Shaul Ladany

King of the Road Shaul Ladany

Shaul Ladany, in his time, has been a concentration camp prisoner, record-breaking athlete, patriot, professor and chairman of the Ben Gurion University entrepreneurial center.

In his book, The King of the Road, he tells a remarkable and enthralling story about his life, from growing up in Belgrade at the time of the German invasion of 1941, to their escape to Hungary, being moved to a Jewish ghetto and from there on to the notorious Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Ladany tells this early part of his story with a mixture of humility and sadness.

Following the war Ladany and his family move to the new state of Israel where he begins running races, before moving to race walking. In this, Ladany discovers his true gift as he becomes a record-breaking athlete, racing in the USA and leading from him competing in the 1968 Mexico Olympics to winning the London to Brighton road race, right through to the horrific events of Munich in 1972.

The King of the Road is a moving story of suffering, sadness, hope and joy and is told with a clarity and understanding which is rarely found in a book these days. It will fill your heart with warmth and delight.