Lindemann was born in Leipzig (then in East Germany) and grew up in the village of Wendisch-Rambow,[REF] the son of children's poet Werner Lindemann and journalist and writer Brigitte Hildegard "Gitta" Lindemann, who worked for Norddeutscher Rundfunk from 1992 until her retirement in 2002 [REF].
In 1978, Lindemann participated in the European Junior Swimming Championships in Florence, finishing 11th in the 1500m freestyle and seventh in the 400 m freestyle, swimming a time of 4'17"58; he was shortlisted to go to 1980 Olympics in Moscow [REF].