Barbara Krause

Krause is one of those names that deserves more remembering than it gets. Three Olympic golds in a single Moscow Games and eight world records is a staggering haul, accomplished under the heavy machinery of the East German system, which makes her achievements both dazzling and complicated to sit with. What fascinates me most, though, is the second act: a record-breaking swimmer who became an artist. That pivot from the measured discipline of the pool to the open-endedness of art tells me she was never just a body chasing times. Add a fellow Olympic swimmer for a husband, and you have a life shaped entirely by water and quiet reinvention.

Barbara Krause (later Wanja, born on 7 July 1959 in East Berlin) is a former freestyle swimmer from East Germany. She was a three-time Olympic gold medalist and eight-time world record holder. At the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Krause won gold medals in the 100 m and 200 m freestyle and in the 4×100 m freestyle relay. Her husband, Lutz Wanja, is also a retired German Olympic swimmer.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Name (English)

Barbara Krause

Name (Japanese)

バーバラ・クラウゼ

Reading

ばーばら・くらうぜ

Born

July 7, 1959 (age 66)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Cancer / Boar

Origin

East Berlin, German Democratic Republic

Blood type

Private

Height

180 cm

Agency

Private

Occupation

swimmer / artist

Elementary school

Private

Junior high

Private

High school

Private

University

Private

Awards & achievements

• Patriotic Order of Merit in Silver
• International Swimming Hall of Fame

Spouse

Private

Children

Private

Parents

Private

Siblings

Private

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC%E3%83%90%E3%83%A9%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A6%E3%82%BC

Tags

• swimmer
• artist

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.