Erwin Sietas

Swimmer Erwin Sietas won the silver medal at the 1936 Olympics in the 200 metres breaststroke, after coming in fourth both at the 1928 Amsterdam and the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. He won the 1934 European Championships, and placed second in 1938 and third in 1931. Domestically he was German Champion in 1929, 1932-34 and 1937. In his era Sietas was known as the best breaststroker in Europe, with only the Japanese able to defeat him. He briefly played water polo.

By profession, Sietas was a skilled businessman. Later he became a sales representative for the spa industry at the Hamburg Waterworks. In 1972, 36 years after Berlin, he met with the 1936 Olympic champion Tetsuo Hamuro for a rematch in Hamburg. In 1992 Sietas was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.