Thomas Fahrner

West German freestyle swimmer Thomas Fahrner participated in the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Olympics. At Los Angeles he won the silver medal with the 4x200 metres freestyle relay and a bronze medal in the 200 metres freestyle. Along with George DiCarlo he was one of the favourites for the 400 metres. However, Fahrner wanted to save himself for the evening final and only aimed for a qualifying time that would put him in outside lane. However, he misjudged the qualifying times, was placed ninth, and did not make the final. Fahrner then put everything he had into the B-final and finished in 3:50.91 to set the Olympic record, despite finishing 9th overall. He was even faster than gold medallist DiCarlo in the A-final.

In 1988, Fahrner returned to the Olympics and won another bronze medal with the 4x200 metres relay squad. He also finished sixth with the 4x100 metres freestyle relay and placed eighth in the 200 metres final. In the 100 metres freestyle he was placed 14th overall.

At the 1986 World Championships Fahrner also won a silver medal with the 4x200 metres relay, and at the Europeans between 1983 and 1987, won four gold, one silver and two bronze medals. He also set six World Records with the 4x200 metres relay squad. Domestically, he also won six national titles.

Fahrner studied economics and mathematics at the University of Lyon in France, and later business administration at the University of Southern California and then Harvard in the USA. In 2008, Fahrner founded his own consultancy company. His expertise was international C level management and operational leadership to organisations striving for growth, or needing restructuring and reorganization.