5Kristin Otto – Net worth: $4 million
Born in 1966, Kristin Otto is arguably the greatest German swimmer ever.
Most famous for being the first woman to win 6 gold medals at a single Olympic Games, Kristin Otto was also the first woman to swim the short course 100 meter backstroke in under a minute.
She began swimming at the age of 12 and participated in her first world championship in 1982, where she won the gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke, as well as 2 additional gold medals in the 4×100-meter relays with the East German team.
Six years later, at the 1988 Seoul Olympic games, Otto hit the jackpot again. Not only she won 6 gold medals, but also set world records in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle, 100-meter backstroke and 100-meter butterfly.
Swimming World Magazine named Kristin Otto the ‘Female World Swimmer of the Year’ in 1984, 1986 and 1988.
In 1989, she retired from swimming and she currently works as a sports reporter for German television.
