Roland Matthes biography
Roland Matthes, (born November 17, 1950, Erfurt, East Germany), East German swimmer who is taken into account one of many biggest backstrokers of all time. Undefeated in main backstroke competitions between 1967 and 1974, Matthes set 16 world information and received eight Olympic medals.
At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Matthes received gold medals in each the 100-metre and 200-metre backstroke, a feat he repeated on the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. He swam the primary leg of the 4 × 100-metre medley relay in world report occasions in each 1968 and 1972, main the East German workforce to silver medals. Matthes’ swimming fashion—characterised by a deceptively informal however highly effective stroke, an extended follow-through, and distinctive timing—lent itself properly to different strokes, and he received a bronze medal on the 1972 Games within the 4 × 100-metre freestyle. Between 1967 and 1973, Matthes took the 100-metre backstroke world report from 58.4 to 56.3 seconds and the 200-metre mark from 2:07.9 to 2:01.87.
Weakened by well being issues and distracted by the calls for of being an East German superstar, Matthes received solely a bronze within the 100-metre backstroke on the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal and didn't place within the 200-metre. Shortly thereafter he retired from competititve swimming. Two years later he married his teammate Kornelia Ender; the couple divorced in 1982.