“Everything else is at a standstill at the moment”
Former European champion mourns death of daughter
November 2, 2025 – 8:19 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
Richard Ringer and his wife were looking forward to their little daughter. But she was stillborn. Now the long-distance runner shares touching words.
It should have been his most beautiful adventure, but Richard Ringer has now announced the death of his daughter. The 2022 European marathon champion wrote touching farewell words on Instagram.
The German athlete wrote in a black and white video that pans from a tree landscape into the sky: “It is with broken hearts that we have to say goodbye to our dearly beloved daughter April Lucia Vivienne. She was born silently on October 24th at 1:53 a.m. in the LMU Clinic in Munich.”
In a silent birth, the baby is stillborn. Ringer provided the reason for this. He described: “Over the course of days – without being diagnosed medically – the umbilical cord had wrapped itself around her little leg several times, so that adequate care was no longer possible.”
The long-distance runner then explained: “In the 35th week of pregnancy, artificial labor was induced and our little April was born naturally. We have no words for the hardest time of our lives – a time that carries us as a couple in deep love and connection.”
What does life currently feel like for him and his wife Nada Ina Pauer, also a long-distance runner? “At the moment everything else is at a standstill. We first have to put the fragments of our lives back together again.” Ringer also wrote that the couple will now withdraw a little and asks for your understanding.
Numerous companions and celebrities commented on the post. Kai Pflaume wrote: “My deepest condolences in what is probably the hardest time of your life. I wish you all the strength and love you need now.”
The runner Jonathan Delke also said: “It just hurts to read this – a lot of strength and my deepest condolences.” Eilish McColgan, 2022 10,000 meter European champion, also commented: “I’m sending you so much love and strength.”