Michael Gross (swimmer)

Michael Gross

Personal information
Nickname(s)	The Albatross
Born	17 June 1964 (1964-06-17) (age 47) Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany
Height	2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)
Weight	88 kg (190 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Stroke(s)	Butterfly, freestyle
Club	EOSC Offenbach
Medal record 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 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 1988 Seoul 4×200 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 4×200 m freestyle Silver 1982 Guayaquil 100 m butterfly Silver 1986 Madrid 4×200 m freestyle Silver 1986 Madrid 4×100 m medley Silver 1991 Perth 100 m butterfly Silver 1991 Perth 200 m butterfly Bronze 1982 Guayaquil 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 1982 Guayaquil 4×100 m medley Bronze 1991 Perth 4×100 m medley 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 4×200 m freestyle Gold 1985 Sofia 200 m freestyle Gold 1985 Sofia 100 m butterfly Gold 1985 Sofia 200 m butterfly Gold 1985 Sofia 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1985 Sofia 4×200 m freestyle Gold 1985 Sofia 4×100 m medley Gold 1987 Strasbourg 200 m butterfly Gold 1987 Strasbourg 4×200 m freestyle Silver 1981 Split 4×200 m freestyle Silver 1983 Rome 4×100 m medley Silver 1987 Strasbourg 100 m butterfly Silver 1987 Strasbourg 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 1981 Split 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 1987 Strasbourg 200 m freestyle Summer Universiade Gold 1985 Kobe 200 m butterfly

Michael Gross (born 17 June 1964), spelled Michael Groß in German, is a former swimmer from Germany. He is 201 centimeters (6 feet, 7 inches) tall, and received the nickname "The Albatross" due to his especially long arms that gave him a total span of 2.13 meters. 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 born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He was probably the finest swimmer in the world in the 200-meter 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-meter freestyle, dominating the field. In the 100-meter butterfly, Gross pulled off a bit of an upset, winning over the favorite in the event, American Pablo Morales. However, in the 200-meter butterfly, Gross himself was upset by a relative unknown, Australian Jon Sieben. The men's 4×200-meter 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.

See also

• List of world records in swimming
• German records in swimming
• List of multiple Olympic medalists at a single Games

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) 30 July 1984 – 23 June 1986	Succeeded by Pablo Morales
Preceded by Craig Beardsley	Men's 200 metre butterfly world record holder (long course) 26 August 1983 – 3 August 1984	Succeeded by Jon Sieben
Preceded by Jon Sieben	Men's 200 metre butterfly world record holder (long course) 29 June 1985 – 12 January 1991	Succeeded by Melvin Stewart
Preceded by Rowdy Gaines	Men's 200 metre Freestyle World Record Holder (Long Course) 21 June 1983 – 19 September 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 Sándor Wladár	European Swimmer of the Year 1982 – 1986	Succeeded by Tamás Darnyi

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