Michael Gross (swimmer)

Medal record
Michael Gross Men’s SwimmingCompetitor for West Germany Olympic GamesGold 1984 Los Angeles 200 m FreestyleGold 1984 Los Angeles 100 m ButterflyGold 1988 Seoul 200 m ButterflySilver 1984 Los Angeles 200 m ButterflySilver 1984 Los Angeles 4x200 m FreestyleBronze 1988 Seoul 4x200 m Freestyle World Championships (LC)Gold 1982 Guayaquil200 m Freestyle Gold 1982 Guayaquil200 m Butterfly Gold 1986 Madrid200 m Freestyle Gold 1986 Madrid200 m Butterfly Gold 1991 Perth4x200 m Freestyle Silver 1982 Guayaquil100 m Butterfly Silver 1986 Madrid4x200 m Freestyle Silver 1986 Madrid4x100 m Medley Silver 1991 Perth100 m Butterfly Silver 1991 Perth200 m Butterfly Bronze 1982 Guayaquil4x200 m Freestyle Bronze 1982 Guayaquil4x100 m Freestyle Bronze 1991 Perth4x100 m Freestyle European Championships (LC)Gold 1981 Split200 m Butterfly Gold 1983 Rome200 m Freestyle Gold 1983 Rome100 m Butterfly Gold 1983 Rome200 m Butterfly Gold 1983 Rome4x200 m Freestyle Gold 1985 Sofia200 m Freestyle Gold 1985 Sofia100 m Butterfly Gold 1985 Sofia200 m Butterfly Gold 1985 Sofia4x100 m Freestyle Gold 1985 Sofia4x200 m Freestyle Gold 1985 Sofia4x100 m Medley Gold 1987 Strasbourg200 m Butterfly Gold 1987 Strasbourg4x200 m Freestyle Silver 1981 Split4x200 m Freestyle Silver 1987 Strasbourg100 m Butterfly Silver 1987 Strasbourg4x100 m Freestyle Bronze 1981 Split4x100 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.

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.

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

v • d • e Olympic champions in men's 200 m freestyle

v • d • e Olympic champions in men's 100 m butterfly

v • d • e Olympic champions in men's 200 m butterfly

PersondataNAME Gross, Michael ALTERNATIVE NAMES Groß, Michael (German) SHORT DESCRIPTION West German swimmerDATE OF BIRTH June 17, 1964PLACE OF BIRTH Frankfurt, Hesse, West GermanyDATE OF DEATH PLACE OF DEATH