Matthew Nicholas Biondi (born October 8, 1965) is a former American swimmer, eleven-time Olympic medalist and a former world record holder in five events. He first competed at the 1984 Olympics, winning a gold medal in the 4×100 m freestyle relay but it was during the 1988 Olympics when he attempted to duplicate Mark Spitz’s Munich performance of seven gold medals. He won seven medals but weren’t seven gold medals. Matt Biondi is one of the most decorated U.S. Olympians in swimming events during his professional career from 1984 to 1992.
Greatest Sporting Achievements
Biondi won a total of eleven Olympic medals, eight were gold. He also competed for the World Championships winning eleven medals, six were gold medals, and a record has since been matched by Michael Phelps. Matt Biondi’s won eighteen Pan Pacific medals and five Summer Universiade. He is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the US Olympic Hall of Fame.
Why Was He So Good?
Nicknamed as “The California Condor”, Matt Biondi is known to be the man who won big and got out while he was still on top. He was trying to become the best but many people realized that he was the best, especially in the 1992 Olympics. Biondi was the fastest and he knew enough to take his time when it mattered. A physique junkie, he balanced life with an exhausting training regime that was paramount to his persistent accomplishment. He stayed humble and goodhearted even after his success.
What You May Not Know
- It was during Biondi was in senior year in high school that his sprinting ability was noticed. He was widely accepted as the fastest schoolboy swimmer in America. It was also due to him being a water polo player that he got noticed by colleges.
- In college, he worked four hours a day swimming and a couple more hours for weight training but finished with a 3.0 GPA
- He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Economy of Industrialized Societies.
- Matt Biondi became a school teacher and swimming coach in Hawaii since he was a passionate mentor.
Credit: www.topendsports.com
