# Roland Kostulski
**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[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625). He rowed for SC DHfK Leipzig, stood 192 cm and competed at 82 kg[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1953, Borna, Sachsen (GER)[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625) |
| Club | SC DHfK Leipzig, coached by Jörg Weissig[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625) |
| Olympic result | Gold, men's eights, 1976 Montréal, final time 5:58.29[2](https://www.olympedia.org/results/158723) |
| World title | Men's eights, 1975 World Championships in Nottingham[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625) |
| Early title | Youth World Championship coxless fours, 1971[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625) |
| Later career | Vice-president of SC DHfK Leipzig; CEO of the Saxony Gymnastics Federation office from 2006[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625) • [3](https://www.gymmedia.de/Happy-Gymnastics/Sachsen-mit-neuen-TurnspitzenTurnpraesidentin-ins-LSB-Praesidium-gewaehlt) |
## Rowing career
Kostulski first appeared internationally in 1971, when he won the Youth World Championship in the coxless fours[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625).
**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[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625).
## The 1976 Olympic gold
At 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[2](https://www.olympedia.org/results/158723). In the opening round on 18 July 1976 the crew won its heat in 5:32.17[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625). 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[2](https://www.olympedia.org/results/158723).
## Later career in sports administration
After 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[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625). He was also responsible for founding the City Sports Association of Leipzig[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625). 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[3](https://www.gymmedia.de/Happy-Gymnastics/Sachsen-mit-neuen-TurnspitzenTurnpraesidentin-ins-LSB-Praesidium-gewaehlt).
He returned to full-time sports administration in the mid-2000s. Olympedia records that he was named CEO of the Saxony Gymnastics Federation in 2006[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625); 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[3](https://www.gymmedia.de/Happy-Gymnastics/Sachsen-mit-neuen-TurnspitzenTurnpraesidentin-ins-LSB-Praesidium-gewaehlt). 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[4](https://scdhfk-foerderkreis.de/foerderkreis/geschichte/).
## References
1. [Roland Kostulski, Olympedia](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37625)
2. [Eights, Men, Olympedia results, 1976 Montréal](https://www.olympedia.org/results/158723)
3. [Sachsen mit neuen Turnspitzen, GYMmedia.de, 12 April 2006](https://www.gymmedia.de/Happy-Gymnastics/Sachsen-mit-neuen-TurnspitzenTurnpraesidentin-ins-LSB-Praesidium-gewaehlt)
4. [Geschichte, Förderkreis im SC DHfK Leipzig e.V.](https://scdhfk-foerderkreis.de/foerderkreis/geschichte/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Water sports › Rowers and coxswains › German and East German rowers › East German rowers*
*Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license