Career
Dittmer went to the 2004 Summer Olympics as the overwhelming favourite for the 1000 m gold medal, having been undefeated in major finals for over four years. However he was surprisingly beaten by Spain"s David Cal, who finished just 0.52 second ahead of Dittmer"s time of 3:46.721. Dittmer"s sister, Anja Dittmer, also competed at both the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.
She is a triathlete.
In 2005 he reasserted his authority over 1000 m, winning his fourth European C-1 gold medal in Poznań. At the world championships, held in Zagreb, he again doubled up winning his fourth consecutive C-1 1000 m gold as well as a second C-1 500 m title. His run of success at the European championships finally came to an end in 2006 when he was defeated by Romania"s Florin Mironcic in the 1000 m final in Račice, Czechoslovakian Republic.
At the 2006 World Championships in Szeged, Hungary, Dittmer suffered the misfortune of being disqualified in the C-1 500 m heats.
Dittmer earned a silver in the C-1 500 m event at the 2007 International Coach Federation Canoe Sprint World Championships in Duisburg. He went on to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, but did not medal in any of the C-1 events.
As of 2009, Dittmer has a total of 22 world championship medals.