Mark Zabel (born August 12, 1973 in Calbe

Calbe

Calbe is a town in the district of Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.It is situated on the Saale River, approx. north of Bernburg, and southeast of Magdeburg. It is known as Calbe an der Saale, to distinguish it from the smaller town of Kalbe on the Milde in the same state. Pop...

, Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...

) is a German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 sprint canoer

Canoe racing

This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....

 and Surfski Champion. Competing in three Summer Olympics, he won three medals in the K-4 1000 m event with one gold (1996

1996 Summer Olympics

The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....

) and two silvers (2000

2000 Summer Olympics

The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

, 2004

2004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...

).

Zabel also won thirteen medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with six golds (K-4 500 m: 1998

1998 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1998 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Szeged, Hungary.The men's competition consisted of nine Canadian and nine kayak events. Women competed in eight events, all in kayak....

, 1999

1999 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1999 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Milan, Italy at the Idroscalo.The men's competition consisted of nine Canadian and nine kayak events. Women competed in eight events, all kayak....

; K-4 1000 m: 1995

1995 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1995 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Duisburg, Germany for the third time. The German city had hosted the event previously in 1979 and 1987 when it was part of West Germany....

, 1997

1997 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1997 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada on Lake Banook.The men's competition consisted of nine Canadian and nine kayak events. Eight events were held for the women, all in kayak...

, 1998, 2001

2001 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 2001 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Poznań, Poland at Lake Malta. The Polish city had hosted the event previously in 1990....

), four silvers (K-4 500 m: 1995, 1997; K-4 1000 m: 1999, 2002

2002 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 2002 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Seville, Spain.The men's competition consisted of nine Canadian and nine kayak events...

), and three bronzes (K-4 200 m: 1995, 1997; K-4 1000 m: 2003

2003 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 2003 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held September 10–14, 2003 in Gainesville, Georgia, United States at Lake Lanier. Located north of Atlanta, this was also where the canoe sprint and rowing events for the 1996 Summer Olympics took place....

).

Zabel retired in July 2005 and has now become a coach. He is 190 cm tall and raced at 86 kg (189 lbs).