Michael Gross (swimmer)

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Medal record
Michael Gross
Men’s Swimming
Competitor for  West Germany
Olympic Games
Gold	1984 Los Angeles	200 m Freestyle
Gold	1984 Los Angeles	100 m Butterfly
Gold	1988 Seoul	200 m Butterfly
Silver	1984 Los Angeles	200 m Butterfly
Silver	1984 Los Angeles	4x200 m Freestyle
Bronze	1988 Seoul	4x200 m Freestyle
World Championships (LC)
Gold	1982 Guayaquil	200 m Freestyle
Gold	1982 Guayaquil	200 m Butterfly
Gold	1986 Madrid	200 m Freestyle
Gold	1986 Madrid	200 m Butterfly
Gold	1991 Perth	4x200 m Freestyle
Silver	1982 Guayaquil	100 m Butterfly
Silver	1986 Madrid	4x200 m Freestyle
Silver	1986 Madrid	4x100 m Medley
Silver	1991 Perth	100 m Butterfly
Silver	1991 Perth	200 m Butterfly
Bronze	1982 Guayaquil	4x200 m Freestyle
Bronze	1982 Guayaquil	4x100 m Freestyle
Bronze	1991 Perth	4x100 m Freestyle
European Championships (LC)
Gold	1981 Split	200 m Butterfly
Gold	1983 Rome	200 m Freestyle
Gold	1983 Rome	100 m Butterfly
Gold	1983 Rome	200 m Butterfly
Gold	1983 Rome	4x200 m Freestyle
Gold	1985 Sofia	200 m Freestyle
Gold	1985 Sofia	100 m Butterfly
Gold	1985 Sofia	200 m Butterfly
Gold	1985 Sofia	4x100 m Freestyle
Gold	1985 Sofia	4x200 m Freestyle
Gold	1985 Sofia	4x100 m Medley
Gold	1987 Strasbourg	200 m Butterfly
Gold	1987 Strasbourg	4x200 m Freestyle
Silver	1981 Split	4x200 m Freestyle
Silver	1987 Strasbourg	100 m Butterfly
Silver	1987 Strasbourg	4x100 m Freestyle
Bronze	1981 Split	4x100 m Freestyle

Michael Gross (born June 17, 1964 in Frankfurt) is a former swimmer from Germany. A 202 cm (6 ft 7 in) athlete, he received nickname "The Albatross", due to his super long arms which gave him a total span of 2.13 m. Gross, competing for West Germany, won three Olympic gold medals, two in 1984 and one in 1988 in the freestyle and butterfly events, in addition to two World Championship titles in 1982, two in 1986 and one in 1991.

[edit] Career

Gross was probably the finest swimmer in the world in the 200 m butterfly race from 1981 to 1988. In this period he set four world records, won two world titles, four European titles and one Olympic gold medal. He is perhaps the finest European Swimmer ever.

The sole exception occurred in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, when Gross was one of the great athletes of the games. Gross easily won gold in the 200 m freestyle, dominating the field. In the 100 m butterfly, Gross pulled off a bit of an upset, winning over the favorite in the event, American Pablo Morales. However, in the 200 m butterfly, Gross himself was upset by a relative unknown, Australian Jon Sieben. The men's 4x200 m freestyle relay race became one of the marquee events of the games, with Gross leading the German relay against the underdog American squad. Despite the fact that Gross swam the fastest relay leg in the event's history, the American team pulled off the upset, earning the title of the Grossbusters.

Gross won a total of thirteen medals at the World Championships (including five gold), fifteen gold medals at the European Championships and was elected German "Athlete of the Year" four times (1982, 1983, 1984 and 1988). He retired from professional swimming in 1991.

He is featured in Bud Greenspan's 16 Days of Glory, the documentary film of the 1984 Summer Olympics.

1976 gold medal winning swimmer John Naber remarked to Sports Illustrated in 1984 that if Michael Gross were an American, he would have won six or seven medals, and that Gross was better than Mark Spitz.

He was named Male World Swimmer of the Year in 1985 by Swimming World magazine and admitted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1995.

[edit] See also

• German records in swimming

[edit] External links

• Michael Gross at the Internet Movie Database
• ISHOF Bio

Records
Preceded by Pablo Morales	Men's 100 metre butterfly world record holder (long course) July 30, 1984 – June 23, 1986	Succeeded by Pablo Morales
Preceded by Craig Beardsley	Men's 200 metre butterfly world record holder (long course) August 26, 1983 – August 3, 1984	Succeeded by Jon Sieben
Preceded by Jon Sieben	Men's 200 metre butterfly world record holder (long course) June 29, 1985 – January 12, 1991	Succeeded by Melvin Stewart
Preceded by Rowdy Gaines	Women's 200 metre Freestyle World Record Holder (Long Course) June 21, 1983 – September 19, 1988	Succeeded by Duncan Armstrong
Awards
Preceded by Toni Mang	German Sportsman of the Year 1982 – 1984	Succeeded by Boris Becker
Preceded by Harald Schmid	German Sportsman of the Year 1988	Succeeded by Boris Becker
Preceded by Alex Baumann	World Swimmer of the Year 1985	Succeeded by Matt Biondi
Preceded by Sandor Wladar	European Swimmer of the Year 1982 – 1986	Succeeded by Tamás Darnyi

v • d • e Olympic champions in men's 200 m freestyle 1900: Frederick Lane | 1968: Michael Wenden | 1972: Mark Spitz | 1976: Bruce Furniss | 1980: Sergey Kopliakov | 1984: Michael Gross | 1988: Duncan Armstrong | 1992: Yevgeny Sadovyi | 1996: Danyon Loader | 2000: Pieter van den Hoogenband | 2004: Ian Thorpe

v • d • e Olympic champions in men's 100 m butterfly 1968: Douglas Russell | 1972: Mark Spitz | 1976: Matt Vogel | 1980: Pär Arvidsson | 1984: Michael Gross | 1988: Anthony Nesty | 1992: Pablo Morales | 1996: Denis Pankratov | 2000: Lars Frölander | 2004: Michael Phelps

v • d • e Olympic champions in men's 200 m butterfly 1956: William Yorzyk | 1960: Michael Troy | 1964: Kevin Berry | 1968: Carl Robie | 1972: Mark Spitz | 1976: Mike Bruner | 1980: Sergey Fesenko, Sr. | 1984: Jon Sieben | 1988: Michael Gross | 1992: Melvin Stewart | 1996: Denis Pankratov | 2000: Tom Malchow | 2004: Michael Phelps

Persondata
NAME	Gross, Michael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Groß, Michael (German)
SHORT DESCRIPTION	West German swimmer
DATE OF BIRTH	June 17, 1964
PLACE OF BIRTH	Frankfurt, Hesse, West Germany
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH