Michael Gross (swimmer)
Encyclopedia
Michael Gross 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.
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.
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He is 201 centimeters (6 feet, 7 inches) tall, and received the nickname "The Albatross
Albatross
Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...
" due to his especially long arms that gave him a total span of 2.13 meters. Gross, competing for West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, won three Olympic gold medals, two in 1984 and one in 1988 in the freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
and butterfly
Butterfly stroke
The butterfly is a swimming stroke swum on the breast, with both arms moving simultaneously. The butterfly kick was developed separately, and is also known as the "dolphin kick"...
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
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, 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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Pablo Morales
Pablo Morales
Pablo Morales is an American former swimmer. He attended Bellarmine College Preparatory, in San Jose, California under the supervision of Larry Rogers...
. However, in the 200-meter butterfly, Gross himself was upset by a relative unknown, Australian Jon Sieben
Jon Sieben
Jonathan Scott Sieben is an Australian former butterfly swimmer active in the 1980s, who won gold in the 200 m butterfly at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics....
. 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
16 Days of Glory
16 Days of Glory is a 1986 documentary film by Bud Greenspan about the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, USA.The film has been featured on HBO.Among the athletes profiled are Mary Lou Retton, Greg Louganis and Michael Groß....
, the documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
of the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
.
1976
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
gold medal winning swimmer John Naber
John Naber
John Phillips Naber is a former American swimmer who specialized in the backstroke and five-time Olympic medallist .-Career:...
remarked to Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
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
Mark Spitz
Mark Andrew Spitz is a retired American swimmer. He won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, an achievement only surpassed by Michael Phelps who won eight golds at the 2008 Olympics....
.
He was named Male World Swimmer of the Year in 1985 by Swimming World magazine
Swimming World magazine
Swimming World Magazine is an American-based monthly swimming magazine, that was first published in a magazine format as Junior Swimmer in January of 1960...
and admitted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame
International Swimming Hall of Fame
The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of swimming in the United States and around...
in 1995.
See also
- List of world records in swimming
- German records in swimmingGerman records in swimmingBelow is a complete list of the German records in swimming, which are ratified by the German Swimming Federation .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:...
- List of multiple Olympic medalists at a single Games