About Michael Gross (swimmer)
Michael Groß, usually spelled Michael Gross in English, is a former competitive swimmer from Germany. He is 201 centimetres tall, and received the nickname "The Albatross" for his especially long arms that gave him a total span of 2.13 meters. Gross, competing for West Germany, won three Olympic gold medals, two in 1984 and one in 1988 in the freestyle and butterfly events, in addition to two World Championship titles in 1982, two in 1986 and one in 1991. American gold medalist swimmer John Naber remarked to Sports Illustrated in 1984 that if Michael Gross were an American, he would have won six or seven medals and that Gross was better than Mark Spitz. In this period he set four world records, won two world titles, four European titles and two Olympic gold medals. Gross easily won gold in the 200-meter freestyle, dominating the field.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.