Klaus Steinbach

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games • Administrator
SexMale
Full nameKlaus•Steinbach
Used nameKlaus•Steinbach
Born14 December 1953 in Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen (GER)
Measurements191 cm / 77 kg
AffiliationsDSV-Schule Max Ritter, Saarbrücken (GER) / SSF Bonn 1905, Bonn (GER)
NOC Germany West Germany
Medals OG
Gold 0
Silver 1
Bronze 1
Total 2

Biography

Klaus Steinbach, brother of swimmer Angela and father of handball player Laura, was a world class West German swimmer in the 1970s. His career took off in 1972 at the München Olympics, when he reached the finals of the 100 m (eighth) and 200 m freestyle (sixth) as well as the 4x100 (sixth) and 4x200 freestyle (silver medal) relays. In the 200 m individual medey, and medley relay he was eliminated in the heats. At the 1973 Belgrade World Championships, he won the bronze medal in the 4x200 m freestyle relay, and at the 1975 Cali Worlds, won the gold medal with this relay squad. He won four more silver medals and one bronze up to the 1978 Berlin World Championships. to take his total to seven World Championship medals.

At the 1974 European Championships and Vienna and Jönköping four years later, Steinbach won five gold, two silver and two bronze medals. He also won 25 West German national titles and set 64 German, and nine European records. In 1972, he was awarded the Silver Bay Leaf, Germany’s highest sports award. In 1976, he became the world’s first swimmer under 50 seconds for the 100 m freestyle. However, this was a short-course record, and at that time no official short-course World and European records existed.

Klaus Steinbach then studied medicine and graduated as an orthopedic surgeon. In 1992 he was named chief physician at Hochwald-Kliniken in Weiskirchen, and in 1997 was appointed medical director of the clinic. Steinbach became the father-in-law of Spanish handball player Iker Romero after he married his daughter.

Steinbach later became an influential sports administrator. In 1996, he was named team doctor at the Atlanta Olympics, and in 1997 became a member of the German NOC board of directors. From 2002-06 he was elected president of the German NOC. He was also Chef de Mission at the 2000, 2004 and 2006 Olympic Games at Sydney, Athens and Torino. In 2003 he became a member of the medical commission of the IOC.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1972 Summer Olympics Swimming (Aquatics) FRG Klaus Steinbach
100 metres Freestyle, Men (Olympic) 8
200 metres Freestyle, Men (Olympic) 6
4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Men (Olympic) West Germany 6
4 × 200 metres Freestyle Relay, Men (Olympic) West Germany 2 Silver
200 metres Individual Medley, Men (Olympic) 14
4 × 100 metres Medley Relay, Men (Olympic) West Germany 11
1976 Summer Olympics Swimming (Aquatics) FRG Klaus Steinbach
100 metres Freestyle, Men (Olympic) 4
200 metres Freestyle, Men (Olympic) 5
4 × 200 metres Freestyle Relay, Men (Olympic) West Germany 4
100 metres Butterfly, Men (Olympic) 9
4 × 100 metres Medley Relay, Men (Olympic) West Germany 3 Bronze

Organization roles

Role Organization Tenure NOC As
President Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund 2003—2006 GER Klaus Steinbach

Olympic family relations

Special Notes