Roland Schoeman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Roland Schoeman

Personal information
Nationality	South Africa  United States
Born	(1980-07-03) 3 July 1980 (age 45) Pretoria, South Africa
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight	84 kg (185 lb; 13.2 st)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle, butterfly
Club	Phoenix Swim Club (USA)
College team	University of Arizona '02
Coach	Jonty Skinner Frank Busch, Rick DeMont (U. of Arizona)
Medal record Men's swimming Representing  South Africa Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2004 Athens 100 m freestyle Bronze 2004 Athens 50 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Gold 2005 Montreal 50 m freestyle Gold 2005 Montreal 50 m butterfly Gold 2007 Melbourne 50 m butterfly Silver 2005 Montreal 100 m freestyle Bronze 2001 Fukuoka 50 m freestyle Pan Pacific Championships Silver 2006 Victoria 50 m freestyle Bronze 2006 Victoria 100 m freestyle Bronze 2010 Irvine 50 m butterfly Bronze 2010 Irvine 4×100 m freestyle Commonwealth Games Gold 2002 Manchester 50 m freestyle Gold 2006 Melbourne 50 m freestyle Gold 2006 Melbourne 50 m butterfly Gold 2006 Melbourne 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2002 Manchester 50 m butterfly Silver 2002 Manchester 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2010 Delhi 50 m freestyle Silver 2014 Glasgow 50 m butterfly Silver 2014 Glasgow 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2006 Melbourne 100 m freestyle Bronze 2010 Delhi 2010 Delhi Bronze 2010 Delhi 4×100 m freestyle

Roland Mark Schoeman is a famous former swimmer from South Africa. He was born on July 3, 1980. Roland also became a citizen of the United States. He was once a world record holder in many swimming events.

Roland was part of the South African swimming team in four Olympic Games: 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012. He won a gold medal for South Africa in the 4x100 metre freestyle relay at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Between 2000 and 2014, he won many medals. These included seven gold medals in freestyle and butterfly events at major championships. He competed in the World Championships, Pan Pacific Championships, and Commonwealth Games.

Roland's Early Life and Start in Swimming

Roland Schoeman was born in Pretoria, South Africa. He first became interested in swimming when he was 13 years old. He started competing in races three years later. He even joked that he began swimming to impress a girl!

He went to Willow Ridge High School in Pretoria. There, he trained with his coach, Gavin Ross. In 1998, before starting college, he competed in the Commonwealth Games. He finished sixth in the 50 and 100 metre freestyle races.

Throughout his amazing career, Roland won many medals. This included a gold, a silver, and a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. He also earned three gold, one silver, and one bronze medal at the World Championships. At the Commonwealth Games, he won four gold, three silver, and three bronze medals. He also set new South African records in several events.

Studying and Swimming at University

Roland Schoeman attended the University of Arizona in the United States. He received a scholarship for swimming from 1998 to 2002. His coaches there were Frank Busch and Rick DeMont. Coach DeMont also helped coach the South African team at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. DeMont was a former world record holder himself. He was a great mentor for Roland's freestyle swimming.

In 2000, Roland competed at the NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships. He was a sophomore (second-year student) at the time. He tied the world record in the 50-metre freestyle. In 2002, he won the NCAA Championship in the 50-metre freestyle again. He also earned many other top finishes and All-American honours. Roland later became the first person to swim the 50-metre freestyle in under 21 seconds.

Roland's Olympic Journey (2000-2012)

Roland Schoeman represented South Africa at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He finished eleventh in the 50-metre freestyle. He placed fifteenth in the 100-metre freestyle. His team also finished eleventh in the 4x100 metre freestyle relay.

Winning Three Medals at the 2004 Olympics

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Roland won three medals. This made him the first South African to win three medals in a single Olympic Games!

• He won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay.
• He earned a silver medal in the 100 metre freestyle event.
• He took home a bronze medal in the 50 metre freestyle race.

In the 4x100 metre freestyle relay, South Africa achieved an amazing upset. Roland, Lyndon Ferns, Darian Townsend, and Ryk Neethling were on the team. Roland swam the first part of the race, giving his team a strong lead. South Africa beat the Netherlands and the powerful United States team. This was a truly historic win!

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Roland competed in the 50-metre freestyle and the 4x100 metre freestyle relay. He finished seventh in both events.

In 2012, at the London Summer Olympics, Roland was 32 years old. He still made it to the finals in the men's 50-metre freestyle. He finished sixth in the final race. In 2016, he just missed qualifying for his fifth Olympics.

Commonwealth Games Success

Three swimmers from the 2004 Olympic gold medal relay team also competed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. They broke a record and won gold in the 4x100 metre freestyle relay. Roland also won gold medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly.

World Aquatics Championships Achievements

Roland won a bronze medal in the 50-metre freestyle at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships.

At the 2005 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Montreal, Canada, he won two gold medals. He won the 50-metre butterfly with a new world record time. He also won the 50-metre freestyle. He also earned a silver medal in the 100-metre freestyle.

In 2007, at the FINA World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne, Australia, he successfully defended his 50-metre butterfly title. He also reached the finals of the 50m and 100m freestyle. His 4x100 metre freestyle relay team finished fourth.

In December 2005, Roland turned down a huge offer to swim for another country. He chose to stay with South Africa because he felt proud to represent his home country. He said that hearing the South African national anthem and sharing his victories with his fellow citizens made winning special.

After his main swimming career, he still competed in some events. For example, he swam in the 1 Mile Flowers Sea Swim in the Cayman Islands in June 2018.

Life After Competitive Swimming

After his swimming career, Roland Schoeman became a citizen of the United States in May 2022. He has been a licensed realtor in Arizona since 2021. He now works with luxury real estate.

Roland's World Records

Roland Schoeman held several individual world records during his career. These included records in the 50-metre butterfly (long course), and the 50-metre freestyle, 100-metre freestyle, and 100-metre individual medley (short course).

On September 6, 2008, Roland set a new short course world record for the 50-metre swim. He lost this record later in 2008 but got it back in August 2009. At the South Africa Short Course Championships, he set a time of 20.30 seconds for the 50-metre event. This record was later broken in 2014.

Overall, Roland broke three long course world records (two individual, one relay). He also broke six individual short course world records.

Awards and Recognition

Roland Schoeman has asthma, but this did not stop him from achieving greatness. He was named the African Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World magazine in 2004, 2005, and 2006. He was also voted the South African Swimmer of the Year from 2003 to 2006. In 2004, he was chosen as the South African Sports Star of the Year.

In 2007, he received the South African Presidential Award, the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver. This award is given for excellent achievements, and Roland received it for his swimming success.

He was also honoured by universities:

• In 2004, he was inducted into the University of Pretoria Sport Hall of Fame.
• In 2007, he was inducted into the University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame.

In August 2024, Roland was inducted into the South Africa Sports Hall of Fame. He was inducted along with the three other swimmers from the 4x100 metre freestyle relay team that won gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

See also

In Spanish: Roland Schoeman para niños

• List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (men)
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
• World record progression 50 metres freestyle
• World record progression 100 metres freestyle
• World record progression 50 metres butterfly
• World record progression 100 metres individual medley