Roland Freund

Roland Freund was born in Timișoara, Romania, and played there with the youth national water polo team. In 1974 he emigrated to West Germany to play with Aegir Krefeld Uerdingen. In 1978 he moved to Wasserfreunde Spandau 04 at Berlin and helped them win nine West German championships. In 1982, 1984 and 1985, the team also won the European Champions Cup. He retired in 1987.

In 1976, Freund was on the West German water polo team that reached the final round, but then placed sixth and last at the Olympic tournament at Montréal. In 1981, the team won the gold medal at the Europeans and one year later they earned the bronze medal at the Worlds. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, West Germany won another bronze medal.

Freund studied medicine and became an orthopaedic surgeon practicing in Reinickendorf. He also became the team doctor for Wasserfreunde Spandau 04 and of the men’s national team. He married non-Olympian synchronized swimmer Kerstin Jokisch.