Manuela Lutze

German rower Manuela Lutze partnered Jana Thieme in the double sculls at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and finished fifth. She then moved to the quadruple sculls, winning the gold medal at both Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004. She added a bronze medal at Beijing in 2008. Lutze won five World Championships titles with the quadruple sculls in 1997-99 and 2001-02, as well as a silver medal in 2007, and bronze in 2003.

Lutze, who started her sports career as a track and field athlete, was awarded the Silver Bay Leaf, Germany’s highest sports award. Domestically, she won six quadruple sculls national titles, in 1997-98, 2000-01, and 2003-04. By profession, she became a tax consultant at her hometown Magdeburg.