Olaf Pollack

{{Infobox cyclist

| name = Olaf Pollack

| image = Olaf Pollack.jpg

| caption = Pollack in 2007

| fullname = Olaf Pollack

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1973|9|20|df=y}}

| birth_place = Räckelwitz, Bezirk Dresden, East Germany

| currentteam = Retired

| discipline = Road and track

| role = Rider

| ridertype =

| amateuryears1 =

| amateurteam1 =

| proyears1 = 1997–1999

| proteam1 = {{UCI team code|AAB|1997}}

| proyears2 = 2000–2004

| proteam2 = {{UCI team code|GST|2000}}

| proyears3 = 2005–2006

| proteam3 = {{UCI team code|THR|2005}}

| proyears4 = 2007

| proteam4 = {{UCI team code|WIE|2007}}

| proyears5 = 2008

| proteam5 = {{UCI team code|VOL|2008}}

| proyears6 = 2009

| proteam6 = RSC Cottbus

| manageyears1 =

| manageteam1 =

| majorwins =

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|{{flagu|Germany}}}}

| show-medals = yes

}}

Olaf Pollack (born 20 September 1973) is a German former professional track and road racing cyclist specializing in sprint races and competitions.

Track race

At the 2000 Olympic Games, Pollack entered the team pursuit and the madison. Pollack rode in the qualifying rounds for the team pursuit, but was not used in the German team that rode the final and won; Pollack still received a golden medal.{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/po/olaf-pollack-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417222746/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/po/olaf-pollack-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|title=Olaf Pollack Biography and Olympic Results|work=Sports Reference/Olympic Sports|access-date=3 June 2012|publisher=Sports Reference LLC}} For winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games 2000 Pollack was decorated with the Silver Laurel Leaf by Bundespräsident Johannes Rau (President of the Federal Republic of Germany) on 2 February 2001Statement of the Chief Office of the president of the Federal Republic of Germany (in German: Bundespräsidialamt) on decorating with the Silver Laurel Leaf of all winners of medals during the Olympic Games 2000

At the madison, Pollack rode together with Guido Fulst, and finished in sixth place.

Pollack returned to the track in 2008, when he rode at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, and finished in second place in the madison. At the 2008 Olympic Games, Pollack rode the madison together with Roger Kluge, and they finished fifth.

Road race

Olaf Pollack began his road cycling career at small German team Agro-Adler-Brandenburg in 1997. After 3 years he left for Team Gerolsteiner. In 2005 and 2006 he rode for T-Mobile, leaving in 2007 for Team Wiesenhof. The highlight of his road cycling career was wearing the pink jersey as leader of the general classification at the 2004 and 2006 Giro d'Italia.

In August 2009, an eye problem made him end his cycling career, but a month later it became known that he had failed a drug test.[http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pollack-to-fight-two-year-doping-suspension Pollack to fight two-year doping suspension] In 2009 he was suspended by the German Cycling Federation.[http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pollack-and-cronjager-suspended Pollack and Cronjäger suspended]