View source for Anne Poleska

{{Short description|German swimmer (born 1980)}}
{{Infobox swimmer|
| name = Anne Poleska
| image = 
| imagesize = 
| caption = 
| fullname = Anne Poleska
| nicknames =
| nationality = {{GER}}
| strokes = [[breaststroke swimming|Breaststroke]]
| club = SG Krefeld, (Germany)<br>Coral Springs Swim Club<br>(Coral Springs, FL)
| collegeteam = [[Alabama Crimson Tide|University of Alabama]]
| coach = Eric McIlquham (Alabama)<br>Michael Lohberg (Coral Springs)
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|2|20}}
| birth_place = [[Krefeld]], [[Nordrhein-Westfalen]], [[West Germany]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height = {{height|m=1.81|precision=0}}
| weight = {{convert|63|kg|lb}}
| medaltemplates=
{{MedalSport|Women's [[Swimming (sport)|swimming]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{GER}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Athens]]|[[Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metre breaststroke|200 m breaststroke]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[World Aquatics Championships|World Championships (LC)]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2005 World Aquatics Championships|2005 Montreal]]|[[Swimming at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke|200 m breaststroke]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[LEN European Aquatics Championships|European Championships (LC)]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2002 European Aquatics Championships|2002 Berlin]]|[[Swimming at the 2002 European Aquatics Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke|200 m breaststroke]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[European Short Course Swimming Championships|European Championships (SC)]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1999 European Short Course Swimming Championships|1999 Lisbon]]|[[1999 European Short Course Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke|200 m breaststroke]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2001 European Short Course Swimming Championships|2001 Antwerp]]|[[2001 European Short Course Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre breaststroke|100 m breaststroke]]}}
{{MedalGold|2001 Antwerp|[[2001 European Short Course Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke|200 m breaststroke]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2004 European Short Course Swimming Championships|2004 Vienna]]|[[2004 European Short Course Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke|200 m breaststroke]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2005 European Short Course Swimming Championships|2005 Triest]]|[[2005 European Short Course Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke|200 m breaststroke]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2003 European Short Course Swimming Championships|2003 Dublin]]|[[2003 European Short Course Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke|200 m breaststroke]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2006 European Short Course Swimming Championships|2006 Helsinki]]|[[2006 European Short Course Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke|200 m breaststroke]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1996 European Short Course Swimming Championships|1996 Rostock]]|[[1996 European Short Course Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke|200 m breaststroke]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1998 European Short Course Swimming Championships|1998 Sheffield]]|[[1998 European Short Course Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke|200 m breaststroke]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2002 European Short Course Swimming Championships|2002 Riesa]]|[[2002 European Short Course Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke|200 m breaststroke]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2007 European Short Course Swimming Championships|2007 Debrecen]]|[[2007 European Short Course Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke|200 m breaststroke]]}}
}}

'''Anne Poleska''' (born February 20, 1980) is a German [[breaststroke]] [[Swimming (sport)|swimmer]] who swam for the [[University of Alabama]], won five gold medals at the European championships, and competed in three Olympics from 2000-2008.  She won a Bronze medal in her specialty, the 200-meter breaststroke competing for Germany in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Poleska was born in [[Krefeld]], [[Nordrhein-Westfalen]], [[West Germany]] on February 20, 1980, and trained and competed with the SG Krefeld Swim Club in her hometown.<ref name=Olympedia/>

After 1999, and intermittently throughout the following decade, Poleska trained at Coral Springs's Aquatic Complex in South Florida where she would later swim with American Olympic swimmer Dara Torres and five other 2008 Beijing Olympians.  To follow German Olympic guidelines, Poleska swam as an "unattached" swimmer during this period to remain eligible to compete for Germany.  At Coral Springs's, where she became a resident in 2005, she was trained by six-time Olympic Coach Michael Lohberg originally a native of Germany.  After his death, the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex was named in Lohberg's honor.<ref name=Coral>Robb, Sharon, "S. Florida Has Become a Training Playground," ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', Fort Lauderdale, Florida, August 8, 2008, pg. 31</ref><ref name=sue>"German Swimmer Suing", ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', Fort Lauderdale, Florida, July 16, 2008, pg. 33</ref>

== University of Alabama ==
Poleska attended and swam for the [[University of Alabama]] through around 2006 under Head Coach Eric McIlquham and women's Assistant Head Coach Sonya Porter. She also spent some time being mentored at Alabama through 2003 by Associate coach [[Arthur Albiero]], who would later coach the University of Louisville and send many of his swimmers to the Olympics.  At Alabama, she was their first swimming competitor to earn an Olympic medal in an individual event since the 1984 Games.  She was the runner-up in the 200 breaststroke at the 2003 NCAA Championships.  During her tenure at Alabama, she won five Southeastern Conference breaststroke titles, and held the SEC record in the 200 breaststroke.  Poleska set Alabama school records in six individual swim events and helped set records in all of the swim events performed as relays.<ref name=UAHOF>{{cite web|url=https://rolltide.com/sports/2023/10/20/university-of-alabama-swimming-diving-hall-of-fame|title=University of Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame, Anne Poleska|website=rolltide.com|access-date=April 7, 2025}}</ref><ref name=coaches>{{cite web|url=https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/news/2003/08/06/ua-hires-mcilquham-as-swim-coach/27844859007/|title=Hurt, Cecil, Tuscaloosa News Online, UA hires McIlquham as swim coach|website=tuscaloosanews.com|access-date=April 7, 2025}}</ref>

== International competition ==
At the European Championships she won the silver medal in the 200-meter breaststroke in 2002 in Berlin.  She captured two gold medals at the 2004 Vienna and 2005 Triest European Short-Course Championships in the 200-meter breaststroke. Poleska won two additional silver medals in 2003 Dublin and 2006 Helsinki European Championships in the 200-meter breaststroke, and two bronze medals in 2002 Riesa and 2007 Debrecen European Championships in the 200-meter breaststroke. In total She also won 14 German national titles.<ref name=Olympedia/>  Poleksa placed 2nd at the 2005 World Championships in Montreal, Canada.<ref>[http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=64488/bio/index.html NBC Olympics site] accessed 08-11-2008</ref>

As noted earlier, as a Senior at Alabama in December 2004, Poleska dominated the competition to win the 200 meter breaststroke at the 2004 European Championship in Vienna, Austria, touching out Austria's Mirna Jukic. She stayed closed to Jukic and then passed her in the third fifty meters.  Poleska won the race by a full second, finishing with a time of 2:21.79.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/news/2004/12/13/uas-poleska-wins-gold/27876194007/|title=Tuscaloosa News, December 12, 2004, UA's Poleska wins gold|website=tuscaloosanews.com|access-date=April 7, 2025}}</ref>

Poleska married German rower and 2004 Olympian [[Jochen Urban]].<ref name=Olympedia>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/93484|title=Olympedia Bio, Anne Poleska|website=Olympedia.org|access-date=April 7, 2025}}</ref>

== Olympics 2000-2008 ==
She won a [[bronze medal]] at [[Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metre breaststroke|the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics]] in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:25.82, with American Amanda Beard taking the gold and Australian Leisel Jones taking the silver.<ref name=Olympedia/>

Poleksa competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympic games in the 200-meter breaststroke finishing 12th with a time of 2:28.99 and in the 2008 Olympic Games finishing tenth in the 200-meter breaststroke with a time of 2:26.71.<ref name=Olympedia/>  In 2008, the German team coach was Oerjan Madsen.<ref name=sue/>

==Honors==
Poleska was a recipient of the Silver Bay Leaf, Germany’s premier award in sports, and was made a member of the University of Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame.<ref name=Olympedia/><ref name=UAHOF/>

==References==
* {{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/po/anne-poleska-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417170031/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/po/anne-poleska-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-17 |title=Anne Poleska}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/93484 Olympedia Bio, Anne Poleska]
* [https://rolltide.com/sports/2023/10/20/university-of-alabama-swimming-diving-hall-of-fame University of Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame, Anne Poleska]
* [https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/news/2004/12/13/uas-poleska-wins-gold/27876194007/ Tuscaloosa News, December 12, 2004, UA's Poleska wins gold]

{{Footer European SC Champions 100m Breaststroke Women}}
{{Footer European SC Champions 200m Breaststroke Women}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poleska, Anne}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1984 births]]
[[Category:German female breaststroke swimmers]]
[[Category:Alabama Crimson Tide women's swimmers]]
[[Category:German expatriate swimmers in the United States]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic swimmers for Germany]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Germany]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Summer World University Games medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:FISU World University Games silver medalists for Germany]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2001 Summer Universiade]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Krefeld]]
[[Category:Swimmers from Düsseldorf (region)]]
[[Category:21st-century German sportswomen]]
[[Category:20th-century German sportswomen]]


{{Germany-swimming-Olympic-medalist-stub}}