Roland Matthes

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Men’s Swimming
Olympic medal record
Gold	Mexico City 1968	100m Backstroke
Gold	Mexico City 1968	200m Backstroke
Silver	Mexico City 1968	4x100m Medley Relay
Gold	Munich 1972	100m Backstroke
Gold	Munich 1972	200m Backstroke
Silver	Munich 1972	4x100m Medley Relay
Bronze	Munich 1972	4x100m Freestyle Relay
Bronze	Montreal 1976	100m Backstroke

Roland Matthes (born November 17, 1950 in Pößneck, Thuringia) is a former backstroke swimmer, who won a total number of eight Olympic medals for East Germany. He is considered to be one of the best backstroke swimmers of all time. He competed in three consequentive Summer Olympics, starting in 1968, when the Rolls Royce of Swimming won his first Olympic medals.

Matthes was undefeated in international competitions from 1967 to 1974. During his career he set 21 world records, and won three world and four European titles. Matthes was named East German Sportsman of the Year for six times: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971 en 1973. He retired after the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, and married that year with fellow-swimmer Kornelia Ender. Six year later the couple got divorced. Matthes is currently living and working in Marktheidenfeld. He was inducted in the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1981.

[edit] External link

Roland Matthes on ISHOF

Olympic champions in men's 100 m backstroke

Olympic champions in men's 200 m backstroke
1900: Ernst Hoppenberg \| 1964: Jed Greaf \| 1968: Roland Matthes \| 1972: Roland Matthes \| 1976: John Naber \| 1980: Sándor Wladár \| 1984: Rick Carey \| 1988: Igor Polyanskiy \| 1992: Martin López-Zubero \| 1996: Brad Bridgewater \| 2000: Lenny Krayzelburg \| 2004: Aaron Peirsol