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 "excerpt": "Roland Kostulski (born 1953, Borna) is a German rower who won gold in the coxed eight for East Germany at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1975 World Championships; later a Leipzig sports administrator.",
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 "markdown": "# Roland Kostulski\n\n**Roland Kostulski** (born 1953 in Borna, Saxony) is a German former rower who won an Olympic gold medal in the men's coxed eight for East Germany at the 1976 Montréal Summer Games<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625)</sup>. He rowed for SC DHfK Leipzig, stood 192 cm and competed at 82 kg<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625)</sup>.\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Born | 1953, Borna, Sachsen (GER)<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625)</sup> |\n| Club | SC DHfK Leipzig, coached by Jörg Weissig<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625)</sup> |\n| Olympic result | Gold, men's eights, 1976 Montréal, final time 5:58.29<sup>[2](https://www.olympedia.org/results/158723)</sup> |\n| World title | Men's eights, 1975 World Championships in Nottingham<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625)</sup> |\n| Early title | Youth World Championship coxless fours, 1971<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625)</sup> |\n| Later career | Vice-president of SC DHfK Leipzig; CEO of the Saxony Gymnastics Federation office from 2006<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.gymmedia.de/Happy-Gymnastics/Sachsen-mit-neuen-TurnspitzenTurnpraesidentin-ins-LSB-Praesidium-gewaehlt)</sup> |\n\n## Rowing career\n\nKostulski first appeared internationally in 1971, when he won the Youth World Championship in the coxless fours<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625)</sup>.\n\n**Move to the eight.** In 1975 he joined the coxed eight and won both the East German national title and the World Championships in [Nottingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/nottingham) with that crew, which also included Karl-Heinz Prudöhl, Ulrich Karnatz, Werner Klatt, Friedrich-Wilhelm Ulrich, Dieter Wendisch, Gottfried Döhn, Jürgen Arndt, and coxswain Klaus-Dieter Ludwig<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625)</sup>.\n\n## The 1976 Olympic gold\n\nAt the 1976 Montréal Games the East German eight, with [Bernd Baumgart](https://www.edgepedia.org/bernd-baumgart), Gottfried Döhn, Werner Klatt, Hans-Joachim Lück, Dieter Wendisch, Kostulski, Ulrich Karnatz, Karl-Heinz Prudöhl, and coxswain Karl-Heinz Danielowski, won both its heat and the final<sup>[2](https://www.olympedia.org/results/158723)</sup>. In the opening round on 18 July 1976 the crew won its heat in 5:32.17<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625)</sup>. In the final on 25 July East Germany led through the second half of the course and finished in 5:58.29, nearly three seconds ahead of Great Britain (6:00.82), with New Zealand third in 6:03.51<sup>[2](https://www.olympedia.org/results/158723)</sup>.\n\n## Later career in sports administration\n\nAfter retiring from competition, Kostulski became vice-president of his home club, SC DHfK Leipzig, and after [German reunification](https://www.edgepedia.org/german-reunification) served as CEO of the club's rowing department<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625)</sup>. He was also responsible for founding the City Sports Association of Leipzig<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625)</sup>. From 1992 he worked in sports marketing and business roles, and from 1994 until late 2005 he was a project manager in trade-fair construction<sup>[3](https://www.gymmedia.de/Happy-Gymnastics/Sachsen-mit-neuen-TurnspitzenTurnpraesidentin-ins-LSB-Praesidium-gewaehlt)</sup>.\n\nHe returned to full-time sports administration in the mid-2000s. Olympedia records that he was named CEO of the Saxony Gymnastics Federation in 2006<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625)</sup>; the German-language account says he led the federation's office from 2005 to 2014, and a contemporary report states he was prepared for the role from October 2005 and took charge of the Leipzig office on 16 March 2006<sup>[3](https://www.gymmedia.de/Happy-Gymnastics/Sachsen-mit-neuen-TurnspitzenTurnpraesidentin-ins-LSB-Praesidium-gewaehlt)</sup>. He was also one of the initiators, with Steffen Matthes and Petra Lewandowski, of the Förderkreis des SC DHfK Leipzig, a support association founded at a meeting of former and active club athletes in October 2003<sup>[4](https://scdhfk-foerderkreis.de/foerderkreis/geschichte/)</sup>.\n\n## References\n\n1. [Roland Kostulski, Olympedia](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625)\n2. [Eights, Men, Olympedia results, 1976 Montréal](https://www.olympedia.org/results/158723)\n3. [Sachsen mit neuen Turnspitzen, GYMmedia.de, 12 April 2006](https://www.gymmedia.de/Happy-Gymnastics/Sachsen-mit-neuen-TurnspitzenTurnpraesidentin-ins-LSB-Praesidium-gewaehlt)\n4. [Geschichte, Förderkreis im SC DHfK Leipzig e.V.](https://scdhfk-foerderkreis.de/foerderkreis/geschichte/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Water sports › Rowers and coxswains › German and East German rowers › East German rowers*\n\n*Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n",
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 "credit": "\"Roland Kostulski\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/roland-kostulski. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.",
 "credit_md": "\"[Roland Kostulski](https://www.edgepedia.org/roland-kostulski)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/roland-kostulski](https://www.edgepedia.org/roland-kostulski). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).",
 "credit_html": "\"<a href=\"https://www.edgepedia.org/roland-kostulski\">Roland Kostulski</a>\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), <a href=\"https://www.edgepedia.org/roland-kostulski\">https://www.edgepedia.org/roland-kostulski</a>. <a href=\"https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\">Edgepedia Community License 1.0</a>.",
 "speakable": "Roland Kostulski is a German rower who won gold in the coxed eight for East Germany at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1975 World Championships; later a Leipzig sports administrator."
}