Roland Rudolf


Roland Rudolf is a Hungarian swimmer, who specialized in backstroke events. He is an eight-time All-American swimmer, a multiple-time Hungarian titleholder in the age groups, and a two-time finalist at the 2002 European Junior Swimming Championships in Linz, Austria. Rudolf is also a member of the swimming team for the Florida Gators, and an economics graduate at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.
Rudolf competed for Hungary in a backstroke double at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Leading up to the Games, he posted a lifetime tech-suit best of 1:59.00 to eclipse the FINA A-standard by 0.72 of a second at the USA Swimming Grand Prix in Columbus, Ohio. On the second night of the Games, Rudolf obtained a fifth spot and thirty-fifth overall in heat 2 of the 100 m backstroke by one tenth of a second behind Iceland's Örn Arnarson in 56.25. In his second event, 200 m backstroke, Rudolf rounded out the field of eight swimmers to last place in heat six with 1:59.44, just four tenths of a second outside his entry standard and more than three seconds behind college teammate and eventual Olympic champion Ryan Lochte of the United States. Rudolf missed out the semifinals by a half-second deficit, as he shared a nineteenth-place tie with Austria's Sebastian Stoss in the prelims.