Matt Biondi
Eight-time Olympic Swimming Champion
Swimming in his third Olympics in 1992, Biondi won three medals. That gave
him a total of eleven and tied him with shooter Carl Osburn and swimmer Mark Spitz
for most medals won by an American athlete. Biondi won his first medal, a gold,
as a little known 18-year-old member of the 4 by 100-meter relay team in 1984.
As a student at the University of California-Berkeley, he won the NCAA 100- and 200-yard
freestyle championships in 1987. Biondi was a three-time member of University
of California’s NCAA Champion Water Polo Squad, 1983, ‘84 and ‘87.
Six weeks before the 1988 Olympics, he swam a 48.42 in the 100-meter freestyle
to set a world record. At 6 foot 6 and 200-pounds, Biondi was unusually big
for a swimmer, but he had a flawless stroke that powered him through the water with
seemingly little effort. He boasted great stamina that led one competitor to
comment that if Biondi was leading halfway through the race, he was sure to win.
Biondi was one of the biggest stars of the Seoul Games in September of 1988,
winning seven medals, including five gold. He won individual golds in the 50-
and 100-meter freestyle events, and was also a member of the 400- and 800-meter freestyle
relay teams and the 400-meter medley relay team. He took a silver in the 100-meter
butterfly and a bronze in the 200-meter freestyle. He retired from competition
after the 1992 Olympics, when he won a silver in the 50-meter freestyle and was a
member of the gold medal 4 by 100 freestyle and 4 by 100 medley teams.
| EVENT |
PLACE |
POINTS |
MONEY |
EVENT WINS |
| 1989 Preliminary 2 |
4 |
23 |
$2,300 |
Basketball, Rowing |
| 1991 Preliminary 2 |
7 |
12 1/2 |
$1,250 |
None |
| TOTALS |
35 1/2 |
$3,550 |
2 |