Michael Gross

Michael Gross, born in 1963, West German swimmer, who won two gold medals at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Gross was born in Frankfurt and began swimming competitively as a youngster. By the early 1980s he was one of the world's leading swimmers in freestyle and butterfly events. His unusually large arm span contributed to his success, and he was nicknamed the Albatross, because of that bird's large wingspan.

Gross was not able to compete in the 1980 Olympics in Moscow because West Germany participated in the boycott led by the United States to protest the invasion of Afghanistan by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). In 1982, however, he won the 200-meter freestyle and 200-meter butterfly races at the world championships in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Gross continued his success. He won the 200-meter freestyle and the 100-meter butterfly, setting world records in both events. In the 200-meter butterfly he finished second, and he also swam on the second-place 4 × 200-meter freestyle relay team. Two years later at the 1986 world championships in Madrid, Spain, Gross won the 200-meter freestyle and 200-meter butterfly. At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, he earned the gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly. Regarded as one of West Germany's greatest athletes, he was named the country's sportsman of the year three years in a row (1982-1984).