MEXICAN OLYMPIC DIVER AND ISHOF HONOREE CARLOS GIRON PASSES AWAY AT THE AGE OF 65
ISHOF Honor Diver and Mexican Olympian, Carlos Giron, has passed away after a long battle with a lung infection at age 65.
Giron entered the hospital just before Christmas due to pneumonia, and during his stay, acquired a bacterial infection that complicated his infection further. He died today, Monday, January 13, 2020.
Carlos was a five-time Olympian, competing in the 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games. He won silver on the 3-meter springboard at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. He also placed 4th on the platform.
Longevity and consistency were the hallmarks of Giron’s career. People described his diving as “simply beautiful”.
While the 3-meter springboard was his main event, his diving talent was almost equally matched on the 10-meter platform as well.
Travelling to Fort Lauderdale to attend the International Diving Meet was always a favorite of Giron’s. He looked forward to the meet held every May and his visits to the ISHOF museum. He started coming in 1976, when it was then called the CAN-AM-MEX meet and continued attending through the mid-1980’s, when it became the International Diving Meet. During his years in Fort Lauderdale, Giron won a combined seven gold, three silver and one bronze medal, on the springboard and platform.
Giron competed in an era of outstanding Hall of Fame divers, including Greg Louganis (USA), Klaus DiBiasi (ITA), Phil Boggs (USA), Falk Hoffman (GDR), Vladimir Vasin (USR) and Giorgio Cagnotto (ITA). After the 1980 Olympics, Giron was selected as World Male Springboard Diver of the Year for 1981.
He is a gold, silver and two-time bronze medalist at the Pan-American Games (1975 and 1979) and a champion at numerous Central American and Caribbean meets.
After retiring from diving, Giron attended medical school at UCLA, where he received a degree in dental prosthesis. He also attended sports administration courses at the University of Texas in Austin; Sport Schule Institute in Berlin, Germany; and the University LaSalle in Mexico City.
In addition, Giron was also involved in government and later became Mexico City’s Area Director for Consumer Organization, Agricultural and General Services, Head of Transportation and Mexican Social Security. He was President of the Mexican Association of Olympic Medalists and continued in the sport, as a coach and Masters Diver.
Today, Carlo Girón, son of the former medalist, announced the sad news through his social networks, and thanked everyone for their good wishes for his father that have come to the family. He continued…..
“It is with great sorrow, we want to communicate to each and every one of you who were an important part in the life of my dad @DrCGiron, that today he has stopped being among us to move to immortality. Thank you all for your prayers and good wishes,” he wrote.
While the Mexican Olympic Committee (COM) adding supportive sentiments: “The Mexican Olympic family deeply regrets the loss of one of its distinguished members, the 1980 Moscow medalist Carlos Girón.”
In turn, the Secretary of Public Education, Esteban Moctezuma Barragán shared: “We say goodbye to a glory of Mexican sport, Carlos Girón, silver medalist at the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games. My deepest condolences to his family.”
Carlos Giron was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2001.
US Olympic Team Trials Diving
Dear USA Diving Community,
During the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Diving held in June, we will induct our third class into the USA Diving Rings of Honor. The Rings of Honor inducted its inaugural class in 2012, and the second one in 2016.
The Rings of Honor celebrates the outstanding achievements and contributions of its members. The Rings of Honor Committee is requesting your help with submitting nominees for the 2020 class.
Here are the categories and their descriptions:
Lifetime Achievement Award – The ultimate award for individuals who have participated and contributed at the highest level in more than one category.
Diving Legends – Awarded for outstanding accomplishments in various world-level competitions.
Distinguished Coaches – Awarded for excellence and special accomplishments in coaching.
Honor Contributors – Special recognition for people who have been very important contributors to the sport.
Masters – Consistent participation in Masters Nationals events over a significant period of time; participation at the international level (Pan Am and World events); high levels of achievement in Masters events (multiple podium finishes at national/Pan Am/World meets, with more weight given to events with larger numbers of participants); clear evidence of promoting the sport of diving in general (media, involvement with USA diving via donations/serving on committees or as an official or volunteer/coaching) and Masters diving in particular.
Pioneer category – For innovative ideas that significantly enhanced the sport of diving.
You will find the nomination form HERE. If you have someone to nominate, please complete it and send it to Taylor Payne at Taylor.Payne@usadiving.org.
If you have any questions, please contact Taylor Payne at Taylor.Payne@usadiving.org.
Thank you,
Terry Bassett
CEO – USA Diving
Participant Overflow, Spectators and Families Hotel Information
The spectator hotel for the the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Diving is the Crowne Plaza Downtown Indianapolis Union Station, located at 123 W. Louisiana St., Indianapolis, IN 46225. The hotel is only 1.5 miles from the IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI. The room rate is $179/night.
The room rate, when booked via USA Diving and our group code, includes:
· Complimentary access to on-site fitness room
· Complimentary internet access in guest rooms
· Discounted self-parking for $28/night
· Discounted valet parking for $38/night
Book rooms here.
Reservation cut-off is May 26, 2020.
The Dive Towers at ISHOF are No More……
January, 2020, saw the demolition of the original dive towers at the Hall of Fame Aquatic Complex. These towers were built in 1965 with the original plans for the Hall of Fame pool. It was with mixed emotions that everyone watched it.
The dive towers at ISHOF have seen some of the greatest divers in the world, including a multitude of Olympic champions. In 1970, ISHOF hosted the first ever CAN-AM-MEX Meet, welcoming Canada, America and Mexico. It eventually became the International Diving Meet, inviting athletes from all over the world. From then on the best trained divers in the world started coming to Fort Lauderdale each May to attend, what became a favorite meet of everyone.
Olympic gold medalist, Micki King was a regular for many years. The Italian team with Klaus DiBiasi and Giorgio Cagnotto travelled to Fort Lauderdale for at least a decade. Cagnotto continued to come to Lauderdale after he became a coach and his daughter became an Olympic diver where she then followed in his footsteps. Other teams followed: the Canadian team, the Mexican team, the Russians, the Germans, the Swedish and even the Chinese came in the end. They all wanted to come to Fort Lauderdale and ISHOF to compete.
The meet became so popular that USA Diving and FINA took over the running and organization of the event. It then became known as the FINA Diving Grand Prix.
Greg Louganis started coming to Fort Lauderdale as an age-grouper and has won more meets than we can count off these towers.
And so with the demolition of these towers, an era has ended. The towers are gone, and so is the dive well. It’s time to write a new chapter in diving at the Hall of Fame Aquatic Complex. Invite new divers, as well as other aquatic athletes, break new records and look to the future and what’s to come.
Stay tuned……..
January 7th Proclaimed as Ron O’Brien Day
Yesterday, January 7th, 2020, was Proclaimed Ron O’Brien Day by the City of Fort Lauderdale City Commission.
Ron O’Brien was the Head Coach of the Fort Lauderdale Diving Team from 190-1996, ISHOF Honoree and an eight-time Olympic coach.
Commissioner Steve Glassman presented O’Brien with the proclamation, Monday evening at the City Commission meeting, making it Ron O’Brien Day.
O’Brien was recently inducted into the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, only the fifth Coach to ever be honored.
To read more about ISHOF Honor Coach Ron O’Brien, visit: https://ishof.org/ron-o-brien-(usa).html
Montenegrin Water Polo Player, Mirko Vicevic to be Inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as part of Class of 2020
by MEG KELLER-MARVIN
Mirko Vicevic has won gold at every major event on the water polo world stage; the Olympic Games, the World Championships and the FINA World Cup.
His original club was Primorac of Kotor, Montenegro, where he played from 1982 to 1989. After that, he played for several teams, Jadran, in Split, Croatia, Savona (Italy) Barcelona (Spain) Brixia (Brescia, Italy) and Pro Recco (Italy). Vicevic won the LEN Trophy for the years 2002, 2003 and 2006 with his club Brixia, and was selected as Best Sportsman of the Municipality of Kotor in 1986, 1988 & 1989 and Best Sportsman in Montenegro in 1988.
Meet Vicevic in person and hear his incredible life story at the ISHOF Induction dinner on Saturday, April 25, 2020. Become an ISHOF Legacy Member and attend the ISHOF Induction dinner for FREE. Can’t attend the event? Please consider donating to ISHOF, support Vicevic and our other inspirational Honorees.
More about Mirko Vicevic:
After retiring in 1991 Mirko graduated from the School of Water Polo Trifun-Miro Ćirković and began coaching water polo. He received his coaching diploma in 1997. As a coach he won the Italian Junior Championships with the water polo club Savona in 1999. Since 2008, he has been the A-Team Coach of the newly-founded club Vaterpolo Akademija Cattaro, where he is also the team manager, winning the LEN Trophy in the season 2009/2010. Vicevic won the European championship gold medal in 2013, with the National Junior Team of Montenegro. He has also been the adviser of sport in the municipality of Kotor since December 2013.
About the International Swimming Hall of Fame Induction Weekend:
The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) Induction Ceremony is shaping up to be a star-studded weekend with ISHOF Honoree and Sullivan Award Winner, Debbie Meyer, acting as emcee and host of the induction with multiple events spread out over two days in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Make your plans now to attend the weekend of April 24-25, 2020! ISHOF Members can purchase the Weekend Package and Save! Can’t attend the event? Donate to ISHOF to support our Honorees.
This year’s International Swimming Hall of Fame Honorees include:
HONOR SWIMMERS: Brendan Hansen (USA), Michael Klim (AUS), Jon Sieben (AUS), Rebecca Soni (USA), and Daichi Suzuki (JPN); HONOR DIVER: Matthew Mitcham (AUS); HONOR SYNCHRONIZED (ARTISTIC) SWIMMER: Elvira Khasyanova (RUS); HONOR WATER POLO: Mirko Vicevic (YUG); HONOR OPEN WATER SWIMMER: Marilyn Bell (CAN); HONOR COACHES: Ursula Carlile (AUS) and David Marsh (USA); HONOR CONTRIBUTORS: Bob Duenkel* (USA) and Peter Hurzeler (SUI).
*deceased
In addition to the Class of 2020, two Honorees from the Class of 2019, who were unable to attend their induction last year, will be present to be officially inducted. Honor Swimmer: Otylia Jedrzejczak (POL) and Honor Diver: Ting Li (CHN).
U.S. Coach of the Year: Gregg Troy Has Spun Magic in Development of Caeleb Dressel
by JOHN LOHN – ASSOCIATE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
29 December 2019
Gregg Troy (U.S. Coach of the Year)
The selection of United States Coach of the Year is a delicate exercise and is dependent on the lens used for the selection. Should the coach of the most dominant athlete receive the award? Or, should the honor go to the coach who guided the most successful group of high performers? There is no simple answer, and varied opinions are very much accepted.
But with the exploits of Caeleb Dressel from the World Championships, along with the success of the Cali Condors in the inaugural season of the International Swimming League, Swimming World has chosen Gregg Troy for Coach of the Year in 2019. Troy earned the accolade in a tight battle that also featured deep consideration for Ray Looze and Greg Meehan. Yet, when it came time to make the selection, Troy’s guidance of Dressel stood out.
The 69-year-old Troy is no stranger to coaching awards, having amassed his share during a career defined by significant success overseeing the programs of the University of Florida and Gator Swim Club. He has been an NCAA, ASCA and USA Swimming Coach of the Year, and has guided Team USA into Olympic waters. This past year, his efforts were most noteworthy for generating a blueprint that led Dressel to an eight-medal haul at the World Champs, including six gold medals.
The success found by Dressel since he started working under Troy’s direction as a University of Florida freshman is off the charts. Last summer, however, brought the greatest achievements as Dressel won four individual titles at Worlds, the 100 butterfly captured in world-record time. He also became the fastest man in history in textile in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle, and Dressel will be among the most-watched athletes at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
“He is a great coach,” Dressel has said of Troy. “He works hard, looks for different things to focus on. He brings out the best in his athletes.”
Gregg Troy; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
While Troy is best known for the development of his athletes into better swimmers, some racing at the top level of the sport and contending for Olympic medals, his role goes beyond simply a man designing sets and delivering directions from the deck. Additionally, Troy serves as a confidant for his swimmers and is equally concerned with how his troops grow as individuals. Life goes on beyond the pool.
“The long-lasting effect you have on people you communicate and deal with is really satisfying,” he said. “Helping people be successful at the highest level for them. Teaching people skills through their life and to give back to society is what makes people successful.”
Troy is not just responsible for Dressel’s exploits, but also is in charge of the careers of Great Britain’s Mark Szaranek and Poland’s Jan Switkowski, who boast Olympic hopes for 2020. Of course, he is also known for mentoring Ryan Lochte to vast success on the world stage, with Lochte chasing his fifth Olympic bid next summer.
The recently completed ISL season featured Troy as the head coach of the Cali Condors, who advanced to the grand finale in Las Vegas and were in contention for the team title until late on the second day of the championship competition. While eventual champion Energy Standard and runnerup London Roar had greater talent throughout their rosters, Troy worked his lineups superbly to keep the Condors within striking distance.
Beyond preparing Dressel to manage a heavy schedule in Tokyo, Troy must prepare his biggest charge for the expectations that will be thrust upon his shoulders. Already, Dressel is being mentioned as a contender to win seven or eight medals in Tokyo, his face sure to be splashed on many magazine covers. Due to Dressel’s multi-medal potential, comparisons to Michael Phelps have been made. The pressure will be unique, and Troy is confident that Dressel’s experience from the World Champs will suit him well.
“He’s dealt with the pressure of being the star,” Troy said. “Now, I think, he’s kind of the complete package.”
With Troy having a major influence over that status.
Honorable Mention (Alphabetical Order)
Jack Bauerle
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
The longtime head man at the University of Georgia, Jack Bauerle continues to churn out championship contenders on the global level. A finalist for Coach of the Year at the Golden Goggles, Bauerle served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the World Championships. Six of Bauerle’s athletes, including Chase Kalisz, Hali Flickinger, Olivia Smoliga, Melanie Margalis and Jay Litherland, earned spots in Gwangju and combined for 10 medals.
Dave Durden
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Set to guide the United States men’s squad at next year’s Olympic Games, Dave Durden led the University of California-Berkeley to the NCAA men’s team crown, the Golden Bears’ dominant showing ending Texas’ four-year stranglehold on the championship. Durden then coached the USA men at the World Championships, with five of his athletes occupying spots on the roster.
Ray Looze
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Whether overseeing athletes at the collegiate level or competing in international circles, Ray Looze produced a sterling year. His Indiana University squads each captured Big Ten Conference titles, with the men following up with a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Looze was also an assistant for Team USA at the World Championships, where his swimmers shined, headlined by Lilly King and her trio of gold medals. As the Olympic year beckons, Looze boasts an impressive roster of hopefuls for the Tokyo Games, including Blake Pieroni and Zach Apple.
Greg Meehan
Greg Meehan; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
The United States women’s coach for next year’s Olympic Games, Greg Meehan enjoyed a sterling year by first leading Stanford to a third consecutive NCAA women’s team title. He then served as the Team USA women’s coach at the World Championships where his pupil Simone Manuel won gold in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle, and where Katie Ledecky, in the face of illness, took gold in the 800 freestyle. Meehan also coached World Champs team members Katie Drabot, who won bronze in the 200 butterfly, and Ella Eastin and Brooke Forde.
Mike Parratto
Photo Courtesy: Brent Rutemiller
Once the coach of the legendary Jenny Thompson, Mike Parratto was the man behind the breakout success of Regan Smith at the World Championships. The head coach of the Riptide Swim Team in Minnesota, Parratto guided Smith to a world record and gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke at the World Champs, and then watched his prized pupil lead off the United States’ 400 medley relay in a world record for the 100 backstroke, with the relay also establishing a global standard. For his work, Parratto was named Coach of the Year by the American Swim Coaches Association and at the Golden Goggles Awards.
Passages 2019: Mourning Matthes, Mann, Troy, Wood, Tinkham, To, Higgs, Duenkel & More
PASSAGES
by CRAIG LORD – SWIMMING WORLD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
31 December 2019
If 2019 started with the news of coach Jim Wood‘s passing, it ended with the world of swimming mourning the loss of Roland Matthes, the most decorated Olympic backstroke champion in history, gone after a short, severe illness at 69 but never to be forgotten.
Photo Courtesy:
The day after news of Matthes’ passing at 69, John Naber, the man who at Montreal 1976 ended Roland’s reign as the supreme backstroke pioneer of pace, penned a moving tribute to his rival and then friend for life. Naber’s words and memories summed up a defining and enduring aspect of the swimming world: it is stacked with friendship and understanding that transcends the race, the politics and governance crisis that have long left the swimmers and swimming punching below their weight when it comes to recognition of their excellence in the wider world.
This year also marked the passing at 76 of Thompson Mann, Olympic medley relay champion for the USA champion who in 1964 became the first swimmer to break the minute over 100m backstroke. Just three years after his 59.6, Matthes clocked 58.4 for the first of his record seven 100m World records down to the 56.30sec in which he retained the first of his Olympic titles at Munich 1972.
Mike Troy – Photo Courtesy: International Swimming Hall of Fame
After a battle with mental illness, Brian Job, two-time Olympic swimmer for the USA, passed away at 67. Other Olympic podium placers lost this year included 200m butterfly champion for the GDR at a time of State Plan 14:25, Andrea Pollack, at 57 and Mike Troy, the 1960 200m butterfly champion for the USA, at 78. George Breen, a four-time Olympic medalist between the 1956 Games in Melbourne and the 1960 Games in Rome, died on Nov. 9 after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 84.
Water Polo lost a legend in István Szívós, at 71, while diving mourned Patty Elsener, who passed at 89.
Gone far too soon was Kenneth To, the former Australian International who switched to Hong Kong and became a national record holder. He died at just 26 years of age.
Among mentors lost were coaches James “Jim” Martin Wood, Gus Stager and Stan Tinkham from the United States and Mike Higgs of Britain, while the passing of Robert “Bob” Duenkel at 74 left the International Swimming Hall of Fame, where he had served as official historian, as well as the wider swimming world, in mourning.
ISHOF’s Bob Duenkel
The Roll Call Of Those Whose Passing Swimming World Marked In 2019 (counting backwards through the year) – RIP:
Roland Matthes, The Rolls Royce Of Backstroke, Mourned By World Swimming
Robert “Bob” Burnside, Founding President, U.S. Lifesaving Association, Dies At 87
NISCA Pioneer David H. Robertson Dies at 93
Water Polo Legend István Szívós Passes Away at 71
Olympic Diving Medalist Patty Elsener Dies at 89
Dr. Julian Stein, ISHOF Award Winner, passes away
After Battles With Mental Illness and Addiction, Two-Time Olympian Brian Job Dies at 67
Former Westminster School Coach Pete Higgins Passes Away at 86
1960 200 Butterfly Olympic Gold Medalist Mike Troy Dies at 78
Legendary Swimmer Graham Johnston at Age 88
Mike Higgs, Mentor To Hardcastle, Wilmott, Foster & Generations Of Southend Swimmers, Passes
Gus Stager, Former Olympic, Michigan Coach, Passes Away
Charlie Schlegel, Former National Swimming Coach of the Year, Dies at 89
ISHOF Service Award Winner Dale Petranech Passes at 84
Charles Van Der Horst, 67, Dies in Hudson River
Richard Fetters, Former Michigan State Coach, Dies at 98
Don Duncan, First Swimming Coach at Puget Sound Dies at 89
FINA’s Dennis Miller Passes
Don Hill, Former Michigan NCAA Champion Dies at 87
Former USA Diving Chairman, ISHOF Paragon Award Winner Don Leas, 84
Richard “Doc” Hunkler, Leading Proponent of Women’s Water Polo, Passes Away at 83
ASU Swimming Alumnus Stephen Estes Dies In Helicopter Crash
1956 Olympic Coach Stan Tinkham Passes at 87
Ted Newland, Coach Emeritus of UC Irvine Men’s Water Polo, Passes Away at 91
1964 Olympic Gold Medalist Thompson Mann, 76
Nick Martin, Former Olympic Water Polo Player, Longtime Coach Dies at 87
Dr. Samuel “Sam” Freas, Age 73, Passes
Hong Kong National Record Holder Kenneth To Dies at 26
Olympic Gold Medalist Andrea Pollack Passes Away
Bill Stetson, Honored NISCA Swim Coach, Passes at 85
ISHOF Historian – Robert “Bob” Duenkel, Passes at 74
Long-Time Acton-Boxborough, Patriot Swim Club Coach Jeff Johnson Passes Away
Bob Horn, U.S. Olympic and UCLA Men’s Swimming and Water Polo Coach, Passes at 87
Coach James “Jim” Martin Wood Leaves Unparalleled Legacy To Aquatic Community
George Breen, a Four-Time Olympic Medalist, Dies After Battle With Pancreatic Cancer
Passages: Roland Matthes, The Rolls Royce Of Backstroke, Mourned By World Swimming
by CRAIG LORD – SWIMMING WORLD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
22 December 2019
Obituary – Roland Matthes (17 November 1950 – 20 December 2019)
Roland Matthes, the most decorated backstroke ace in history, the G.OA.T. of the stroke, died on Friday in Wertheim, Baden-Württemberg, after a short, severe illness. He was 69.
His wife Daniela confirmed the sad news to the German press agency DPA at the weekend and the German swimming federation (DSV) has issued a short statement.
Matthes, from Erfurt, became the most successful German swimmer in history and remains the most successful backstroke swimmer ever when he collected the fourth of his Olympic gold medals over 100 and 200m at Munich 1972 four years after the same outcome at Mexico 1968.
With his swansong Olympics in 1976, Matthes claimed a total of four gold, two silver and a bronze over three Games. In 21 years, the 21-time world record holder (16 of the standards on backstroke, 7 over 100m, 9 over 200m) was unbeaten on backstroke. Pat Besford, the British doyenne of swimming journalists in her day dubbed the protégé of coach Marlies Grohe-Geissler the “Rolls-Royce of Swimming” because of the smoothness and elegance of Matthes’ ahead-of-his-time technique.
After his racing days for the GDR were over, Matthes worked as an orthopaedic surgeon. He kept in touch with swimming and gave advice and assistance to German swimmers such as Franziska van Almsick down the years.
In 2004 Matthes was awarded the Golden Sports Pyramid for his life’s work and shortly thereafter became the first former GDR athlete to be inducted into the Hall of Fame of German Sports. In 1981, he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
In 2005, Prof Helge Pfeifer, one of the scientists who helped to deliver the State Plan 14:25 doping program of the GDR revealed in an interview with this author that Grohe was the only coach who “got away with always saying no but keeping her job … Roland Matthes needed no help”.
In a tribute to Matthes, Uwe Brinkmann, Vice President of the German Swimming Association (DSV), said:
“The news of Roland Matthes’ death fills us with great sadness. Our sympathy and sympathy go to his family. With Roland Matthes, we are not only one of the successful swimmers in sports history, but also a helpful person who always wanted to build bridges – within Germany between East and West as well as between the older and younger generations of athletes. We will remember him as a great role model. “
“Hello – I’m Roland Matthes, I Swam Backstroke”
By Craig Lord
At the 1991 World Championships in Perth, Australia, organisers threw a party for former Olympic and world champions. Each was asked to rise and say a few words about their career and achievements. The greatest backstroke swimmer in history was as modest as always: “Hello, I’m Roland Matthes, I swam backstroke.” True, but not quite like anyone else ever has.
Described as the Rolls-Royce of backstroke swimming, Matthes, highly flexible and capable of turning his arms over his head stretched out with hands tied, covered a 50m lap using some 10 strokes less than many of his rivals, so fluent, so smooth his style. It often appeared to observers as though Matthes was watching the clock and did just enough to set records. There was good reason to think in those terms: incentives for the GDR’s “ambassadors in tracksuits” included better homes and a fast-track up the waiting list for cars and other “luxury” items.
For young Matthes, according to Der Spiegel in 1969 when the swimmer was 18 and had two Olympic gold medals already in the bag from Mexico, success was a passport to music stores and records that were not available back home. The story went that authorities turned a blind eye to the “forbidden” music that Matthes collected as a way of rewarding him for the medals and records in the pool.
A local magazine in Marktheidenfeld, Bavaria, where Matthes has lived and worked as an orthopaedic surgeon since 1995, revealed in 2013 that the backstroke ace still has some of the records he was allowed to collect but that most of his pocket money on trips abroad went on new jeans and the “wish lists” of others, such as aunts and uncles keen to have whatever it was they couldn’t get in the GDR.
In the Roland Matthes Treasury
Matthes still has most of his Cat Stevens’ vinyl and “almost everything” by The Beatles. But readers of that 2013 article need not have imagined the then 62-year-old sitting in his favourite armchair in his slippers humming to Eleanor Rigby. Asked what his musical tastes were today, the fit regular-jogger of a surgeon cited the last two concerts he’d attended with his wife Daniela: Gossip and Pink.
You might expect someone like Matthes to stay abreast of times. He always did. In his swimming heyday, not only did he retain both the 100m and 200m Olympic titles (1968-72), the only swimmer ever to do so, he also won three world titles (100m and 200m at the inaugural 1973 championships and the 100m in 1975), retained the European titles in both events (1970, 1974) and established 16 world records over the 100m (7) and 200m (9) 1967-1975. He also helped medley teammates to claim the only two relay world records to fall to East German men.
His dominance was undeniable – watch the margin of victory over 100m at Mexico 1968
When he won the inaugural 200m world crown in a world record of 2:01.87 (in 1973, while only seven men out of 31 at the Barcelona round of the Mare Nostrum Tour were faster), he was 4.02sec ahead of next home, another who would go on to have a medical career, Zoltan Verraszto, the Hungarian who would win the crown two years later (Verraszto’s offspring, Eva and David became International medal winners in their own right). It took until 1982 for a swimmer to crack Matthes’ championship record.
Those first championships took place 40 years ago: watch for our anniversary special that will form part of our Barcelona 2013 World Championships coverage next month.
Four decades on, did he keep an eye on who was faster than he was these days, he was asked by the local reporter. “I couldn’t care less [how it relates to himself],” he said. “But I’m happy to see athletes doing well.”
Matthes married Kornelia Ender after the 1976 Olympics. The couple divorced in 1982, after the birth of their daughter Francesca, the offspring of parents who between them boasted a treasury of eight gold, six silver and two bronze Olympic medals, as well as 11 gold, three silver and 1 bronze medal at World Championships, and 49 world records.
Secret-police documents would later confirm the worst: State Plan 14:25, a systematic doping programme. However, in a 2006 confession, Dr Helge Pfeifer, one of the senior sports scientists who knew about the doping programme, told this author that Matthes’ coach, Marlies Grohe-Geissler, was the only GDR coach for whom refusal to comply with the Stasi-run drugs regime did not mean instant dismissal. His success predated 14:25 – nor did Matthes need such ‘means of assistance’.
Asked this week if his medals are on display at his surgery, he chortled and said: “I’m not a cult figure.” Only in Erfurt is he recognised these days, while his patients in Bavaria have no knowledge of his swimming achievements, he believes. Erfurt is his home town and in 2011 they named a pool there in his honour – it took that long.
“When I was 8, Matthes came to race in London. I met him at Crystal Palace and asked if he would sign my autograph book. Matthes lifted me up, swung me round twice and then signed my little book. Each time a current world-class swimmer does something similar, swimming’s ripple rolls out further.” – Craig Lord
Between April 1967 and August 1974, Matthes was undefeated on backstroke. His achievements included unbroken gold at four European championships and three world championships in a row.
There were 19 solo world and 21 European records on backstroke, butterfly, freestyle and medley.
As an Olympian in 1968, 1972 and 1976 he won a total of eight medals (four gold, two silver and two bronze): In 1968 and 1972 he won gold in both the 100 m and 200 m backstroke, while in 1976 he was third in the 100 m backstroke, the winner John Naber, the American who took the pace on where Matthes had left it between 1967 and 1976:
100m
58.4
Roland Matthes
September 21, 1967
Leipzig, East Germany
58.0
Roland Matthes
October 26, 1968
Mexico City, Mexico
57.8
Roland Matthes
August 23, 1969
Würzburg, West Germany
56.9
Roland Matthes
September 8, 1970
Barcelona, Spain
56.7
Roland Matthes
September 4, 1971
Leipzig, East Germany
56.3
Roland Matthes
April 8, 1972
Moscow, USSR
56.30
Roland Matthes
September 4, 1972
Munich, West Germany
56.19
John Naber
July 18, 1976
Montreal, Canada
200m
2:07.9
Roland Matthes
–
Leipzig, East Germany
2:07.5
Roland Matthes
14 August 1968
GDR Olympic Trials
Leipzig, East Germany
2:07.4
Roland Matthes
12 July 1969
Santa Clara Invitational
Santa Clara, United States
2:06.6
Gary Hall
14 August 1969
AAU Nationals
Louisville, United States
2:06.6
Roland Matthes
29 August 1969
–
Berlin, West Germany
2:06.3
Mike Stamm
20 August 1970
AAU Nationals
Los Angeles, United States
2:06.1
Roland Matthes
11 September 1970
European Championships
Barcelona, Spain
2:05.6
Roland Matthes
3 September 1971
GDR vs USA Duel
Leipzig, East Germany
2:02.8
Roland Matthes
10 July 1972
GDR Olympic Trials
Leipzig, East Germany
2:02.82
Roland Matthes
2 September 1972
1972 Summer Olympics
Munich, West Germany
2:01.87
Roland Matthes
6 September 1973
World Championships
Belgrade, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
2:00.64
John Naber
19 June 1976
USA Olympic Trials
Long Beach, United States
In Olympic waters, there was silver in the 4×100m team medley in 1968 and 1972, and a bronze medal in the 4×100m freestyle relay in 1972. At Montreal 1976, as the GDR’s women dominated, Matthes was the only East German male swimmer to win a medal.
In 1973 in Belgrade he became the first World champion over 100m and 200m backstroke and claimed silver in the 4×100 m medley and bronze in the 4×100 m freestyle. Two years later in 1975, he defended his world title in the 100m backstroke.
At the European championships in 1970 in Barcelona and 1974 in Vienna he won all four titles for the 100 and 200m backstroke. Additionally, in Barcelona he won the individual silver for the 100m freestyle, gold with the 4×100 m medley team, and bronze with both the 4×100 and 4×200 m freestyle teams. In Vienna, he also won the individual silver for 100m butterfly, and claimed bronze with the 4×100m freestyle.
He was selected East German Sports personality of the Year seven times, in 1967–1971, 1973 and 1975.
From 1970 to 1977, Matthes studied sport sciences at DHfK in Leipzig and from 1978 to 1984 he studied medicine at the University of Jena, years before the birthplace of the Oral Turinabol at the heart of State Plan 14:25. Matthes always denied any involvement with doping.
Matthes In Swim Numbers
Olympic Games
1968 Mexico
100 m backstroke
1968 Mexico
200 m backstroke
1972 Munich
100 m backstroke
1972 Munich
200 m backstroke
1968 Mexico
4×100 m medley
1972 Munich
4×100 m medley
1972 Munich
4×100 m freestyle
1976 Montreal
100 m backstroke
World Championships
1973 Belgrade
100 m backstroke
1973 Belgrade
200 m backstroke
1975 Cali
100 m backstroke
1973 Belgrade
4×100 m medley
1973 Belgrade
4×100 m freestyle
European Championships
1970 Barcelona
100 m backstroke
1970 Barcelona
200 m backstroke
1970 Barcelona
4×100 m medley
1974 Vienna
100 m backstroke
1974 Vienna
200 m backstroke
1970 Barcelona
100 m freestyle
1974 Vienna
100 m butterfly
1970 Barcelona
4×100 m freestyle
1970 Barcelona
4×200 m freestyle
1974 Vienna
4×100 m freestyle
Blind Vision, by IMSHOF Honoree, James Pittar
James Pittar IMSHOF, International Marathon Honor Swimmer has just published a book, called “Blind Vision” read about it below.
Blind Vision – A blind man’s courage in the face of loss, triumph and love.
When 10-year-old James Pittar started having trouble seeing at night he could never have predicted that within a decade, his vision would be all but gone. For a kid that dreamed of representing his country, it was a hard blow. And for most people, it would have spelled the end of that dream. But not for James.
Just a few months shy of his thirtieth birthday, James did what no blind person has ever done before – he swam the English Channel. It signalled a shift in his mindset – from that point onwards, he would never think of himself as the underdog. He would learn that disability is only a barrier if you let it be.
James is incredibly generous in sharing his experiences and emotions, and it’s hard not to be drawn in as he takes us on a personal journey through his childhood, the loss of vision in his teens, the decision not to let it define him, and his continual dedication to growth and self-improvement throughout his life.
Blind Vision is a fascinating account of a unique and inspiring career in open-water swimming. But more than that, it is a story for anyone that’s ever been told they can’t. James Pittar is living proof that no matter what the odds, with dedication, passion, and the right people around you, you can.
To purchase the book, click here: https://www.inspiringbookshop.com/index.php?route=product/search&filter_name=Blind%20vision
To read more about Pittar and his IMSHOF Bio, visit: https://www.openwaterpedia.com/index.php?title=James_Pittar
Anywhere, Anytime: The U.S. Women Beat Russia In Opener of USA Water Polo Holiday Cup
17 December 2019
PRINCETON, NJ. As teams from the world over warmed up in Princeton’s De Nunzio Pool on Monday night, in the stands there was a relaxed, almost casual atmosphere prior to play between some of the world’s best women’s water polo players.
The big barn of an aquatics facility — an East Coast hub for age group and collegiate play — was populated with local polo fans milling about and exchanging pleasantries, as if old friends with a chance encounter at a familiar place.
But there was nothing like pleasantries being exchanged in the water, especially when the American and Russian teams scrummed in the second of two games on opening night of the 2019 USA Water Polo Holiday Cup.
Team USA gutted out a physical 9-5 win over Russia, after the Netherlands and Canada open with a match competitive for almost three quarters before the Dutch women finished with a seven-goal flourish to take a 17-8 decision. With their win the Americans extended their win streak to sixty-four; they last lost a match in April, 2018.
Tuesday’s matches: Russia vs. Italy and U.S. vs. Netherlands; both can be streamed via Facebook here.
Brilliant players in a distinctive indoor venue
This year’s Holiday Cup represents the melding of Team USA desires for recognition on the coast opposite the sport’s home in America with Canadian, Dutch, Italian and Russian hopes to compete against the world’s top squad wherever possible — and ideally in Tokyo next summer. The U.S. has already punched its ticket to the 2020 Games, and as two-time defending Olympic champions riding a gaudy win streak — including the victory Monday night — the rest of the world is chasing them. But outside of this country’s small, tightly-knit community of polo enthusiasts primarily located in California’s Bay Area and Socal regions, not many folks know about Team USA’s other-worldly success.
Canada, who last weekend hosted these teams in its own invitational in Montreal, is striving to improve in advance of the program’s first Olympic appearance since the 2004 Games in Athens. The other three teams in attendance this week in The Garden State have a decidedly more utilitarian goal: prepare for the European qualifications for the 2020 Games, a tournament that to be held at the end of next month in Budapest, Hungary.
Russian players warm-up under the lights at De Nunzio. Photo Courtesy: M. Randazzo
That there was a good crowd at the pool is a credit to USA Water Polo. The governing body responsible he for the sport in America worked to get local youth clubs involved. As they and their parents chatted in between action, the women water warriors practiced their craft, with a number of exceptional players in De Nunzio, even if this first day’s action felt like an exhibition.
Sabrina van der Sloot, the Dutch captain who is numbered as one of the world’s best players, did not flash her deadly shot, scoring only twice in limited action. But her passes were so accurate and her command in the pool distinctive; given the low stakes of the competition her talent radiated, perhaps eagerly absorbed by a bevy of local age-group players dotting the stands.
A couple of foreign players from American colleges populated the Dutch and Canadian rosters. For Head Coach Arno Havenga, his lanky 6-2 striker Maud Megens is quite familiar to fans of the USC women’s squad, where she has starred the past three years. Kitty Lynn Joustra, a center for Cal, was also in the water, while Arizona State’s Maud Koopman was on the Dutch attack.
The decided star of the game was Ilse Koolhaus, who struck early for four goals then sent much of the second half on the bench as her teammates turned a two-goal lead midway through the third period into a blow-out win, reeling off seven goals to close out the Canadians.
There were numerous familiar faces on Canada’s roster. Pacific’s Kyra Christmas tallied a hat-trick to lead her teammates, but could not stem the barrage of Dutch goals over the match’s final two periods. Emma Wright, Joustra’s teammate at Cal, and Monika Eggens — a former star for Hawai’i — registered <how many?> scores. Rounding out the Canadian attack was Shae Fournier, a one-time Hoosier like Canadian goalie Jessica Gaudrealt, was joined by Kindred Paul — formerly of Cal; Elyse Lemay-Lavoie of Hawai’i and former USC Trojan Hayley McKelvey.
Christmas was the lone bright spot in what was otherwise a disappointing match for the Canadians. Even though his team has qualified, Head Coach David Paradelo has to know that breaking into top five in the world — a goal professed last summer at the 2019 Pan American Games — is a tall order for a team competing in its first Olympics in almost two decades.
Two foes, two styles, same result
The Russians do not have any players matriculating at American schools, and they were not at all intimidated by a U.S. squad that had beaten them 18-13 in Montreal. On the game’s opening possession, Russian center Anna Timofeeva gave Makenzie Fischer a shot to the chin, causing the American defender’s head to snap back — and resulting in an offensive foul. This established a level of physical play that could never be termed “friendly;” the two teams wrestled and pushed and kicked, not giving any quarter.
Given their size, it might be assumed that the Russians would get the better of most encounters. But this underscores why the Americans are so good —and why they continue to extend a win streak that is now 20 months long. In a finesse game, Krikorian’s players are incredibly skillful and can beat teams with deft passing, superb shooting and overwhelming counter attacks, much as they did in the previous match between the two teams. But in the match the Russians chose to play on Monday — low scoring with every drive and shot contested — the U.S. is also entirely comfortable.
Maggie Steffens, whose toned physique is perfectly suited for a sport that demands speed, endurance and brute physical strength, sped around and through various Russian road blocks, not scoring but making opportunities for her teammates. The American captain made an inside pass to Makenzie Fischer to draw a crucial five-meter penalty in the third period that extended a U.S. advantage to three.
Team USA’s Maggie Steffens. Photo Courtesy: Marcos Brindicci
Leading the U.S. attack with two goals were Maddie Musselman— Head Coach Adam KriKorian’s designated sharpshooter who since her debut at the 2016 Olympics has become one of the world’s great scorers — and Kiley Neushul.
Melissa Seidemann, who like Steffens is chasing a possible third-straight Olympic gold, had a brilliant goal in front of the Russian cage, fighting off two defenders and beating goalie Anna Ustiukhina.
But the brightest star in a constellation of American brilliance was their goalie. Ashleigh Johnson stared at De Nunzio for four years, leading the Tigers to two NCAA tournaments and earning the 2017 Cutino Award — the first-ever player from the East to be honored as the country’s top female collegiate player. The 6-1 Johnson is so active in front of her cage, it might as well be that she is a goalie on turf, moving, feinting, leaping, preventing.
Time and again the Russians launched shots at or around her and her cage. The first half ended with the U.S. ahead 4-1 thanks to their goalie’s brilliance. Johnson proved mortal in the third and fourth periods, giving up goals to Elvina Karimova, Maria Borisova, Olga Gorbunova and Evgeniia Soboleva. But, with the lead narrowed to two, and their opponents looking to cut it in half, Kiley Neushul converted a power play, Musselman scored and Neushul scored again to keep the U.S. lead safe — and their awesome winning streak alive for yet another day.