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Helge Meeuw Calls It A Day

Feb 26, 2013  - Craig Lord

Helge Meeuw, silver medallist for Germany over 100m backstroke at the 2009 World Championships, has retired from racing. The 28-year-old, who wants to spend more time with family and on his studies, discounted any comeback. 

One of the most decorated swimmers in history at the European short-course championships, Meeuw is married to former teammate and Olympic medallist Antje Buschschulte. The couple have a two-year-old daughter Nike Carlotta. He took silver alongside Germany teammates in the 4x100m medley relay at Rome 2009 world titles and silver in the medley relay at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. 

His parents, Folkert Meeuw and Jutta Weber, both swam for West Germany and both won Olympic, World and European Championship medals in the 1970s. Helge's dad claimed silver as a member of the West German 4x200m free team at a home Olympics in Munich in 1972 and took broke for the same relay at the inaugural FINA World Championships the year after. Helge's mum was a member of the German teams that took bronze in the 4×100m freestyle and medley relays at Munich 1972 and enjoyed precisely the same double bronze success at 1973 world titles in Belgrade.

For the record: Helge's Haul

  • Olympic Games
  • Silver 2004 Athens 4x100 m medley
  • World Championships (LC)
  • Silver 2009 Rome 100 m backstroke
  • Silver 2009 Rome 4x100 m medley
  • Bronze 2003 Barcelona 4x200 m freestyle
  • Bronze2011 Shanghai 4x100 m medley
  • World Championships (SC)
  • Bronze 2006 Shanghai 50 m backstroke
  • Bronze 2006 Shanghai 100 m backstroke
  • European Championships (LC)
  • Gold 2006 Budapest 50m backstroke
  • Silver 2012 Debrecen 100 m backstroke
  • Silver 2012 Debrecen 4x100 m medley
  • European Championships (SC)
  • Gold 2006 Helsinki 50 m backstroke
  • Gold 2006 Helsinki 4x50 m medley
  • Silver 2005 Trieste 200 m butterfly
  • Silver 2006 Helsinki 100 m backstroke
  • Silver 2006 Helsinki 200 m backstroke
  • Silver 2007 Debrecen 50 m backstroke
  • Bronze 2004 Vienna 50 m backstroke
  • Bronze 2007 Debrecen 100 m backstroke
  • Bronze 2008 Rijeka 100 m backstroke
  • Universiade
  • Gold 2007 Bangkok 50 m backstroke
  • Gold 2007 Bangkok 100 m backstroke
  • Silver 2009 Belgrade 100 m backstroke