Roland Schoeman
Biographical information
| Roles | Competed in Olympic Games • Other |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Full name | Roland Mark•Schoeman |
| Used name | Roland•Schoeman |
| Born | 3 July 1980 in Pretoria, Gauteng (RSA) |
| Measurements | 190 cm / 84 kg |
| Affiliations | TuksSport, Pretoria (RSA) / Northern Tigers, (RSA) / Arizona Wildcats, Tucson (USA) |
| NOC |  South Africa |
| Medals | OG |
| Gold | 1 |
| Silver | 1 |
| Bronze | 1 |
| Total | 3 |
Biography
On the opening weekend of the Olympic swimming tournament in Athens, the South African relay squad upset the usual favorites from the United States, Australia and Russia. Roland Schoeman opened with a 48.17 first leg, giving his team a one-second lead that they would not relinquish. This performance upgraded him from an outsider to a favorite for the individual events, and Schoeman didn’t disappoint, coming second in the 100 freestyle (won by Pieter van den Hoogenband in 48.17) and third in the 50 metres. At the 2005 World Championships, he also medaled three times, winning both the 50 free and 50 fly, and placing second in the 100 freestyle. He retained his 50 butterfly title (not an Olympic event) in Melbourne 2007, and won three golds at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in the same city. Schoeman has broken a world record on eight occasions, mostly in short-course event, but also once (50 m butterfly) in the Olympic-sized pool. At the height of his career, Schoeman was asked by Qatar to switch nationalities, but declined.
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | RSA |
Roland Schoeman | |||
| 50 metres Freestyle, Men (Olympic) | 11 | |||||
| 100 metres Freestyle, Men (Olympic) | 15 | |||||
| 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Men (Olympic) | South Africa | 11 | ||||
| 2004 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | RSA |
Roland Schoeman | |||
| 50 metres Freestyle, Men (Olympic) | 3 | Bronze | ||||
| 100 metres Freestyle, Men (Olympic) | 2 | Silver | ||||
| 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Men (Olympic) | South Africa | 1 | Gold | |||
| 2008 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | RSA |
Roland Schoeman | |||
| 50 metres Freestyle, Men (Olympic) | 7 | |||||
| 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Men (Olympic) | South Africa | 7 | ||||
| 2012 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | RSA |
Roland Schoeman | |||
| 50 metres Freestyle, Men (Olympic) | 6 | |||||
| 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Men (Olympic) | South Africa | 5 |
Other participations
| Games | Role | NOC | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Summer Olympics | Flagbearer at the Closing Ceremony | RSA |
Roland Schoeman |
Special Notes
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a World Record in Long Course Swimming (50 m butterfly – 24 July 2005 - 5 April 2009: 23.01 (24 July 2005; Montréal, CAN), 22.96 (25 July 2005; Montréal, CAN); 4×100 m freestyle relay – 15 August 2004 - 19 August 2006: 3:13.17 (15 August 2004; Athina, GRE))
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a World Record in Short Course Swimming (50 m freestyle – 23 March 2000, 12 August 2006 - 18 November 2007, 7 September 2008 - 11 December 2008, and 8 August 2009 - 5 December 2014: 21.31 tied (23 March 2000; Minneapolis, USA), 20.98 (12 August 2006; Hamburg, GER), 20.64 (7 September 2008; Germiston, RSA), 20.30 (8 August 2009; Pietermaritzburg, RSA); 100 m freestyle – 22 January 2005 - 17 November 2007: 46.25 tied (22 January 2005; Berlin, GER); 100 m medley – 18 January 2005 - 22 January 2005: 52.51 (18 January 2005; Stockholm, SWE))
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships (0–1–3 2006 Victoria silver: 50 m freestyle, bronze: 100 m freestyle; 2010 Irvine bronze: 50 m butterfly and 4×100 m freestyle relay)
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the World Aquatics Championships (3–1–1 2001 Fukuoka SWI bronze: 50 m freestyle; 2005 Montréal SWI gold: 50 m freestyle and 50 m butterfly; 2005 Montréal SWI silver: 100 m freestyle; 2007 Melbourne SWI gold: 50 m butterfly)
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the British Empire/Commonwealth Games (4–5–3 2002 Manchester SWI gold: 50 m freestyle, silver: 50 m butterfly and 4×100 m freestyle; 2006 Melbourne SWI gold: 50 m freestyle, 50 m butterfly, and 4×100 m freestyle, bronze: 100 m freestyle; 2010 Delhi SWI silver: 50 m freestyle, bronze: 50 m butterfly and 4×100 m freestyle; 2014 Glasgow SWI silver: 50 m butterfly and 4×100 m freestyle)