Roland Matthes

Roland Matthes
Matthes in 1970
Personal information
Nickname"Rolls-Royce of Swimming"
NationalityEast Germany
Born(1950-11-17)17 November 1950
Pößneck, Thuringia, East Germany
Died20 December 2019(2019-12-20) (aged 69)
Wertheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Height1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight74 kg (163 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBackstroke
ClubSportclub Turbine Erfurt
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing  East Germany
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1968 Mexico City 100 m backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1968 Mexico City 200 m backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1972 Munich 100 m backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1972 Munich 200 m backstroke
Silver medal – second place 1968 Mexico City 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1972 Munich 4×100 m medley
Bronze medal – third place 1972 Munich 4×100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1976 Montreal 100 m backstroke
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1973 Belgrade 100 m backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1973 Belgrade 200 m backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1975 Cali 100 m backstroke
Silver medal – second place 1973 Belgrade 4×100 m medley
Bronze medal – third place 1973 Belgrade 4×100 m freestyle
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1970 Barcelona 100 m backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1970 Barcelona 200 m backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1970 Barcelona 4×100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 1974 Vienna 100 m backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1974 Vienna 200 m backstroke
Silver medal – second place 1970 Barcelona 100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1974 Vienna 100 m butterfly
Bronze medal – third place 1970 Barcelona 4×100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1970 Barcelona 4×200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1974 Vienna 4×100 m freestyle

Roland Matthes (German pronunciation: [ˈʁoːlant ˈmatəs], audioⓘ; 17 November 1950 – 20 December 2019) was a German swimmer and the most successful backstroke swimmer of all time. Between April 1967 and August 1974 he won all backstroke competitions he entered. He won four European championships and three world championships in a row, and swam 19 world and 28 European records in various backstroke, butterfly and medley events.[1][2] He was trained by Marlies Grohe.[3]

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