photo Award with "Mare with Foal" – a photograph that became a photographic icon and made history in 1996 as the most copied image in the world. His 37 years at Stern magazine as one of the last staff photographers produced major photo essays ranging from Helmut Schmidt to Jean Tinguely. The analog black-and-white photography that the 85-year-old masterfully commands, his training under Otto Steinert, and his international recognition with numerous awards formed an oeuvre present in museums from Hamburg to Lexington. Today, the artist in Hamburg continues to pursue his passion – with a trace of irony that is inherent to his images.