Britta Steffen
Biographical information
| Roles | Competed in Olympic Games |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Full name | Britta•Steffen |
| Used name | Britta•Steffen |
| Born | 16 November 1983 in Schwedt/Oder, Brandenburg (GER) |
| Measurements | 180 cm / 60 kg |
| Affiliations | SSV-PCK Schwedt/SG Neukölln |
| NOC |  Germany |
| Medals | OG |
| Gold | 2 |
| Silver | 0 |
| Bronze | 1 |
| Total | 3 |
Biography
Four-time Olympian (2000-12) Britta Steffen was a German world class freestyle swimmer who was twice Olympic and World Champion. She also won 13 European titles (eight in long-course and five in short-course). At the 2008 Beijing Olympics she won the gold medal over both 50 and 100 metres freestyle, and repeated that success at both the 2009 World Championships and 2006 Europeans. At Sydney in 2000, she won an Olympic bronze medal with the 4x200 free relay. At the Worlds, she collected one more gold in the 100 metres freestyle at the 2012 Short-Course Worlds, and a further three silver and bronze medals.
At European Championships, in addition to her gold medals, Steffen won six silver and four more bronze medals. In 2006 and in 2009 she broke the 100 metre freestyle world record. After the 2004 Olympics, she took one year off from swimming and concentrated on her studies in economic engineering for the environment and sustainability. In 2011 she left the World Championships ahead of time after a disappointing 16th place in the heats of the 100 metres freestyle, and was harshly criticised by the German media and her former teammate Franziska van Almsick.
At the 2006 European Championships there were rumours in the international media about possible doping practices, but she has never failed a doping test. She lived and trained in Berlin. In 2008 she was chosen as German Sportswoman of the Year, and placed second in 2006 and 2009. In 2019, she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Steffen was awarded the Silver Bay Leaf, Germany’s highest sports award. In 2010, she was awarded the “Sparkassenpreis für Vorbilder im Sport” (Sparkasse prize for role models in sport). From 2010-15 she dated her teammate Paul Biedermann. She occasionally worked as a health coach from 2015 and after the end of her swimming career acted as a careers advisor at the Olympic base in Berlin.
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | GER |
Britta Steffen | |||
| 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Women (Olympic) | Germany | 4 | ||||
| 4 × 200 metres Freestyle Relay, Women (Olympic) | Germany | 3 | Bronze | |||
| 2004 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | GER |
Britta Steffen | |||
| 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Women (Olympic) | Germany | 4 | ||||
| 2008 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | GER |
Britta Steffen | |||
| 50 metres Freestyle, Women (Olympic) | 1 | Gold | ||||
| 100 metres Freestyle, Women (Olympic) | 1 | Gold | ||||
| 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Women (Olympic) | Germany | 5 | ||||
| 4 × 100 metres Medley Relay, Women (Olympic) | Germany | 9 | ||||
| 2012 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | GER |
Britta Steffen | |||
| 50 metres Freestyle, Women (Olympic) | 4 | |||||
| 100 metres Freestyle, Women (Olympic) | 12 | |||||
| 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Women (Olympic) | Germany | 9 | ||||
| 4 × 100 metres Medley Relay, Women (Olympic) | Germany | 9 |
Special Notes
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the Summer Universiade (2–0–1 2007 Bangkok SWI gold: 50 m freestyle and 100 m freestyle, bronze: 4×100 m freestyle relay)
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a European Record in Long Course Swimming (50 m freestyle – 17 August 2008 - 19 April 2009 and 2 August 2009 - 29 July 2017: 24.06 (17 August 2008; Beijing, CHN), 23.73 (2 August 2009; Roma, ITA); 100 m freestyle – 2 August 2006 - 23 July 2017: 53.30 (2 August 2006; Budapest, HUN), 53.20 (22 April 2008; Berlin, GER), 53.05 (19 July 2008; Magdeburg, GER), 52.85 (25 June 2009; Berlin, GER), 52.56 (27 June 2009; Berlin, GER), 52.22 (26 July 2009; Roma, ITA), 52.07 (31 July 2009; Roma, ITA); 4×100 m freestyle relay – 31 July 2006 - 18 March 2008: 3:35.22 (31 July 2006; Budapest, HUN); 4×200 m freestyle relay – 3 August 2006 - 13 August 2008: 7:50.82 (3 August 2006; Budapest, HUN); 4×100 m medley relay – 1 August 2009 - 24 August 2014: 3:55.79 (1 August 2009; Roma, ITA))
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a European Record in Short Course Swimming (4×50 m medley relay – 15 December 2007 - 13 December 2008: 1:46.67 (15 December 2007; Debrecen, HUN))
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a World Record in Long Course Swimming (50 m freestyle – 2 August 2009 - 29 July 2017: 23.73 (2 August 2009; Roma, ITA); 100 m freestyle – 2 August 2006 - 27 March 2008 and 25 June 2009 - 2 July 2016: 53.30 (2 August 2006; Budapest, HUN), 52.85 (25 June 2009; Berlin, GER), 52.56 (27 June 2009; Berlin, GER), 52.22 (26 July 2009; Roma, ITA), 52.07 (31 July 2009; Roma, ITA); 4×100 m freestyle relay – 31 July 2006 - 18 March 2008: 3:35.22 (31 July 2006; Budapest, HUN); 4×200 m freestyle relay – 3 August 2006 - 29 March 2007: 7:50.82 (3 August 2006; Budapest, HUN))
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the European Aquatics Championships (8–2–0 2002 Berlin SWM gold: 4×100 m freestyle relay (swam in heats only); 2006 Budapest SWM gold: 50 m freestyle, 100 m freestyle, 4×100 m freestyle relay and 4×200 m freestyle relay, silver: 4×100 m medley relay; 2012 Debrecen SWM gold: 50 m freestyle, 4×100 m freestyle relay, and 4×100 m medley relay, silver: 100 m freestyle)
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the European Swimming Championships (25 m) (5–5–4 1999 Lisboa silver: 4×50 m freestyle relay; 2000 Valencia bronze: 4×50 m freestyle relay; 2003 Dublin bronze: 4×50 m freestyle relay; 2007 Debrecen gold: 100 m freestyle and 4×50 m medley relay, silver: 50 m freestyle and 4×50 m freestyle relay; 2010 Eindhoven silver: 4×50 m freestyle relay and 4×50 m medley relay, bronze: 50 m freestyle and 100 m freestyle; 2011 Szczecin gold: 50 m freestyle, 100 m freestyle, and 4×50 m freestyle relay)
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the World Aquatics Championships (2–2–3 2007 Melbourne SWI silver: 4×200 m freestyle relay, bronze: 100 m freestyle; 2009 Roma SWI gold: 50 m freestyle and 100 m freestyle, silver: 4×100 m freestyle relay, bronze: 4×100 m medley relay; 2011 Shanghai SWI bronze: 4×100 m freestyle relay)
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the World Short-Course Swimming Championships (25 m) (1–1–0 2000 Athina silver: 4×100 m freestyle relay; 2012 İstanbul gold: 100 m freestyle)
- Listed in Olympic Swimmers - Doubles Champions, Same Year (2008 50/100 Freestyle Sprint Double Champion.)
- Listed in Olympians Who Were Elected German Athlete of the Year (2008)