Lutz Wanja

Lutz Vanya (rear) at the East German Swimming Championships in Leipzig ( 1977)

Lutz Wanja ( born June 6, 1956 in Brandenburg an der Havel ) is a former swimmer of the GDR.

Career

Swimming career

In 1971 he was, at that time still starting for the ASK forward Rostock, GDR champion over 100 meters backstroke. The following year he went to the ASK Potsdam forward and took the second place. After a third place in 1973 followed in 1974 again the runner-up title. In the years 1976 to 1978, the float three times GDR champion on this line was. On the 200 meter backstroke distance, he finished in the GDR championships from 1972 to 1975 four times each second place, including three behind its main competitor Roland Matthes. In 1976 he succeeded on this route Roland Matthes and Michael Tauber to beat and win the title. In the years 1976 and 1977 Vanya was also DDR master on the 200 meter track position.

His international successes included a silver medal in the 100m backstroke and a bronze medal with the 4 × 100 meter freestyle relay in the GDR, at the European Championships in Vienna in 1974.

1977 at the European Championships in Jönköping he could again get 100 meter medley relay, a silver medal in the 4 ×.

In Belgrade at the World Swimming Championships in 1973, he was behind Roland Matthes and the Americans Mike tribe of third parties 100m backstroke.

At Olympic Games he won a medal, not at the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972, where he finished sixth in the 100 meters backstroke distance, yet at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, where Vanya was fifth in the 100 meters back.

Another career

After ending his playing career, he worked as a coach at ASK forward Potsdam, where he was responsible for, among other things Uwe Dassler, Jens -Peter Berndt and Jörg Hoffmann. He then worked as a swimming coach at SC Magdeburg. Since 2001 he works at the National Swimming Federation Brandenburg as a full-time country base coach West and also works as a youth coach at the water friends Brandenburg. In 1988 he was awarded in the GDR for his successes as a coach with the Order of Banner of Labor Level I.

Private

Vanya is married to the former swimmer Barbara Krause. His son Robert Vanya (* 1983) is also active in swimming, but could not build on the successes of his father.

GDR doping

After a confession of Jörg Hoffmann, where he admits to have taken in 1988 for the first time illegal performance-enhancing substances to himself, confirming that his former coach, Lutz Vanya, has given him the anabolic steroid Oral- Turinabol.