Baumann, Alexander
Swimming
b. April 21, 1964, Prague, Czechoslovakia
Baumann's family was visiting New Zealand in 1968, when Russian tanks went into Czechoslovakia to quell a short-lived revolution. Rather than returning, the family went to Canada and settled in Sudbury, Ontario, where Baumann became involved in competitive swimming as a young teen-ager.
By the time he was 17, Baumann held 38 Canadian records at various strokes and distances. On the international level, he excelled at the individual medley, winning gold medals in both the 200- and 400-meter events in the 1982 Commonwealth Games and the 400-meter championship in the 1983 World University Games.
At the 1984 Olympics, Baumann won the 400-meter individual medley in a world record time of 4:17.41, bringing Canada its first swimming gold medal since 1912. He took another gold in the 200-meter event, setting another world record of 2:01.42, and was named Canada's male athlete of the year for his accomplishment.