Roland Mark Schoeman
Encyclopedia
Roland Mark Schoeman is a South African swimmer and a member of the 2004 Olympic Games swimming team for South Africa.
He is the current World record holder in the short-course 50 meters freestyle, with a time of 20.30 seconds.
, Schoeman first ventured seriously into a pool when he was 16, in order to show a girl how interested he was in her. Within a few months he was swimming competitively, beginning a career that would see him attain one gold medal, two silvers and a bronze at the Commonwealth Games
and set new South African records in the 100 m Freestyle (48.69 s), 50 m Freestyle (22.04 s), 100 m Butterfly (52.73 s) and 50 m Butterfly (23.65 s) events.
His latest achievements have been winning a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens
in the 4 × 100 m freestyle
, a silver medal in the 100 m freestyle
event and a bronze in the 50 m freestyle
. Three of the Men's 100 metre Freestyle team were in the team that broke the record and won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
. He also claimed golds in the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly.
Schoeman was voted Africa's Male Athlete of the year in 2004.
At the 2005 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Montreal, Canada he won two gold medals [50 m Butterfly (in a world record time of 22.96 s) and Freestyle (21.69 s, the second fastest time in history at the time)]. He also claimed a silver in 100 m freestyle.
In December 2005, Schoeman turned down a 40 Million Rand (US$5.9 million) contract to swim for Qatar. He stated reasons of national pride for turning down the offer and that hearing the South African national anthem and sharing the joy of his victories with his fellow South Africans is what made winning gold special.
On 12 August 2006, Schoeman broke the short course world record for 50 metres freestyle and became the first man to swim the distance under 21 seconds, with a time of 20.98 seconds. Schoeman lowered the previous mark by 0.12 seconds held for the last two years by Frédérick Bousquet
of France. Schoeman was swimming in a specially built 25-metre pool at an invitational meeting in a Hamburg
tennis stadium.
At the 2007 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne Australia he successfully defended his 50m butterfly title. He also made the final of the 50 m and 100 m freestyle and was part of the 4×100 m freestyle relay team that finished fourth. On 6 September 2008 Roland Schoeman set a new short course meters world record of 20.64 at South African Nationals. Schoeman, lost his world record in late 2008 but regained his record. At the Short Course World Record at South Africa Championships, Schoeman swam a 20.30 seconds of the 50 meter freestyle short course (25 m pool).
He is the current World record holder in the short-course 50 meters freestyle, with a time of 20.30 seconds.
Career
Born in PretoriaPretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, Schoeman first ventured seriously into a pool when he was 16, in order to show a girl how interested he was in her. Within a few months he was swimming competitively, beginning a career that would see him attain one gold medal, two silvers and a bronze at the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
and set new South African records in the 100 m Freestyle (48.69 s), 50 m Freestyle (22.04 s), 100 m Butterfly (52.73 s) and 50 m Butterfly (23.65 s) events.
His latest achievements have been winning a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
in the 4 × 100 m freestyle
Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay
The men's 4×100 metre freestyle relay was a swimming event held as part of the Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics programme. The competition was held on August 15, 2004.75 swimmers from 16 nations competed.-Medalists:...
, a silver medal in the 100 m freestyle
Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metre freestyle
The Men's 100 metre freestyle swimming event at the 2004 Summer Olympics was contested at the Olympic Aquatic Centre of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece.-Medalists:-Records:-Race Summary:...
event and a bronze in the 50 m freestyle
Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's 50 metre freestyle
The men's 50 metre freestyle swimming event at the 2004 Summer Olympics was contested at the Olympic Aquatic Centre of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece on August 19 and 20. The event was won by American Gary Hall Jr., the defending co-champion of this event from the 2000 Summer...
. Three of the Men's 100 metre Freestyle team were in the team that broke the record and won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
. He also claimed golds in the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly.
Schoeman was voted Africa's Male Athlete of the year in 2004.
At the 2005 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Montreal, Canada he won two gold medals [50 m Butterfly (in a world record time of 22.96 s) and Freestyle (21.69 s, the second fastest time in history at the time)]. He also claimed a silver in 100 m freestyle.
In December 2005, Schoeman turned down a 40 Million Rand (US$5.9 million) contract to swim for Qatar. He stated reasons of national pride for turning down the offer and that hearing the South African national anthem and sharing the joy of his victories with his fellow South Africans is what made winning gold special.
On 12 August 2006, Schoeman broke the short course world record for 50 metres freestyle and became the first man to swim the distance under 21 seconds, with a time of 20.98 seconds. Schoeman lowered the previous mark by 0.12 seconds held for the last two years by Frédérick Bousquet
Frédérick Bousquet
Frédérick Bousquet is a freestyle and butterfly swimmer from France. He was the holder of the world record in the 50 m freestyle in a time of 20.94 in long course, set on April 26, 2009 at the final of the French Championships...
of France. Schoeman was swimming in a specially built 25-metre pool at an invitational meeting in a Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
tennis stadium.
At the 2007 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne Australia he successfully defended his 50m butterfly title. He also made the final of the 50 m and 100 m freestyle and was part of the 4×100 m freestyle relay team that finished fourth. On 6 September 2008 Roland Schoeman set a new short course meters world record of 20.64 at South African Nationals. Schoeman, lost his world record in late 2008 but regained his record. At the Short Course World Record at South Africa Championships, Schoeman swam a 20.30 seconds of the 50 meter freestyle short course (25 m pool).
Career Best Times
Schoeman has broken 3 Long Course world records (2 individual, 1 relay) and 6 short course world records (all individual).| Event | Time | Record | Date | Location |
| Long Course | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50m Freestyle | 21.67 | SA Record Holder | 16 Aug 2008 |  Beijing, China |
| 100m Freestyle | 48.17 | Former SA Record Holder | 15 Aug 2004 |  Athens, Greece |
| 200m Freestyle | 1:52.07 | 5 Aug 2005 |  IrvineIrvine, California Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California... , USA |
|
| 50m Butterfly | 22.90 | Former WR Holder | 26 Jul 2009 |  Rome, Italy |
| 4×100m Freestyle | 3:11.93 | Former WR Holder | 26 Jul 2009 | Rome, Italy |
| Short Course | ||||
| 50m Freestyle | 20.30 | WR Holder | 8 August 2009 |  Pietermaritzburg, South Africa |
| 100m Freestyle | 46.25 | Former WR Holder | 22 January 2005 |  Berlin, Germany |
| 50m Butterfly | 21.87 | 14 Nov 2009 | Berlin, Germany |
|
| 100m IM | 52.20 | Former WR Holder | 13 Aug 2006 | Hamburg Hamburg -History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808... , Germany 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... |