Andrea POLLACK

Andrea Pollack was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1987. Winning three gold and three silver medals at the Olympic Games of 1976 and 1980, she was one of the most successful East German female freestyle and butterfly swimmers ever. Her medal collection was completed by two silvers and one bronze at the 1978 World Championships and two golds and one silver at the 1977 European Championships.

Pollack was married to a cyclist and became the mother of Olympic judoka Michael Pinske. In 1976 she was the first woman to swim the 100 fly under one minute. She confessed openly in 1998 to have been doped systematically by GDR sports officials and coaches. This sparked a discussion by US swimmers and officials to award the gold medal in the 1976 medley relay to the United States. The IOC refused to do so, however, establishing the statute of limitations for doping offenses at eight years.

Pollack later worked as a physiotherapist at the Regional Olympic Center in Berlin. In 2019, she died after a long battle against cancer at the age of only 57 years.