Generations at the Pool: The Barrowman father-daughter duo come together from the Cayman Islands to Doha
Shared from and Written by Tatsuo Ogura, World Aquatics Correspondent
Mike Barrowman, Olympic gold medallist and former world record holder in the men’s 200m breaststroke, stood on the pool deck of the World Aquatics Championships in Doha. It was a mixture of familiar yet strange moments for him, being around the water and other swimmers, with memories of his past achievements echoing in his mind.
This time, however, he isn’t here to compete, but to support three swimmers from the Cayman Islands, including his own daughter, Harper Barrowman, along with James Richard Allison and Jillian Janis Geohagan Crooks on the squad.
“Thirty-two years,” he reflected, coming back to the world stage and looking around at how much the landscape of swimming has changed. “It’s quite a challenge to see how things have changed. But at the core, it’s still 50 meters of water, still wet. It’s different, yet familiar. It’s nice to be here.”
Barrowman Senior is recognised as one of the all-time legends of the sport. He broke the 200m breaststroke world record six times over eleven years during a remarkable winning streak where he took 15 of 16 major national and international titles. The last time he competed in the world championships was 33 years ago in Perth, Australia.
Image Source: Mike Barrowman en route to winning gold at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics (Simon Bruty/Allsport)
His final Olympic appearance was in Barcelona in 1992, where he held onto his world record for a decade until Japanese swimming legend Kosuke Kitajima broke it in 2002 in Busan. Since then, his journey led him to coach at the University of Michigan for a few years before he left the world of swimming and settled in the beautiful Cayman Islands with his family. Being at the world championships as a team official was a new role for him, one that he embraced with a mix of nostalgia and pride.
Here is a question, however, “Why is he coming back?”
“I was the last guy in line,” he explained. “We had our national championships at the same time and they needed somebody to fill the role. So they asked, ‘Can you do it?’”
Image Source: Matt McNulty/Getty Images
Harper, his daughter, had already made her mark in the swimming world during the previous summer in Fukuoka. This is her second appearance at the world championships here in Doha. For her, competing on the world stage alongside her idols was a dream come true. But having her parents by her side this time made the experience even more special.
“To have your parents here, it really shows the support, and I really like that,” Harper explained, her eyes shining with pride and joy she felt in her father’s return to the swimming realm. “With everything he did, he’s left the swimming world behind. So to have him come back into that role for me, that’s really special to see.”
Growing up, Harper had heard countless stories and watched old video footage of her father’s legendary performances. Mike Barrowman is not just a swimming icon; he is her father, her mentor, her inspiration. His experience and wisdom are invaluable assets not only to her but to the entire Cayman Islands national team too.
Image Source: Al Bello/Getty Images
As Harper prepared to dive into the same waters at the world championships where her father had once excelled at the world championships, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of connection and reverence. “Every time it’s incredible to be able to stand up in front of the pool and think that this is exactly what he did, thinking and feeling the same things that he did,” she remarked. “It’s really something special to be able to participate in the same thing that he did.”
With Mike’s presence, the Cayman Islands national team had their sights set on history-making moments. Jordan Crooks, Jillian’s older brother and a contender in the men’s sprint, carried the hopes of a nation eager for Olympic glory. The chance of winning the first-ever Olympic medal for the Cayman Islands in Paris is getting closer, highlighting the dedication and passion of the athletes.
“My days in swimming are limited,” said Barrowman senior when asked if he would be seen on the pool deck more often. “I enjoy watching my daughter swim, but it’s not something I’m ready to get back into.”
As the championships progressed in Doha, father and daughter shared moments of pride, excitement, and anticipation. The future is uncertain, but one thing is clear—they are united in their love for swimming and their determination to pursue their dreams, wherever they may lead.
Katie Ledecky Eager to Continue to Raise Bar with Rivals
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Katie Ledecky Eager to Continue to Raise Bar With Rivals
Internal motivation has always been a trademark of Katie Ledecky, widely considered the greatest female swimmer in history. The American star has routinely chased herself since emerging on the international scene as a 15-year-old at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. There, Ledecky captured the first Olympic title of her career, winning the 800-meter freestyle.
But in a recent interview with People Magazine, Ledecky indicated that she is eager to again clash with some of the world’s best in her sport. Ledecky spoke of the motivation provided by the excellence of her fellow competitors, and their combined efforts to take swimming to new levels.
“I love the competition. I love competing against the world’s best,” Ledecky told People. “It’s fun to race and I always look forward to those opportunities, so it’s been fun to see what other people can do. We’re always trying to set the bar higher and higher in the sport.”
Helping Ledecky raise that bar have been Australian ace Ariarne Titmus, the reigning Olympic champ in the 400 freestyle, and Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh. Recently, McIntosh became the No. 2 performer in history – behind Ledecky – in the 800 freestyle. McIntosh is also the world-record holder in the 400 individual medley and former standard holder in the 400 freestyle.
As the United States Olympic Trials in June approach, followed by the Olympic Games in Paris, Ledecky is preparing to compete at a fourth Games. She is the three-time defending champion in the 800 freestyle and won the inaugural women’s 1500 freestyle at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Ledecky also won gold in the 400 freestyle at the 2016 Games and took silver in that event in Tokyo.
As we close out Black History month, let’s take a look at ISHOF’s Black History Exhibit……”Black Splash” and the importance of “A Film Called Blacks Can’t Swim”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK6jR4zvcLg
Several years ago, ISHOF CEO, Bruce Wigo, partnered with the Dillard Museum and Derek T. Davis, Curator to bring an exhibit to Fort Lauderdale on the history of African American Swimming. Watch the video here.
The Importance of “A Film Called Blacks Can’t Swim”
by Bruce Wigo
Black History Month is a time for us in the aquatic community to reflect on why more African Americans and people of color don’t swim. Especially because for 400 years (the period from from 1451 – 1860), Africans, Native Americans and the indigenous populations of Oceana “excelled all others in the arts of swimming and diving”. The cultural history of swimming is both tragic and fascinating and while it helps explain how people of color lost their aquatic traditions and how European/Caucasians became the most accomplished swimmers – it’s only part of the story.
Recently, A Film Called Blacks Can’t Swim was released on the internet. I was lucky enough to see it before its release. It’s just 33 minutes long, but it touches on all the important cultural stereotypes and excuses that keep Blacks and other minorities out of the water.
A Film Called Blacks Can’t Swim is about British hip-hop artist Ed Accura’s fears and anxiety with swimming. The film depicts the effects of the stigma, stereotypes and myths and also highlights the views of various people in his community. The aim of the film, he says, is to help eradicate the negative views associated with black people and swimming as well as encouraging more to learn toswim thus reducing the number of deaths by drowning.
Ed plays “Frank Awuah” a neurotic character who, after hearing a news report about the inevitable floods from global warming, develops a phobia for water because he can’t swim. He buys a life jacket and wears it everywhere. His friends think he’s gone loony. “Frank, if you’re worried about drowning just go learn to swim.” But Frank has a little devil in his ear that keeps telling him “Blacks can’t Swim!” “Your bones are too dense!” “Blacks can’t even float, ha ha!” All the negative messages you can imagine.
In between the vignettes of Frank’s inner voice telling him he can’t swim are interviews with Frank’s friends who do their best to dispel the myths and stereotypes and discuss their ideas why Blacks don’s swim. “It’s fear!” “It’s a middle-class upper class thing.” “It’s expensive” “Chlorine and chemicals ruins our hair and skin.” “People are ashamed to admit they can’t swim so they just stay away from the water.” “It’s not part of our culture.” “We have other priorities!” “Look, if you ask Black people if they can swim 500 yards they look at you like you’re from another planet.”
Frank is even afraid to take a bath. “What did I tell you Frank?” says his evil inner voice. “Just stay away from the water! There’s zero chance of drowning if you just stay away from the water! Ha! Ha! ”
One of Frank’s friends says he learned because it was part of his school’s curriculum. Several other had children who could swim. Another tells of a school swimming class. He could swim “ok”, but not as good as the white kids, but he was better on the track. This discouraged him and confirmed the stereotype about swimming, so that was it for swimming.
In one of the last scenes, Frank, wearing his life jacket, is driving his car. His wife is in the passenger seat. “You’re being ridiculous, why don’t you just learn to swim,” she says. “But Blacks can’t swim!” – he retorts. In the back seat is Frank’s daughter. “But I can swim daddy,” she says.
The film ends with Frank in the pool and an image of 2016 Olympic champion Simone Manuel. Of course Blacks can swim! Interestingly in an online interview, Accura relates that one of the reasons he never learned to swim is that he was comfortable in the stereotype that “Blacks can’t swim.” He also believes that today, it is a matter of priorities. It’s just not a priority within the minority community.
It should be. But it’s not just a matter of water safety. All humans spend their first nine months as swimmers. When we emerge from the womb we all have the bradycardia reflex, which is part of the mammalian diving reflex – just like dolphins, whales and seals. When our faces are exposed to cold water as infants, our hearts slows down and blood is shifted away from the peripheral muscles to conserve oxygen for the brain and heart, and we hold their breath. We are of the sea and it is no coincidence that our body fluids are nearly identical to sea water. There is something that is spiritual, if you will, about the water.
In his book, the Blue Mind, Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, explores the Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What We do. In addition learning-to-swim can open minds to the two-thirds of the planet that is covered with water and to the innumerable recreational and opportunities that are denied to those who cannot swim.
Accura is to be greatly commended for exploring this issue and changing world culture where everyone can swim. The earth is, after all, the only planet we know of that has liquid water. How can you be an earthling and not know how to enjoy an element that covers 2/3rd of our planet.
To learn more about the film and to support it: Click Here
Watch these great videos celebrating Cullen Jones as he marks his 40th birthday!!!
Cullen meets the NBA……
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4IJf7-kZHU
Learn about Cullen’s life in his own words……
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3DufyD4Rj4
Watch Brett Hawke’s entire entire with Cullen Jones!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4EI2snSdvE
Cullen JONES (USA)
FOR THE RECORD: 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (men’s 4 x 100 medley relay), silver (men’s 50m freestyle, 4 x 100 freestyle relay); 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (men’s 4 x 100 freestyle relay); 2009 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (men’s 4 x 100 freestyle relay); ); 2007 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (men’s 4 x 100 freestyle relay), silver (men’s 50m freestyle); 2006 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): silver (men’s 50m freestyle), bronze (men’s 4 x 100m freestyle relay); 2015 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: bronze (4 x 100m freestyle relay); 2006 PAN PACIFIC GAMES: gold (men’s 50m freestyle, 4 x 100m freestyle relay);
Cullen Jones is a two-time Olympian winning two gold and two silver medals. He is the first African American to hold a world record (4 x 100-mete freestyle relay) in swimming. At the 2008 U.S Olympic Trials, Cullen broke the American record in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 21.59. The record didn’t last long, as it was broken the next day by teammate, Garrett Weber-Gale. At the 2008 Games in Beijing, his first Olympics, he won his first gold, as part of the 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay, in a world record breaking time of 3:08.24. The relay team included Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale and Jason Lezak. The next year, Jones set the American record in the 50m freestyle at the U.S Nationals in Indianapolis. In 2012, Cullen swam at the Olympic Trials in Omaha and qualified first in the 50-meter freestyle, just ahead of Anthony Ervin, qualifying him for his second Olympic team. He placed second in the 100-meter freestyle which qualified for his second individual event, which subsequently qualified him a spot on the 4 x 100 freestyle relay.
At the 2012 Games in London, Cullen won silver in the 50-meter freestyle and as part of the 4 x 100m freestyle relay. He also earned his second Olympic gold medal, as part of the 4 x 100m medley relay, swimming in the preliminaries. Cullen made history at the London Games, as the 2012 U.S. Olympic Swim Team was the first Olympic Swim Team with more than one black swimmer on it ~ the U.S. had three in 2012, Anthony Ervin, Lia Neal and Cullen Jones.
Happy Birthday Cullen!
ISHOF Announces its Stellar Aquatic Class of 2024
The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) is proud to announce its prestigious Class of 2024. This year, ISHOF will induct 12 honorees from seven countries: three individual swimmers and one relay team, one coach, two divers, two water polo players, one synchronized swimmer, one contributor and one Paralympic swimmer, its second ever. The induction event will be held Saturday, October 5, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
This year’s International Swimming Hall of Fame honorees include:
HONOR SWIMMERS: Lars Frölander (SWE), Daniel Gyurta (HUN), Dana Vollmer (USA) and the 1976 Olympic Gold Medal winning Women’s 4 x 100 freestyle relay team (USA) consisting of Shirley Babashoff, Wendy Boglioli, Kim Peyton* and Jill Sterkel; HONOR DIVERS: Alexander Despatie (CAN), Yulia Pakhalina (RUS); HONOR SYNCHRONIZED (ARTISTIC) SWIMMER: Virginie Dedieu (FRA); HONOR WATER POLO: Carmela “Lilli” Allucci (ITA), Vladimir Akimov* (USSR); HONOR COACH: Dennis Pursley (USA); HONOR CONTRIBUTOR: Dale Neuburger (USA) and PARALYMPIAN: to be named soon in a separate release.
*deceased
1976 USA Women’s Gold Medal 400 Free Relay
Honor Swimmers:
Lars FRÖLANDER (SWE)
Swedish Swimmer, Lars Frölander is a six-time Olympian, competing in six consecutive Olympic Games (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012). In the 1992 Olympic Games, he competed in the 4 × 200-meter freestyle relay finishing second behind the Unified Team. In the 1996 Games, Frölander and his team again finished second in the same event. The pinnacle of Frölander’s career had to be when he captured gold in the 100m butterfly at the Olympic Games in September 2000, in Sydney. A couple of months prior he had broken the world record in the men’s 100m butterfly twice (short course).
He is a nine-time World Champion and 12-time European Champion in the freestyle and butterfly events. Lars first competed in World Championship competition in 1993 (Palma-SC) and 1993 (Sheffield-LC), and in both championships, he was part of the gold medal winning 4 x 200m freestyle relay, He also took the silver in Sheffield in the long course event in the 100-meter butterfly. Frölander went on to win a total of 21 World Championship medals in his career: nine of them gold, seven silver, and four bronze.
He was one of the greatest swimmers in SMU history, dominating the pool during his career as a Mustang, swimming for the late great Coach Eddie Sinnott. Frölander was the 1998 NCAA Swimmer of the Year, winning the NCAA Championship in two events – the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly. He won the same pair of championships in 1997 and the 100 butterfly as a freshman in 1995.
Daniel GYURTA (HUN)
Daniel Gyurta, of Hungary, was a breaststroke specialist, specializing in the 200-meter. He is a four-time Olympian, with a gold and a silver and a three-time world record holder. He is a five-time World Champion, all in the 200-meter breaststroke, and an eight-time European Champion, seven in the 200 and one title in the 100-meter breast, both long and short course. Gyurta has over 30 National Championships, with too many national records to count.
He was awarded the Order of Merit by the Republic of Hungary in 2004 (Knight’s Cross), in 2010 (Officer’s Cross), and in 2012, ( Commander’s Cross); Voted Hungarian Swimmer of the Year five times (2004, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013), and was the Hungarian Sportsman of the Year, three times, as voted by journalists (2009, 2012, 2013). He was voted Best Youth Hungarian Athlete of the Year by the National Hungarian Sports Association (2011); He was Swimming World Magazine’s European Swimmer of the Year in 2013; Daniel was given the UNESCO Fair Play Award in 2014. In 2015, he was chosen Hungarian University Athlete of the Year and a year later, in 2016, he was elected to the International Olympic Committee by his fellow athletes.
Dana VOLLMER (USA)
American Dana Vollmer is a three-time Olympian, competing in 2004, 2012, and 2016, who specialized in the freestyle and the butterfly events. She is a five-time Olympic gold medalist and broke six world records.
At the age of 12, Vollmer was the youngest swimmer to compete at the 2000 Olympic Trials, however, she did not make the team. Four years later, Vollmer did make the 2004 Centennial Olympic Games in Athens, where she won her first Olympic gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in the 800m freestyle relay, setting a new world record, breaking one which had stood for the previous 17 years. She just missed making the 2008 Olympic team, but that did not discourage her. At the London Games in 2012, Vollmer had qualified for the 100-meter butterfly and she walked away with her first individual Olympic gold medal of the Olympics, while also setting a new world record. In addition, she swam as a member of the 800m freestyle relay, where she and her teammates won gold, and then again in the 4 x 100 medley relay, where the USA women’s team again won the gold, breaking the world record, previously set by China in 2009.
17 months after giving birth to her first son, in March 2015, Vollmer was in top shape again and ready for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. She walked away from her third Games not only with a medal of each color: a gold in the 400m medley relay, a silver in the 400m freestyle relay and a bronze in the 100m butterfly, but as the only Mother in the sport of swimming to win a gold medal.
Vollmer won a total of 32 medals in major international competitions, including 19 gold, eight silver and five bronze medals. The events included the Olympic Games, the FINA World Championships, the Pan American Games, the Pan-Pac Championships, and the Goodwill Games, making her one of the most decorated Olympic female swimmers.
The 1976 USA Women’s Gold Medal 400 Freestyle Relay Team (USA)
The 1976 Olympic Games for women’s swimming will always be tainted by the East German doping scandal. Everyone suspected it at the time, but it was not confirmed until decades later.
The East German women were systematically doped by their country and coaches and thus won every event. Except one. The last one. The 4 x 100 freestyle relay, where the world witnessed Americans, Shirley Babashoff, Wendy Boglioli, Jill Sterkel and Kim Peyton*, swim out of their minds beating the East Germans out of sheer determination and frustration, in a world record time of 3:44.82. The win was one of the most shocking and exciting finishes of the Games because the East German women had won every event in the swimming program.
The 4 x 100m free relay was the last event of the Games. Everyone could see the German girls were on steroids due to their low voices, excessive body hair and manly shapes. The American girls had even said when they first heard the East German girls talking and even saw a couple of them, they thought they had entered the men’s locker room by mistake. All through the 1976 Games, it was sad and frustrating for the other girls, particularly the Americans, as they could not capture gold, yet many went into the Games as the favorites.
However, in the last event, things finally turned around. Kim Peyton went first and started the girls off. On the second leg of the relay, Wendy Boglioli produced the fastest split of her career by two seconds, swimming 55.81. Jill Sterkel then split 55.78, the fastest of any woman in the field, on the third leg giving U.S. anchor, Shirley Babashoff the lead. Shirley held on as the U.S. pulled off one of the greatest upsets in the history of swimming and set a world record in the process by four seconds. Whether it was out of sheer willpower, determination or karma, the East German women were beaten. The performance sparked the inspiration for the 2016 film, The Last Gold.
Honor Divers:
Alexander DESPATIE (CAN)
Canadian Diver, Alexander Despatie, is the only diver to have won a World Championship in all three individual events, the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard and the 10-meter platform. He was also World Champion on the 1 and 3-meter springboards from 2005-2007. He is a 37-time Canadian senior diving champion and nine-time junior champion, as well as the most decorated male diver in Canadian history, winning two silver medals in Olympic competition and being crowned world champion three times, while reaching the medal stand a total of eight times.
He has also had a successful synchronized diving career with partner, Arturo Miranda, winning gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2006 in the 1- and 3-meter springboards, following it up with silver in the 3-meter synchro event at the World Championships in 2007, and in 2008, he and Miranda finished a respectable 5th in the 3-meter synchro event at the Olympic Games.
He is a three-time Olympian, winning a total of sixty medals in international competition, 19 gold, 23 silver and 18 bronze. In 2018, Despatie was inducted into Canada’s Sport’s Hall of Fame.
Yulia PAKHALINA (RUS)
Like 1990 ISHOF Honor Diver, Irina Kalinina, one of this year’s Honor Diver’s, Yulia Pakhalina, was also born in Penza, a city in western Russia, just a little less than 400 miles west of Moscow. Yulia is a three-time Olympian, specializing in the 3-meter springboard, winning one gold, three silver and one bronze medal in Olympic competition.
In her first Olympic Games, Pakhalina competed in the 3-meter synchro competition in Sydney 2000, with partner, Vera Ilyina. They won the gold medal in the inaugural event. Pakhalina and partner Ilyina won silver at the next Games in Athens in 2004, with Yulia also capturing bronze in the individual 3-meter event. Everything would be different at the 2008 Games in Beijing though, at her third and final Olympiad. Yulia had a new partner in Anastasia Pozdnyakova. Yet, somehow, she and Anastasia were able to come away with the silver medal in the synchronized 3-meter event, the same medal, she and Vera had won four years earlier. In addition, Yulia was able to improve her medal from 2004, and she captured her second silver of the games in the individual 3-meter, bringing her Olympic medal total to five.
In between the Olympic Games, Yulia was a three-time World Champion on the 1- and 3-meter springboard, reaching the podium a total of eight times as well as being an eight-time European Champion between 1995 and 2008.
Yulia moved to the United States to attend college at the University of Houston, diving under Jane Figueiredo, where she became a three-time All-American, wining five NCAA Championships and five conference titles. She was also a two-time NCAA and Conference USA Diver of the Year. Pakhalina won 64 of the 66 collegiate diving events she entered while at UH, with her only losses coming during the finals of the NCAA Championships.
Today, Yulia is married and has made Houston her home, with her husband and two children.
Honor Water Polo Players:
Vladimir AKIMOV* (USSR)
Vladimir Akimov played for the team of Moscow Navy CSK, winning multiple USSR National Championships. He was USSR Champion in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1983 and USSR Cup winner in 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981 & 1982. He won the European Cup in 1976, the Super Cup in 1976, 1980 & 1982 and the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1980 & 1982.
Vladimir was a member of the USSR National team winning the gold medal in the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games. With his team, he also won the 1982 World Championships in Guayaquil (Ecuador), the silver medal in the 1981 European Championships in Split, Croatia and was part of the gold medal team at the 1981 Water Polo World Cup. Akimov is considered one of the best defenders in the world from the mid 1970’s to the early 1980’s. He tragically passed away at age 34 on October 5, 1987.
Carmela “Lilli” ALLUCCI (ITA)
Carmela “Lilli” Allucci was an Italian female water polo player. She competed at the 2004 Olympic Games as the captain of the Italian team that won the gold medal, at only the second Olympic Games where women competed. As a member of the Italian team, Alluci has two World Championship titles and one silver medal. She has four European Championship titles, along with two silver medals and a bronze. She is the second most titled player at the European Championships, only behind Netherlands player, Hedda Verndon. In FINA World Cup competition, Carmela and team took silver in 1993, and bronze in 1999 and in FINA World League competition, she won silver in 2006 and bronze in 2004. She has won seven consecutive titles with Team “Volturno” (1985-1991).
She was given the honor of carrying the Italian flag at the Closing Ceremonies of the 2004 Olympic Games.
Allucci was awarded the Knights of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2003, at the initiative of the President of the Republic; Commander of the Order of the Merit of the Italian Republic, again at the initiative of the President. Carmela was also presented with the Gold Collar with Sporting Merit in 1998.
Honor Synchronized Swimmer (Artistic Swimming):
Virginie DEDIEU (FRA)
Virginie Dedieu is the most successful artistic swimmer from the country of France and one of the most impressive to ever come from the continent of Europe. Her combination of stunning artistry and technical excellence earned her three consecutive FINA World Championship solo titles (2003, 2005 and 2007). In 2005, while watching her free solo performance, the television commentator called Virginie the “perfect swimmer.”
She is a three-time Olympian, winning a bronze medal in 2000 in the duet competition. In the solo event, she is a five-time medalist, three-time World Champion with two silvers and a bronze in the duet; Virginie is also a two-time European Champion, in the solo event, with three silvers to go along with her golds; In the duet competition at the European Championships, she has three silvers and two bronze.
Up until today, Virginie is the only solo synchro champion not to come from one of the powerhouse countries in artistic swimming. Until Virginie, all of the other solo champions have had teams behind them that have scored medals in other events at the same World Championships. Virginie is unique because of her solo talent, and even more so, because of her influence as a choreographer.
Honor Coach:
Dennis “Denny” PURSLEY
Dennis “Denny” Pursley is a five-time Olympic Coach, from the USA, but his coaching career and coaching success spans the globe.
He was first selected as a 1980 Olympic Assistant Coach under George Haines, as he produced six Olympians from his successful program, the Cincinnati Pepsi Marlins; Mary T. Meagher, Glenn Mills, Stephanie Elkins, Kim Carlisle, Bill Barrett, and Lisa Buese.
Pursley was named the first Head Coach of the Australian Institute of Sport in 1981, and he led a resurgence in Australia swimming with a second-place finish in the 1984 Olympic medal count to the USA.
In 1984 USA Swimming created a new paid staff position called National Team Director. Dennis Pursley was the first person hired by USA Swimming to fill this position. The USA Team finished first in the medal count in both the men’s and women’s competitions in all three Olympiads (1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney), culminating with 33 medals (14 golds) in the 2000 Olympics, which was described by Sports Illustrated magazine as the greatest team performance of all time. Per Mike Unger, of FINA, “Denny set the National team up for success, from start to finish for 14 key years”.
In 2008, Pursley was hired by Great Britain to be the Head Coach of British Swimming. In the Fall of 2012, he headed back to the states and became the Head Coach of the University of Alabama, his alma mater. During Pursley’s years at Alabama, the men placed in the top-10 at the NCAA’s four times, finishing seventh in the last year of Denny’s tenure, while the women placed at the last six-straight national championships of his career.
To name just a few of his many awards and accolades, he was inducted into the ASCA Coaches Hall of Fame in 2006, voted one of the most influential people in the history of USA Swimming (2013), given the US Olympic Committee Chairman’s Coaching Award (2000), and was named ASCA Coach of the Year in 1980.
Dennis Pursley retired from coaching in 2019.
Honor Contributor:
Dale NEUBURGER (USA)
Dale Neuburger has spent a lifetime in service to aquatic sports and Olympic ideals. He was elected as Vice President of FINA on five occasions (2000, 2005, 2009, 2013, and 2017) representing the 45 National Federations of the Americas. In 2021, he was elected as FINA Treasurer, and, in 2023, he was elected as World Aquatics Treasurer for a term ending in 2027.
Since 2005, he has served as the Bureau Liaison to the FINA/World Aquatics Technical Swimming Committee and Chairman of the FINA Technical Swimming Commission, overseeing all FINA/World Aquatics swimming competitions.
Mr. Neuburger has been appointed by FINA/World Aquatics and the International Olympic Committee to be the Technical Delegate for the swimming competition for five Olympic Games: 2008 Beijing, through 2024 Paris. The technical delegate roles encompass competition director duties, as well as general oversight of all venue-related issues.
Since its creation in 2009, Mr. Neuburger has been the Chairman of the FINA Development Commission, appointed by FINA President Julio C. Maglione. In this role, he has helped to create its extensive Athlete Scholarship Program, implement the Swim for All/Swim for Life Program and Pools for All Program, and created five global training centers for athletes from developing countries.
In 2015, Mr. Neuburger was elected as President of UANA (now known as Pan Am Aquatics), the Continental Association for aquatics serving the 45 National Federations of the Americas. Simultaneously, he was elected as a member of the Executive Committee of ACODEPA, the council of continental sport organizations that oversees sport competition in the Pan American Games. In 2019, he was elected First Vice President of ACODEPA, and he retained a position on its Executive Committee in the run-up to the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago (CHL) and served as Technical Delegate for Swimming at the Games.
Mr. Neuburger was a member of the Board of Directors of the United States Olympic Committee for eight years, from 1994 to 2002, and a member of its Executive Committee from 1996 to 2000. In recognition of his prominence within the USOC structure, Mr. Neuburger was designated to serve as Deputy Chef de Mission of the 531-member United States delegation for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games that won 101 medals, topping the medals standings.
Honor Paralympian: TBA
Look for more information coming soon and visitwww.ishof.org and www.swimmingworld.com regularly to keep up with all the news.
Hotel and ticket Information coming soon….
For more information:
contact: Meg Keller-Marvin
Honoree & Olympian Liaisonmeg@ishof.org
570.594.4367
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The world of water polo loses a great: Giuseppe D’Altrui
Giuseppe D’Altrui (4/7/1934 – 2/26/2024)
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: 1960 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold; 1956, 1964 OLYMPIC GAMES: 4th Place; 1954 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: bronze; 1958 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: 4th place; 1959 UNIVERSITY GAMES: bronze; 1958, 1959 WORLD MILITARY CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold; 1955, 1963 MEDITERRANEAN GAMES: gold; 1959 MEDITERRANEAN GAMES: silver; Captain of the Italian National Team at Two Olympic Games: 1960, 1964.
https://www.facebook.com/100039870985375/videos/314941544895095
For the first time in history, the International Swimming Hall of Fame is recognizing a father and son as one, jointly in the same year. This honor goes to three-time Olympic water polo players Giuseppe and Marco D’Altrui of Italy.
Giuseppe “Geppino” D’Altrui was born in Naples on April 7, 1934. He played in over 300 Series A games, from 1952 through 1964. Coached by Hall of Famer Mario Majoni, Giuseppe competed in 75 Italian National Team games from 1954 to 1964. He was a member of the 1956 Italian Olympic Team that competed in Melbourne finishing fourth, but as the Captain of the 1960 Olympic Team, he helped to lead his team to a gold medal victory in front of a home-town crowd at the Rome Olympic Games. He was also Captain of the 1964 Olympic Team that just finished out of the medal count.
Giuseppe’s love for the game flowed naturally from his love of being in the water. “I can say that I have spent more time in the water than on earth and for me is never enough!”
Following in the footsteps of famous fathers can be a difficult burden for young athletes and few are the ones who achieve the same level of success. But for Marco, who was born on April 24, 1964, following in the wake of his father came as naturally as learning to swim, which he did before he was three years of age. “For me to stay in the water was a game, fun, a hobby. I was diving and played with the ball in full freedom from the time I was three,” says Marco.
From his father’s example Marco learned to love the water and the dedication, commitment and time management skills that make a champion. He played in over 700 Series A matches as a member of Recco and Pescara and like his father before him was a member of the national team for ten years. In 1984 and 1988 he was on the Olympic teams that finished 7th in Los Angeles and Seoul. Then, playing for Hall of Fame coach Ratko Rudic, at the 1992 Olympic Games, Marco and the Settebello once again won the gold, 32 years after his father. As a great defensive player, Marco helped to keep his opponents from scoring, resulting in a grand slam of the Italian National Team from 1992-1994 (Olympic Games, World Championships, European Championships) and a grand slam of European Cups (Euro League Cup, Winners Cup, LEN Cup and LEN Super Cup).
“When athletes are young,” says Marco, “certainly the most credit goes to parents for their commitment both in terms of organization of management of daily life. I have no regrets at the sacrifices and am delighted to have followed in the footsteps of my father. Perhaps the best thing about the gold medal won in Barcelona was just to see the joy and emotion of my parents when I got off the plane with the medal around my neck. To win the Olympics was a dream that I’ve always had and it has accompanied me since I played with a small ball in the shallow water. I always wanted to imitate my father, who had won the gold medal at the Olympics in Rome. It goes to show that if you dream it, and work hard, you can do it.”
Friend of ISHOF and Former SMU Men’s Swimming Head Coach Eddie Sinnott passed away on Tuesday, February 20
by DAN D’ADDONA — SWIMMING WORLD MANAGING EDITOR
Former SMU Men’s Swimming Head Coach Eddie Sinnott passed away on Tuesday, February 20.
He was 70.
Sinnott ’76 led his alma mater from 1989-2019. After swimming at SMU from 1972-76 and earning All-America honors in 1973 and 1974, the 16-time conference Coach of the Year led the Mustangs to 16 league crowns, and under Sinnott, SMU recorded 11 NCAA top-15 finishes, 80 individual All-America honors and 59 relay honors and 288 conference championships.
“Coach Sinnott won tremendous accolades over the life of his career and was a huge influence on his swimmers,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “We’re proud that he began his journey as a student swimmer at SMU, and will long remember his support for the men and women he coached and mentored.”
In 2019, Sinnott was selected by his peers for the 2019 National Collegiate Scholastic Trophy. The trophy is presented annually by both the CSCAA and the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (NISCA) to the coach who, in the estimation of the recipient’s peers, has made the greatest contribution to swimming as a competitive sport, and as a healthful, recreational activity in the province of undergraduate and scholastic education.
“It’s hard to put into words the impact Eddie Sinnott had on SMU,” said Director of Athletics Rick Hart. “This was a man who spent more than 30 years on the Hilltop, from his time as a student-athlete through his decades-long coaching career. Coach led the SMU team and its individual swimmers to incredible heights collegiately, domestically and on the international stage, but more than that, he shaped the lives of hundreds of men and women here at SMU and throughout the swimming community.
“He will be missed by so many. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and daughters and the many who loved Eddie.”
An accomplished coach on the international level, Sinnott coached 11 student-athletes since 1992 who competed in seven different Olympic Games. In 1996, Mustang great Ryan Berube won a gold medal as a team member of the U.S.A. 4×200 free relay team. In the summer of 2000, Lars Frolander became the fourth Mustang to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games, taking first in the 100 butterfly in Sydney, Australia. Under Sinnott, both Berube and Frolander were named NCAA Swimmer of the Year within two years of each other (Berube-1996, Frolander-1998).
“Eddie’s loss will not just be felt here in the SMU community, but throughout the USA swimming community as well,” stated SMU Head Men’s Swimming Coach Greg Rhodenbaugh. “Eddie coached me when I swam here at SMU, mentored me as I started my coaching career and was a friend and brother for the last 40 years. He will be missed greatly.”
Sinnott also served United States Swimming in various capacities. He was the team leader and the men’s head coach of the U.S. squad at the World University Games in 1993, and a head coach and assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic Festival team in 1987 and 1993, respectively. Sinnott also served as the head coach of the U.S. National Team on its European Tour in 1987. At the 2008 Olympics, Sinnott was the U.S. Olympic Team assistant manager. In addition to coaching for the United States, Sinnott served on the Olympic International Organizing Committee from 1984-92. He was the head coach for Haiti at the 1996 Olympic Games. He also served as the assistant coach for Colombia, Denmark and South Africa at the World Short Course Championships.
Sinnott’s impact on the sport, however, extends well beyond his conference titles, Olympic Gold Medalists, and All-Americans. Sinnott was instrumental in fundraising for the new Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium. Beyond the college teams, Sinnott helped teach in the SMU swim lesson program for most of his 40 years on campus, and was a leader in the Dallas swimming community.
A four-year letterwinner at SMU from 1973-76, Sinnott was the SWC champion in the 400 IM in 1973. Born in Greenwich, Conn., Sinnott is survived by his wife, Sioux, and their two daughters K.C. and Silver Ann.
If you don’t already know her, meet ASHLEIGH JOHNSON, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and first African-American on the USA Women’s Water Polo’s Team ~
Ashleigh Johnson was the first African American woman to make the United States Olympic water polo team in 2016, when she qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Not only was Johnson the only African American on the team, but she was also the only girl NOT from California. Ashleigh grew up in Miami, playing water polo with her three brothers and one sister. The Johnson kids attended Ransom Everglades School, a well known swimming/aquatics powerhouse in the South Florida area. After making a statement in South Florida as a four-year letter winner and starter on her school’s team, she led her team to three consecutive Florida State Championships. In addition, she earned All-Dade County honors throughout her career, while also earning all-county honors in swimming, twice.
She went on to attend college at Princeton University, where she received All-American Honors for most of her collegiate career. Johnson and the USA Women’s Water Polo Team won Olympic gold, with Ashleigh as goalie in 2016, in her very first Olympic experience.
Ashleigh currently competes for Ethnikos in Greece… From 2018-19, she played for NC Vouliagmeni in Greece…Finished third in Final Four of European League Championships and finished second in Greek league; Prior to that, she competed for Ekipe Orizzonte in Sicily 2017-18, finished third in Final Four of European League, and finished second in Italian League.
And let’s not forget, she competed in her second Olympic Games in Tokyo, in 2021. Ashleigh and her USA Teammates came away with gold, beating Spain in the gold medal round. Ashleigh was credited with the most saves.
Let’s al get ready to cheer on the future Hall of Famer in Paris this Summer!
Watch this great video of Ashleigh from CBS MORNINGS from 2020 Olympics Coverage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRFGaI_8-ik
INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
2023 PAN AMERICAN GAMES, SANTIAGO, CHILE, 1ST PLACE
2023 WORLD AQUATICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, FUKUOKA, JAPAN, 5TH PLACE
2023 WORLD AQUATICS WORLD CUP, LONG BEACH, UNITED STATES, 1ST PLACE
2022 FINA WORLD LEAGUE SUPER FINAL, SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, SPAIN, 3RD PLACE
2022 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY, 1ST PLACE
2020 OLYMPIC GAMES, TOKYO, JAPAN, 1ST PLACE (Took place in 2021 due to Covid-19 Pandemic)
2021 FINA WORLD LEAGUE SUPER FINAL, ATHENS, GREECE, 1ST PLACE
2019 HOLIDAY CUP, PRINCETON, NJ, 1ST PLACE
2019 CANADA CUP, MONTREAL, CANADA, 1ST PLACE
2019 PAN AMERICAN GAMES, LIMA, PERU, 1ST PLACE
2019 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, GWANGJU, SOUTH KOREA, 1ST PLACE
2019 FINA WORLD LEAGUE SUPER FINAL, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY, 1STPLACE
2019 FINA INTERCONTINENTAL TOURNAMENT, PERTH, AUSTRALIA, 1STPLACE
2018 FINA WORLD CUP, SURGUT, RUSSIA, 1STPLACE
2018 FINA WORLD LEAGUE SUPER FINAL, KUNSHAN, CHINA, 1STPLACE
2016 OLYMPIC GAMES, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, 1STPLACE
2016 FINA WORLD LEAGUE SUPER FINAL, SHANGHAI, CHINA, 1STPLACE
2016 OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT, GOUDA, NETHERLANDS, 1STPLACE
2016 FINA WOMEN’S INTERCONTINENTAL TOURNAMENT, LEWISVILLE, TX, 1STPLACE
2015 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, KAZAN, RUSSIA, 1STPLACE
2015 PAN AMERICAN GAMES, TORONTO, CANADA, 1STPLACE
2015 FINA WORLD LEAGUE SUPER FINAL, SHANGHAI, CHINA, 1STPLACE
2014 FINA WORLD CUP, KHANTY-MANSIYSK, RUSSIA 1STPLACE
2013 FINA JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, VOLOS, GREECE, 1STPLACE
Happy Birthday 2014 Honor Diver Peng Bo
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (3m springboard); 2001 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (3m springboard synchro); 2002 ASIAN GAMES: gold (3m springboard synchro); 2001 UNIVERSIADE GAMES: gold (3m springboard synchro); 2003 UNIVERSIADE GAMES: gold (3m springboard synchro); 2005 UNIVERSIADE GAMES: gold (3m springboard synchro); 2007 UNIVERSIADE GAMES: gold (3m springboard, 3m springboard synchro).
He was born in Nanchang, capital of the Jiangxi province of China in 1981 and began training in diving at the age of six at the Nanchang Sports School. He was selected to be a member of the Jiangxi Provincial Diving Team in 1991, joined the diving team of the PLA Navy in 1995 and became a member of the National Team in 1998.
Peng and his synchronized diving partner, Wang Kenan, won gold medals at the 2000 World University Games, at the 2001 FINA World Championships in Fukuoka and at the 2002 Asian Games.
In 2003, Peng won the Chinese national Championships in the 3 meter individual event and finished second at the FINA World Championships in Barcelona.
For the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Peng was selected to compete in both the 3 meter individual and synchronized event with partner Wang. First up was the synchro event and heading into the final round of dives, Peng and Wang held a comfortable lead. Then came disaster. A dreadful error by Wang resulted in a failed dive – a zero – and no medal.
Comeback, for diver Peng Bo, is a particularly appropriate word. You see, Bo means, “never give up” in Chinese. And eight days later, in the final of the individual event of the 3 meter springboard, Peng came back with a vengeance.
Overcoming his earlier disappointment, Peng Bo led from start to finish.
His victory was fourth of the six gold medals China would win in Athens, and with a margin of victory of over 30 points his was the most dominating performance in diving at the Games in Athens.
February 17th ~ Happy Birthday Rebecca Adlington (GBR) Honor Swimmer, Class of 2018
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (400m freestyle, 800m freestyle); 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES: bronze (400m freestyle, 800m freestyle); 2009 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): bronze (400m freestyle, 4×200m freestyle); 2011 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (800m freestyle), silver (400m freestyle); 2008 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): gold (800m freestyle) , silver (4×200m freestyle); 2006 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): silver (800m freestyle); 2010 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (400m freestyle), bronze (4×200m freestyle); 2010 COMMONWEALTH GAMES (Representing England): gold (400m freestyle, 800m freestyle), bronze (200m freestyle, 4×200m freestyle)
The youngest of three girls, Rebecca Adlington naturally wanted to do what her older sisters did, and the sisters were all swimmers. Before long, her desire to keep up with them made her into a serious competitor.
By the age of 14, when she was showing real promise as a distance swimmer, she came under the guidance of coach Bill Furniss, who would remain her coach throughout her career. Her commitment to training combined with mental toughness and her ability to tolerate pain made her one of Britain’s brightest Olympic hopefuls. After a year with Furniss she won the 800m gold medal at the 2004 European Junior Championships.
Both Becky and her coach looked forward to 2005 with high expectations, but early in the year she came down with a case of glandular fever. Then, just as she was getting back in the pool, her sister Laura came down with a case of encephalitis that put her on life-support and fighting for her life for over a month. Laura eventually recovered, but the experience was traumatic for Becky and the next few years were full of ups and downs.
As the British Olympic Trials in 2008 approached, Becky knew she would have to swim her heart out and to the surprise of many, she won the 200 and 400m freestyle, in addition to the 800, which was her signature event. She eventually dropped the 200 to focus on the longer events.
First up in Beijing was the 400m freestyle, an event for which she had not even been certain to qualify for the British team. In the prelims she swam brilliantly and qualified for the finals in lane five. Then, in the final, she went from fifth place with 50 meters to go to snatch the gold medal from American Katie Hoff and teammate Joanne Jackson in a thrilling finger-tip finish. It was the first Olympic gold medal for a British woman since Anita Lonsbrough won the 200m breaststroke in 1960.
When she won the 800m freestyle five days later, destroying the field and smashing Janet Evans‘ 19-year old world record, there was no precedent. Adlington was the most successful woman swimmer Britain ever produced, and the first British swimmer since Henry Taylor had won multiple gold medals one hundred years earlier, in 1908.
Her triumphs in Beijing brought her instant fame: front-page headlines, an open-top bus parade in her home town and a coveted pair of gold Jimmy Choo shoes. In 2009 she became a celebrity spokesperson for the Encephalitis Society and received an Office of the British Order (OBE) by HRH (Her Royal Highness) Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. In 2010, the refurbished Sherwood Swimming Baths was renamed the Rebecca Adlington Swimming Centre.
And she hadn’t even retired. In fact, between the Beijing and London Olympics, she stood on the podium in every major international event in which she competed, even though she refused to wear the polyurethane suits that helped the world records tumble in 2009. When she won gold in the 800 and silver in the 400m freestyle at the 2011 FINA Championships in Shanghai, expectations were high that she could repeat her double gold medal performance from Beijing in London.
But it was always going to be tougher for her competing at home. In Beijing she was an unknown, which is a tremendous psychological advantage in terms of pressure and surprise. In London, that advantage belonged to a 15-year old American named Katie Ledecky. It just wasn’t to be.
When Adlington took bronze in the 400m, she was delighted, for the 400 was her weaker race. But after winning a second bronze in the 800, the disappointment showed.
The British public adored her and when she retired a few months later, at the age of 23, it was as Great Britain’s most decorated female Olympian of all time. Since then she has joined the BBC as a popular commentator for the aquatic sports. In 2015, she gave birth to a daughter, Summer, and in 2016 she launched Becky Adlington’s Swim Stars, a partnership program designed by Becky for pool operators to make learning to swim fun and enjoyable. Her vision is to ensure that every child leaves primary school able to swim at least 25 meters.