Roland Matthes

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Medal record
Roland Matthes
Competitor for  East Germany
Men’s Swimming
Olympic Games
Gold	1968 Mexico City	100m Backstroke
Gold	1968 Mexico City	200m Backstroke
Silver	1968 Mexico City	4x100m Medley
Gold	1972 Munich	100m Backstroke
Gold	1972 Munich	200m Backstroke
Silver	1972 Munich	4x100m Medley
Bronze	1972 Munich	4x100m Freestyle
Bronze	1976 Montreal	100m Backstroke
World Championsips (LC)
Gold	1973 Belgrad	100m Backstroke
Gold	1973 Belgrad	200m Backstroke
Bronze	1973 Belgrad	4x100m Freestyle

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 consecutive 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 seven times: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973 and 1975. He retired after the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, and that year married fellow-swimmer Kornelia Ender. Six year later the couple divorced. Matthes is currently living and working in Marktheidenfeld. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1981.

[edit] External links

• Roland Matthes on ISHOF

v • d • e Olympic champions in men's 100 m backstroke 1908: Arno Bieberstein | 1912: Harry Hebner | 1920: Warren Kealoha | 1924: Warren Kealoha | 1928: George Kojac | 1932: Masaji Kiyokawa | 1936: Adolf Kiefer | 1948: Allen Stack | 1952: Yoshinobu Oyakawa | 1956: David Theile | 1960: David Theile | 1968: Roland Matthes | 1972: Roland Matthes | 1976: John Naber | 1980: Bengt Baron | 1984: Rick Carey | 1988: Daichi Suzuki | 1992: Mark Tewksbury | 1996: Jeff Rouse | 2000: Lenny Krayzelburg | 2004: Aaron Peirsol

v • d • e 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

Awards
Preceded by Frank Wiegand	East German Sportsman of the Year 1967 – 1971	Succeeded by Wolfgang Nordwig
Preceded by Wolfgang Nordwig	East German Sportsman of the Year 1973	Succeeded by Hans-Georg Aschenbach
Preceded by Hans-Georg Aschenbach	East German Sportsman of the Year 1975	Succeeded by Waldemar Cierpinski