INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS: 2017 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2 Silver (1m, 3m); 2010 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1 Silver (3m); 2004 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3 Gold (1m*, 3m*, 10m*); 2000 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1 Silver (3m); 1998 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2 Gold (3m, 10m), 1 Silver (1m); 1996 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1 Gold (10m), 1 Silver (3m), 1 Bronze (1m); 1994 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3 Gold (1m, 3m, 10m*); 1992 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2 Gold (3m, 10m*), 1 Silver (1m); 1990 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3 Gold (1m*, 3m*,10m*); 2022 EUROPEAN MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1 Gold (1m).
Born in 1940 during World War II, his early years were marked by deprivation, fear, and suffering. When his hometown was hit by bombs, he had to flee with his family from their burning house; a memory that would stay with him for life. Yet amidst these challenging times, Rolf Sperling found an unexpected refuge, diving.
In 1951 at the age of eleven, Rolf joined the water sports team after Hall of Fame coach Horst Görlitz discovered him. His exceptional talent quickly became apparent. Visits to Moscow and Odessa, where he learned from future Olympians as well as participating in the 1954 World Youth Games in Warsaw, shaped his early career. There he met future Olympic champion Joaquín Capilla, who recognized his potential early on.
From the age of 18, he dominated the GDR championships for a decade, earning him participation in three Olympic Games and reaching the finals twice.
After the end of his state-sponsored diving career, Rolf remained involved with the national team. In 1968, he earned his medical degree and became the team‘s head sports physician in 1970. In his free time, he organized annual competitions from the 1-meter springboard with former GDR divers and friends from Prague, alternating between the capitals of the GDR and Czechoslovakia.
The fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, brought a turning point in Sperling’s life. Just half a year later in 1990, he flew to Rio de Janeiro to begin his career as an official FINA Masters diver in the 50-54 age group and won gold in the 1- and 3-meter springboard events as well as the 10-meter platform at his first FINA Masters World Championships, setting world records in all three disciplines.
Over the next 30 years, Rolf Sperling participated in nine Masters World Championships, reaching the podium 22 times and winning 14 gold, seven silver, and one bronze medal. He competed in a total of five age groups ranging from 50-54 through 75-79. A particular highlight for Sperling was the 2004 FINA Masters World Championships in Italy, where he dove from the same platform he had used 40 years earlier at the Olympic Games, setting world records once again.
In 2017 he competed in his final Masters World Championships in Budapest, where he took home two silver medals on the 1- and 3-meter springboards. In 2022 Sperling traveled to Roma and competed in the European Masters Championships (80-84), where he won the title on the 1-meter in the 80-84 age group.
His vision may be beginning to decline with age, but his athletic ambition remains undiminished. To this day, Rolf Sperling is an active swimmer, regularly participating in competitions and championships in his age group. His life stands as a testament to how athletic ambition and passion can overcome even the greatest challenges.
And don’t completely count him out in diving just yet. He is still considering it once again, because he would like his great-granddaughter to see him dive at least once.
