Series "For Sports" - Legendary Olympic Moments - "Fly, Albatross, fly" - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 2019 - 145 Euro Cent

For ten years - from 1981 to 1991 - he was at the top of the world in the disciplines freestyle and butterfly: Michael Groß, the only swim olympic champion of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Offenbacher had set up his first world record in 1983 at the German Championships in Hannover over 200 meters freestyle. Thanks to his large arm span of two meters and thirteen inches and his body length of two meters and one centimeter, Michael Gross literally flew through the water. An enthusiastic reporter from the French sports daily L'Équipe had then given him the nickname "Albatros". In Los Angeles, the venue of the 1984 Summer Olympics, the World and European champion lived up to his role as favorite: superior victories over 200 meters freestyle and 100 meters butterfly, each in world record time, followed by the silver medal with the 4x200-meter freestyle relay. Also over 200 meters butterfly, on the penultimate day of swimming competitions, went Groß as a favorite in the race. He led the field after the last turn at 150 meters. But the competition caught up. Jörg Wontorra, presenter at the sports show since that year, noticed the approaching danger. In the excitement the ARD reporter also dropped his notes so that he had to comment without his collected information. Wontorra thought of the nickname the German had received last year. "Fly, Albatros, fly," he urged the 20-year-old again and again. But all cheering from Wontorra did not help. It was enough silver that day. Outsider Jonathan Sieben of Australia improved his best time by just one second and took away the gold medal and the world record. Michael Groß himself learned only weeks later, when he was back in Germany, both from the emotional reportage and from his nickname, which should accompany him from now on: Albatros.