Rich Burns Recognized with USMS’ Ransom Arthur Award; Honored for Decades of Service
by John Lohn – Editor-in-Chief
18 August 2026
Rich Burns Recognized with USMS’ Ransom Arthur Award; Honored for Decades of Service
By Daniel Paulling
Rich Burns couldn’t figure out what was happening.
Several of his teammates in the 1980s would disappear for a few days every September and come back talking about rule changes and national championship locations. He eventually asked where they had gone. Their response: U.S. Masters Swimming’s annual meeting.
Burns attended the next year, in 1986, starting 40 years of volunteer service with USMS. His longtime dedication has led to him being named the recipient of the 2026 Capt. Ransom J. Arthur M.D. Award, USMS’s most prestigious volunteer award.
“It’s a great sense of satisfaction that I certainly made a contribution—and, hopefully, that I contributed a little bit to making it a better, different organization,” says Burns, 83. “It’s fun to have the recognition. It’s an affirmation that what you’re doing has some value.”
This is the second major recognition this year for the Tamalpais Aquatic Masters member. Burns, who has set nearly 100 AQUA Masters world records and more than 150 USMS records, was also inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in May alongside multiple Olympians that included Nathan Adrian and Ryan Lochte.\
His journey to receiving this year’s Ransom J. Arthur Award—given annually to a volunteer who has done the most to further the objectives of the organization—has been lengthy.
Richard Burns and Laura Val.
Burns recalls trying to learn as much as he could about USMS during his flight to his first annual meeting, which was in Fort Worth, Texas. “The distinction between clubs and teams, associations and zones, LMSCs and MSCs became as rarefied as the air I was flying through,” Burns wrote in a personal note about his deep dive into the organization.
The experience became more confusing once he learned about parliamentary procedure and Robert’s Rules of Order, which govern how the House of Delegates operates at the annual meeting.
But Burns, who also received a USMS Dorothy Donnelly Service Award in 1998 and the 2015 USMS June Krauser Communications Award, soon found his niche working in marketing.
Burns’s educational and professional background is in graphic design, which allowed him to create USMS’s first logo, which was in place for nearly 20 years. Burns also worked to establish SWIM as the official magazine of the organization—SWIMMER took that title in 2005—and created high-gloss calendars that featured members from multiple age groups to highlight both the membership and the fact that swimming can be done for a lifetime.
One of Burns’s novel creations was a personal planner that allowed swimmers to track their workouts. He secured the organization’s first paid sponsorships and advertisements to help launch this member benefit, which has since been replaced by the digital Fitness Logs.
Burns has extensive committee experience with USMS, serving on the now-defunct Marketing Committee from 1989–2003 and on the Recognition and Awards Committee since 2013. Combined with his work on the Ad Hoc ISHOF Nominating Committee from 2000–03, he’s spent 18 years helping others be recognized for their achievements.
He now deserves to be recognized for his efforts, wrote Tamalpais Aquatic Masters member Nancy Ridout, the 1994 recipient of the Ransom J. Arthur Award, and Ian King, chair of the Pacific LMSC, in their letter nominating Burns for his own Ransom J. Arthur Award.
“Through four decades, Rich’s behind-the-scenes contributions have facilitated the growth and influence of USMS not only within our membership, but to those who didn’t know it existed,” they wrote. “He has not sought recognition for his many contributions, and most of our members probably are unaware of who it was that provided them. Rich is quiet, unassuming, talented, and committed to giving back to the sport he loves.
“It’s time to recognize Rich’s impact throughout a 40-year period of continuous contributions to enhancing the vision, values, and programs of U.S. Masters Swimming.”
The above article was provided to Swimming World by U.S. Masters Swimming.
Passages: Masters Honoree Phillip Whitten, Former Editor of Swimming World, Dies at 82; Impacted Sport in Multiple Ways
by John Lohn – Editor-in-Chief
18 August 2026
Passages: Phillip Whitten, Former Editor of Swimming World, Dies at 82
Phillip Whitten, the former Editor-in-Chief of Swimming World, and its sister publications, Swimming Technique and SWIM (Masters), passed away on Saturday, August 15. He was 82. Whitten was a highly respected journalist, having covered the Olympic Games and the top issues in the sport of swimming for years, while guiding Swimming World as both a print magazine and into the digital landscape.
Whitten, who was named Editor of Swimming World in 1992, was an encyclopedia on the sport of swimming, able to discuss pressing topics, current events, achievements, athletes and history with ease. He could easily reach into his deep knowledge and tell a story from the past, or provide analysis of a developing rivalry. As a writer, he was a wordsmith, using his vast vocabulary to craft engaging articles, ranging from columns to features to meet coverage
In the 1990s, Whitten was one of the leading journalists to expose the systematic doping program of East Germany, whose women dominated the sport from the 1970s until the fall of the Berlin Wall. Whitten led Swimming World to publish the Stasi (Secret Police) files related to the GDR’s calculated doping program, and he argued for proper recognition for the athletes whose careers were affected, such as Shirley Babashoff and Enith Brigitha. Whitten also wrote extensively about Chinese doping and Title IX.
An inductee of the International Swimming Hall of Fame as a Masters swimmer, Whitten wasn’t just a standout athlete, but was a steadfast promoter of Masters as a vehicle to health and camaraderie. In the pool, Whitten set numerous records as a Masters swimmer while he was a Masters board member outside of the water. In 1991, he published a study – conducted over more than a decade – that showed Masters swimmers did not experience the typical physiological decline of non-swimmers.
Whitten wrote more than 20 books during his life, between swimming and academia. His “Complete Book of Swimming” was published in 1994.
Whitten was born in Philadelphia and grew up in New York before moving to California when he was 13. He found a talent in the pool as a high school swimmer, particularly in the breaststroke. He attended San Jose State University as an undergrad and was a member of the school’s swim team, and later attended Harvard University, at which he later taught.
Personal Remembrance: Phil first gave me a chance to write for Swimming World in 2000, after I emailed him suggesting a story on Brendan Hansen. While Phil initially declined the proposal, he eventually offered me the chance to write a piece for SW about a group of up-and-coming breaststrokers – Ed Moses, Kyle Salyards, Dave Denniston and Hansen among them. From there, Phil assigned me additional work, and he became a mentor. It was a wonderful moment when he informed my now-wife Dana and I that he was flying in from Arizona to attendour rehearsal dinner and wedding. He held court during those evenings, sharing his typically wonderful tales with our family and friends. Phil, thank you for your guidance, our chats and influence. RIP.
Passages: ISHOF Honoree Kenneth Treadway Dies at 96; Legendary Hall of Famer Was Definition of Service
by John Lohn – Editor-in-Chief
05 August 2026
Passages: Kenneth Treadway Dies at 96; Legendary Hall of Famer Was Definition of Service
Kenneth Treadway, a 1983 inductee into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as a contributor for his vast service to the sport, died on July 31 at his home in Lawrence, Kansas. He was 96. Throughout his life, Treadway had an impact on swimming, influencing the sport as a coach, innovator, administrator and advocate. He traveled the world to ensure swimmers and coaches received the support they needed.
Born in Oklahoma, Treadway founded the Phillips 66 Splash Club in 1950 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, the club becoming one of the finest in the country. He also helped that the Bartlesville Public Schools establish swimming programs that promoted water safety and opened the doors to children for competitive opportunities. Eventually, Treadway’s reach extended to California as he and legendary coach Don Gambril founded the Phillips 66 Long Beach Aquatic Club that produced Olympians.
Treadway’s professional career in corporate business with Phillips Petroleum led to the company regularly supporting national championships in the United States, with the Phillips 66 sponsorship of USA Swimming becoming the longest continuous sponsorship of an amateur sport in the United States.
Wherever Treadway went, he had his hand in swimming – sometimes as a coach or official, other times in various influential committee roles. More than 60 years ago, he represented the United States when FINA officially recognized the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He was also a staff member of three United States Olympic Teams, attending the Games of 1964 (Tokyo), 1968 (Mexico City) and 1972 (Munich).
In addition to his Hall of Fame enshrinement, Treadway was recognized by ISHOF in 2008 with its prestigious President’s Award, which honors an individual whose career is defined by exceptional and extraordinary efforts to promore the organization’s mission. More, Treadway was presented with the 1972 AAU Neptune Award, then recognized as swimming’s highest service award. In 2009, he was inducted into the Bartlesville Sports Commission Hall of Fame.
Treadway will be remembered for his never-ending desire to celebrate and support the sport of swimming.
Commonwealth Games: Aussies Chasing Freestyle Dominance in Glasgow 36 Years After the Golden Glow of Auckland in 1990
by Ian Hanson – Oceania Correspondent
22 July 2026
Commonwealth Games: Aussies Chasing Freestyle Dominance in Glasgow 36 Years After the Golden Glow of Auckland in 1990
Australia swimmers have the chance to turn the clock back 36 years as they chase a freestyle clean sweep at the 23rd Commonwealth Games, starting in Glasgow on Friday. Auckland hosted the 1990 Games with legendary head coach Don Talbot back at the helm – steering his team to a dominant performance.
Australia won every male and every female freestyle event – 14 events in all (including four relays), a feat which has collectively never been done since. The Australian women did sweep all before them in Birmingham in 2022 – and now, four years later, they will be joined by a re
The freestyle program will feature the 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500m for both men and women for the first time, plus three relays – the 4x100m mixed freestyle in for its second appearance alongside the 4×100 and 4x200m. It is a far cry from the first Games in Hamilton, Ontario in 1930 with just five women’s events – the 100- and 400-yards freestyle, 100 yards backstroke, 200 yards breaststroke and the 4×100 yard freestyle relay.
MUM’S THE WORD: Lani Pallister will line up in the 400 and 800m freestyle and 4×200 relay just like her mum Janelle did at the Auckland Games 36 years ago. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
The Aussies have arrived in Glasgow with a women’s roster more than capable of remaining undefeated – and with a new-look team without Emma McKeon, Ariarne Titmus, Maddie Wilson and Kiah Melverton and a Canadian team minus their superstar Summer McIntosh.
But the Aussie women’s group is led by an exciting fab five – Lani Pallister, Meg Harris, Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack and Alex Perkins. Pallister is chasing a mammoth program with the 200, 400, 800, 1500 and 4x200m freestyle as is ironman Sam Short on the men’s side – the 1500m added for the women and the 800 for the men.
Short will race alongside veteran sprinters, Olympic champions and “Super Dads” Cam McEvoy and Kyle Chalmers, who have a real chance of completing another spectacular freestyle sweep.\
FREESTYLER: Sam Short has one of the busiest schedules in Glasgow. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
McEvoy, the 50m freestyle world-record holder and two-time world and Olympic champion from Paris, will be joined in the one-lap dash by Jamie Jack and Flynn Southam – who could well give Australia a freestyle first. No country at the last nine Games have swept the men’s 50 free and a full podium would be a special celebration of the 10th anniversary of its addition to the program.
Gold to Chalmers in the 100m freestyle and “The Big Tuna” will become the second Australian to defend his title. The only other was Michael Wenden in 1966, 1970 and 1974. Wenden, like Chalmers in 2016, was the Olympic champion in 1968.
Chalmers will be joined by Southam and Kai Taylor whose mum Hayley Lewis was the individual star of the Auckland Games in 1990 – winning five gold medals as a 15-year-old schoolgirl.
TAYLOR MADE: Kai Taylor following in Mum Hayley Lewis’ footsteps. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
Hayley, under the guidance of her coach Joe “Mr” King, won the 200 and 400m freestyle, the 200m butterfly and 400IM – adding gold number five in a 4x200m freestyle relay that also included Janelle Elford – Lani Pallister’s mum.
Elford also added silver behind Julie McDonald in the 800 and bronze to Lewis over the 400m freestyle.
HAYLEY’S COMET: At just 15, Brisbane schoolgirl, Hayley Lewis won five gold medals at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. 36 years later son Kai Taylor will also wear the green and gold at the Commonwealth Games. Photo Courtesy Commonwealth Games Australia.
Looking back to 1990, it was Gold Coast Olympian Andrew Baildon who snatched the 50 and 100m freestyle double and the 100m butterfly after the 50m had been added to the Games program after its Olympic debut in 1988 in Seoul.
Seoul finalist Baildon won that inaugural men’s 50m gold ahead of 1982 Brisbane Games high jumper Angus Waddell and added the 100m ahead of rising sprint star Chris Fydler – with Baildon, Fydler, Ian Van Der Wal and Jason Cooper winning the 4x100m freestyle relay.
It was Fydler’s first of three consecutive silver medals in his pet event behind Canada’s Stephen Clarke in 1994 and Aussie teammate Michael Klim in 1998.
They joined a women’s team that featured comeback queen Lisa Curry-Kenny – back on her first swim team since the 1984 LA Olympics – and winning the 50m freestyle, 100m butterfly and featuring in Australia’s 4x100m freestyle and 4 x 100m medley relay triumphs.
GAVE ‘EM SOME CURRY:Lisa Curry made a golden return to swimming, winning four gold at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland. Photo Courtesy Commonwealth Games Australia.
South Australia’s Martin Roberts spearheaded an Australian men to a clean sweep in the 200m free, ahead of WA pair Ian Brown and Tom Stachewicz, with Brown taking out the 400m ahead of Queensland’s Glen Housman who would hold on to heir apparent Kieren Perkins in the 1500m – both men swimming under 15 minutes – Perkins for the first time – in a history-making finish.
Housman held the fastest time ever swum – his hand-held time of 14:53.59 at the Games Trials in December of ’89, under the previous world record held by Russia’s Vladimir Salnikov – but when the scoreboard at the North Adelaide Aquatic Centre failed to stop, the time would not be ratified as a world record.
It’s the 200m where the Aussie boys will face their greatest challenge with the Paris Olympic silver medallist Matt Richards led English squad and Scotland’s defending champion Duncan Scott waiting to strike.
The Brits have been a dominant force over the 4x200m winning back-to-back 4x200m freestyle gold at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics – although Australia has won the last four Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Glasgow, the Gold Coast and Birmingham.
Queensland trio, Taylor, Dolphins man-of-the-moment Short and World Championship 200m butterfly bronze medallist Harrison Turner leading the Aussie attack.
GAMES DEBUT: Jamie Jack will join sister Shayna in Glasgow. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Much will fall on Short’s broad 23-year-old shoulders, and word from inside the Dolphins camp when they arrived into Glasgow today is that “he’s deadest up for it!”
Short was the star of the Aussie Trials, winning all four freestyle events – the 200m in 1:45.16; the 400m in a sizzling 3:40.67; the 800m in a Commonwealth and Australian Record time of a 7:36.73 and the 1500m in 14:42.09.
In 1994, Perkins delivered a spectacular four gold medal haul – winning the 200, the 400, the 1500 and as a member of the 4×200 team – a determined Perkins breaking the world records for 800 and 1500m in the one race – disobeying coach John Carew’s instructions to back off over the final 700m.
The wily coach wanted his charge to save himself for the world championships in Rome some two weeks later – unnerved, an inspired Perkins went on to win the 1500m world title after setting a new world record in the 400m.
Short also set himself to win the very first 800m across the busiest of programs with teammate, Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist and 2022 World and Commonwealth champion Elijah Winnington swimming for his own slice of Games history.
Australian pioneer, Manly’s Noel “Tiger” Ryan (1930 and 1934) and the legendary Ian Thorpe (1998 and 2002) are the only other swimmers to defend their Commonwealth Games 400 crowns.
While in the 1500m Short will join illustrious Australian company if he can defend his Birmingham gold, with three Australians – Ryan (1930, 1934), Max Metzker (1978, 1982) and Grant Hackett (1998, 2002) all going back-to-back.
The 4x100m freestyle relay with Chalmers, Jack, Taylor and Turner at the helm aims to maintain Australia’s unbeaten record since New Delhi in 2010. The 4×200 foursome of Short, Taylor, Turner and Ed Sommerville will face the might of the Richards led England, who love nothing more than to sink the Aussies hopes.
DYNAMIC DUO: Shayna Jack and coach Dean Boxall – one last campaign. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Meanwhile it will also be a special farewell for Shayna Jack who is joined by brother Jamie in their first team together– with the brother-sister act both qualifying for the 50m freestyle.
Shayna just last week announced her retirement from professional swimming – a woman who has featured so prominently in Australia’s freestyle relay teams since making her debut on the Gold Coast as the rookie on the team alongside Cate and Bronte Campbell and Emma McKeon and with McKeon, Mollie O’Callaghan and Wilson in Birmingham four years ago.
In Glasgow it will be Meg Harris, Jack, O’Callaghan and Perkins who will line up in Australia’s flagship relay – as Jack chases three straight.
LEADER OF THE PACK: Meg Harris will lead Australia’s 4x100m girls into battle in Glasgow. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Harris, the world champion and Olympic silver medallist over 50 freestyle, has graduated with flying colours into an individual star and will also join Mollie O in the 100m. And there will be no underestimating Mollie, who has battled to make the Games team despite stress fractures in her back and shoulder problems, but no one races like Mollie O races.
In Birmingham the team of Titmus, O’Callaghan, Wilson and Melverton set a new world record in winning gold in the 4x200m – four years on O’Callaghan and Pallister will be joined by rookies Inez Miller and Hannah Casey in a new look foursome.
There has been no stopping Pallister since her move to supercoach Dean Boxall and she showed at the Trials with her wins in the 400m freestyle (3:59.72), the 800 (8:13.41) and the 1500m (15:40.01) and her second to Olympic champion O’Callaghan in 1:53.65 in the 200m that she is certainly the real deal.
Just like her mum was 36 years ago in Auckland.
LANI’S TIME: Lani Pallister will chase Glasgow gold in the pool and emulate the feats of Mum Janelle Elford some 36 years ago in Auckland. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
World Aquatics Masters Records: First-ever Women’s mark set in 105-109 age group
Written by:World Aquatics Communications Department
World Aquatics is proud to recognise a landmark moment for Masters swimming, with Maurine Kornfeld (USA) becoming the first woman ever to set a World Aquatics Masters Record in the 105-109 age group.
Kornfeld set the mark in the Women’s 50m Backstroke (Long Course Metres), clocking a time of 2:05.63 on 7 June 2026. The performance stands as a historic first for women’s Masters swimming, opening the record books in this rare and remarkable age category to female Masters participants for the very first time.
The 105-109 age group remains one of the smallest and most exclusive in the sport, with only a handful of swimmers worldwide ever having competed at this level. Kornfeld’s record is a testament to the lifelong power of sport, and a powerful reminder that the pool remains a place for competition, community and personal challenge at any age.
The only previous record in this age group belongs to Jaring Timmerman (CAN), who set marks in the Men’s 50m Backstroke (3:09.55) and 50m Freestyle (2:52.48) on 24 January 2014. He remains the first and only male swimmer to have achieved a World Aquatics Masters Record in the 105-109 category.
World Aquatics congratulates Maurine Kornfeld on this extraordinary and historic achievement, and celebrates all Masters swimmers who continue to inspire the aquatics community by pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the sport.
The Greatest Team in History: How the U.S. Men Dominated the 1976 Olympic Games (50th Anniversary)
by John Lohn – Editor-in-Chief
16 July 2026,
The Greatest Team in History: How the U.S. Dominated the 1976 Olympic Games
Tomorrow, July 17, will mark the 50th anniversary of the Opening Ceremony of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. To celebrate that golden anniversary, Swimming World is re-running this feature on the men’s swimming squad from that Olympiad. The team is widely viewed as the greatest swim team in history, and ranks among the greatest teams in any sport, such was its dominance.
In the pool, there is no doubt.
At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Team USA put on a show that hadn’t been seen prior, or since. Led by double individual champions John Naber and Brian Goodell, the United States captured gold medals in 12 of the 13 events contested, a statistic that just begins to characterize the dominance that was on display. Sixteen years before Michael Jordan led NBA players onto the basketball court for the first time in Olympic competition, this squad was the original Dream Team.
When the curtain rose for the 1976 Games, the athletes faced a daunting challenge. The previous Olympiad provided bountiful fireworks in the pool, American Mark Spitz surging to seven gold medals with as many world records, and Australian teenager Shane Gould winning five individual medals, highlighted by three titles. The efforts of Spitz and Gould were generational, and the risk of a letdown was real.
But the 1976 squad the United States sent to Montreal found a way to flourish in its own generational way. While there was no Spitzian performance on an individual basis, Naber and Goodell stood out as solo stars, and the sum of the team’s parts equated to legendary status for this Red, White and Blue roster.
“Nothing could be explained on a physical basis,” said Gary Hall, a team captain alongside Steve Furniss. “It was an emotionally charged team. It led us to compete at a level beyond what we thought we were capable of.”
Photo Courtesy: Minor Studio
One of the legendary figures in the sport, Doc Counsilman immediately recognized the special nature of the team he would oversee as the head coach of Team USA in Montreal. For one, several of his Indiana University swimmers, including Jim Montgomery and Hall, dotted the roster. Meanwhile, Counsilman was well aware of the talent he inherited from programs such as the University of Southern California and the Mission Viejo Nadadores, among others.
The key for Counsilman was connecting these rivals as teammates and convincing them to buy into a team approach. On the surface, that objective was not a simple task. At the time, Indiana and USC were fierce rivals on the collegiate scene, and with numerous athletes from the schools on the Team USA roster, how they would blend as teammates was a question. Ultimately, Counsilman succeeded, the Hall of Famer painting a picture ahead of the Olympics of vast success.
“(Counsilman) began the training camp with a pep talk to the team,” Naber said. “He said, ‘Congratulations, gentlemen. I assume that each you have a goal for your performances in Montreal. Allow me to share my goals for this team with you. In the 13 men’s events on the program, I think we can win every one. I believe we can win more medals than the rest of the world combined, and I think we can win more medals than all the other U.S. sports teams combined.’ With those words, he magically lifted our sights from what each of us might do, to what we could accomplish as a team. The backstrokers began to encourage the butterfliers. The sprinters helped the distance men. Medley swimmers pulled for the relays. No one was left behind. Doc also ordered that all club and school T-shirts and jackets be shipped home.”
Counsilman had long been known as a master motivator, and this initial speech to his Olympic squad worked wonders in breaking down walls between rivals and generating a belief that the team was unbeatable. The results from the Games proved – with one exception – that the team indeed was an unstoppable force. Even before Montreal, though, the level of racing was top-notch. As the athletes looked around the deck, they saw their biggest obstacles to Olympic glory. There was no mystery that the difference between a gold medal and a silver medal could be beating a teammate. Yet, Counsilman designed a training camp that kept both competitiveness and camaraderie high. Finding that balance perfectly positioned the team for the Games.
“Workouts were fun, but also intense,” said Naber, who complemented his individual backstroke wins with a silver medal in the 200 freestyle and contributions to both winning relays. “Like events were trained together. George Haines had all the backstrokers, and we trained similar sets on similar sendoffs. Naturally, we were aware of what the others were doing. We often did broken swims and the sums of our times often were faster than the existing world records. There was a sense that this team was firing on all cylinders.”
Photo Courtesy:
The belief by Counsilman that his team could win every event in Montreal – whether motivational or wholeheartedly truthful – nearly came to fruition over the week of racing. Only David Wilkie managed to prevent a sweep for the United States, as the British star won the gold medal in the 200-meter breaststroke in a world-record time, Americans John Hencken and Rick Colella taking silver and bronze.
“I wanted to win very badly, and I wasn’t worried at all about the run of American successes,” Wilkie said. “I just swam for myself and for Britain. A great deal of effort and hard work went into the achievement. I’ll always cherish the moment.”
If there was any doubt in team members before the meet started, it was erased on the opening night of competition. The 200 butterfly was the first individual event on the schedule and East Germany’s Roger Pyttel was the favorite for gold. When the swimmers touched the wall and looked to the scoreboard, an American sweep was revealed. Mike Bruner set a world record for the gold medal, with Steve Gregg and Bill Forrester picking up silver and bronze.
Counsilman met with the team each night before finals, armed with two objects. An American flag reminded the swimmers they were racing for their country. A broom was used to motivate the team toward event sweeps.
“After the 200 fly, we all looked at each other and thought, ‘My God! He’s right. We can do it,’” Hall said of Counsilman’s belief. “It was one sweep after another.”
The confidence ran so high from the start that the United States swimmers were willing to wager with the Australians when they came looking for bets on the outcome of the 1500 freestyle. The Aussies were confident that Stephen Holland would win gold, but the U.S. saw no reason to doubt their momentum and backed Goodell and Bobby Hackett, who eventually stood on the top-two steps of the podium, Holland relegated to the bronze medal.
Simply, the Games proved to be a United States rout. Consider the team and individual achievements:
In addition to winning 12 of the 13 events on the schedule, the United States accounted for 11 world records. Eight individuals won solo gold medals, Naber (100 backstroke/200 backstroke) and Goodell (400 freestyle/1500 freestyle) emerging with a pair of solo crowns. Overall, 19 members of the team earned a place on the medals podium.
With the Games allowing three athletes per country through 1980, the United States swept the podium in four events – 200 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 100 butterfly and 200 butterfly. Additionally, the United States captured gold and silver in the 100 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 1500 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 400 individual medley.
Of the 35 medals the United States could have claimed, it tallied 27, or 77 percent.
In the 11 individual events contested, the United States failed to earn two medals in just the 100 breaststroke, which was won by Hencken ahead of Wilkie and the Soviet Union’s Arvydas Juozaitis.
In relay action, the 800 freestyle relay prevailed by more than four seconds while the 400 medley relay was triumphant by more than three seconds.
If not for a change in the schedule from the previous Olympiad, the United States could have been more impressive. In a shift from 1972, the International Olympic Committee cut the 200 individual medley and 400 freestyle relay from the program. While the 200 medley could have produced another American sweep, the 400 free relay would have been a foregone conclusion based on the United States’ power and depth among its sprint freestylers.
Photo Courtesy:
The 1976 Games also served as a stage for one of the most significant barrier-breaking swims in history. When Montgomery touched the wall to complete his victory in the 100 freestyle, the clock read 49.99, marking the first time a man had covered the event in under 50 seconds. Although South African Jonty Skinner, barred from the Games due to his country’s Apartheid practices, broke that record less than a month later, the fact that Montgomery ventured into unknown territory in Montreal fit perfectly with the virtuoso showing of Team USA.
Montgomery was largely unimpressed with his sub-50 effort, his gold medal the more meaningful achievement. Counsilman, though, told his pupil that the achievement would take on greater significance as time passed.
“He was exactly right,” Montgomery said.
While the United States men shined and enjoyed celebration after celebration, the same could not be said for the American women. Although stacked with an impressive roster of their own, the U.S. ladies ran into the drug-charged women of East Germany. Fueled by the systematic-doping program that was instituted at the government level and ran from the 1970s into the late 1980s, East German women were victorious in 11 of 13 events, posted gold-silver finishes in five events and swept the medals in the 200 butterfly.
The East German dominance left the United States with just seven medals, an unusual showing for a country accustomed to topping the medals standings. Shirley Babashoff, who won three silver medals behind East German titlists, didn’t mince words in Montreal, and accurately accused the East Germans of performance-enhancing drug use. Babashoff’s willingness to speak out, ahead of the revelation years later that a state-sponsored doping program was at work, earned her condemnation in the press, including the nickname “Surly Shirley.” The backdrop of the American men’s success made the situation that much more difficult to accept, along with the International Olympic Committee’s continued refusal to disqualify the East Germans known to have doped and present medals to the rightful winners.
“From our side of it, the whole issue has been shoved under the carpet,” Babashoff said. “I think it is sad. So many women deserved their medals. They were cheated out of their medals at the Olympics. We would like to get what we earned. We were going for the medals, not the cash. We were amateurs. We worked so hard. We earned it, and it was stolen right in front of everyone’s face, and no one did anything about it. It was like watching a robbery where they just let the crooks go and then say, ‘It’s okay.’”
Brian Goodell
The efforts of the 1976 squad were the last for Team USA in Olympic action until 1984, due to the United States’ boycott of the 1980 Games in Moscow over the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. That boycott denied a handful of members of the 1976 team from a second Olympic opportunity, most notably Goodell. As a 21-year-old in 1980, Goodell was in peak form and would have defended his gold medals in the 400 freestyle and 1500 freestyle against the Soviet Union’s Vladimir Salnikov. Instead, he watched bitterly as Salnikov won both crowns.
“I would have been in the prime of my career,” Goodell said.
The power of the 1976 United States men’s team also fueled a change in international competition. While nations were still allowed to enter three athletes per event at the 1980 Olympics, the entry limit was reduced to two beginning with the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. The decision hinged on preventing countries like the United States from dominating and sweeping podiums and giving other nations the chance for increased medal representation.
The possibility of a country matching or bettering the achievements of the 1976 United States men’s Olympic Team is minimal. Aside from the two-per-nation participation rule, worldwide depth is more prominent than it was nearly a half-century ago. Regardless of what unfolds in the sport’s future, this 1976 squad will be remembered for its legendary status.
“At the time, our results were not astounding,” Naber said. “They were what we were expecting. Each tipping point turned in our favor, and with each success, our momentum grew. Looking back on it now, I can see how significant it might seem, but at the time we just wanted to win.”
They did. Again, and again.
A Half-Century Later, Some of Swimming’s Leading Women Chasing Down Legend of Mark Spitz
by John Lohn – Editor-in-Chief
10 July 2026
A Half-Century Later, Some of Swimming’s Leading Women Chasing Down Legend of Mark Spitz
On September 4, 1972, Mark Spitz exited the pool for the final time at the Olympic Games in Munich. He had just handled the butterfly leg of the United States’ 400-meter medley relay, which prevailed behind a world-record performance. For Spitz, it was his seventh gold medal of the week, all arriving in world-record time. More than a half-century later, Spitz remains an iconic figure in swimming and Olympic lore.
That week in Germany, Spitz helped Team USA to three relay titles and captured individual golds in the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 200 butterfly. A four-time medalist at the 1968 Games in Mexico City, Spitz wrapped up his Olympic career with 11 medals. By 1977, he was an inductee of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and his achievements became a target for future generations, notably Michael Phelps.
The solo world records Spitz held at the conclusion of his career endured for varying lengths of time, but all had impressive shelf lives. While his 200 freestyle standard lasted for nearly two years, his mark in the 100 freestyle remained for 33 months. In the butterfly events, Spitz’s 100-meter best neared five years of longevity, while his record in the 200 distance held up for three-plus years.
Now, almost 54 years after Spitz established his final records, they are under attack – or have been taken down – by the best female athletes in the sport. That timeframe is the norm for women to catch up to men’s times, and it’s a beautiful thing to see several women match one of the all-time greats. Their times speak to the evolution of talent and movement forward that should be celebrated.
Here is a look at Mark Spitz’s final world records, and which female stars are hunting – or have hunted – them down.
100 Freestyle
Spitz’s World Record: 51.22Women’s World Record: Marrit Steenbergen – 51.68
Reflection: Nearly a half-second still separates Spitz’s last world record in the 100 freestyle and the women’s world record, which was recently established by Dutch star Marrit Steenbergen. Because Steenbergen has been on a tear, with four sub-52 performances this year, perhaps she is about to take a large chunk from the standard, as China’s Pan Zhanle did in the men’s event when he clocked 46.40 at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Or, maybe Steenbergen has fueled the likes of Mollie O’Callaghan and Anna Moesch to blast something uniquely special.
200 Freestyle
Spitz’s World Record: 1:52.78Women’s World Record: Ariarne Titmus – 1:52.23
Reflection: Of the four world records managed by Spitz in his final meet, the 200 freestyle is the only one which has been bettered by a woman. Ariarne Titmus clocked 1:52.23 at the 2024 Australian Olympic Trials in Brisbane, an effort that was a little more than a half-second faster than Spitz’s all-time best. Behind Titmus was Mollie O’Callaghan, who touched in 1:52.48 to also dip under the Spitz standard.
100 Butterfly
Spitz’s World Record: 54.27Women’s World Record: Gretchen Walsh – 54.33
Reflection: During his career, Spitz set seven world records in the 100 butterfly, the last behind a performance of 54.27. American superstar Gretchen Walsh is pressing that standard, with her world record from this year’s Fort Lauderdale Open sitting at 54.33. Walsh is the only woman to crack the 55-second barrier and owns the 16-fastest times in history, but she has expressed a desire to break the 54-second threshold, which could be attainable at the upcoming Pan Pacific Championships in Southern California.\
200 Butterfly
Spitz’s World Record: 2:00.70Women’s World Record: Summer McIntosh – 2:01.65
Reflection: On the opening day of the Canadian Trials for the Pan Pacific Championships, Summer McIntosh achieved her longtime goal of breaking the world record in the 200 butterfly. After 16 years on the books at 2:01.81, Liu Zige’s super-suit record was wiped out when McIntosh checked in at 2:01.65. That time has McIntosh within a second of Spitz’s best and with the Canadian expected to be at her best at the Pan Pacific Champs, it would not be surprising if McIntosh flashed her immense talent with a swim for the ages – something in the 2:00 vicinity.
Penny Taylor Honored with Prestigious Max Ritter Award
by John Lohn – Editor-in-Chief
08 July 2026
Penny Taylor Honored with Prestigious Max Ritter Award
Carol Jane “Penny” Pence Taylor has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Max Ritter Award, annually presented by United States Aquatic Sports (USAS) to an individual or nation that has contributed the most to the advancement of understanding and good will among nations through international participation in amateur aquatic sports. Taylor, who passed away last year, was honored during a ceremony on Wednesday night.
During her career, Taylor captured six national titles and established three American records in breaststroke events. She represented the United States at the 1948 Olympic Games in London and won a gold medal in the 300 medley relay at the 1951 Pan American Games, where she also earned the bronze medal in the 200 breaststroke.
The founder of the Parkway Swim Club in St. Louis, Taylor mentored thousands of athletes during a 35-plus-year coaching career, including legendary sprinter Tom Jager. Taylor worked with Jager for 12 years, helping him to five Olympic gold medals and multiple medals at the World Championships. In addition to coaching, Taylor continued to make her mark as a record-holder in United States Masters Swimming.
Taylor was the first woman to be elected President of the American Swimming Coaches Association and was later inducted into the ASCA Hall of Fame. She served as the Secretary of the USA Swimming Olympic International Operations Committee and was elected to the USA Swimming Board of Directors. She received the USA Swimming Award in 1999 and was honored as a USA Swimming Splashmaker.
Complementing her identity as an Olympic athlete, Taylor served served as the Manager of the 1984 and 1992 United States Olympic Teams and as the USAS Chef de Mission, leading USA athletes to 10 World Championships. She was a member of the United States Aquatic Sports Convention Committee.
Taylor received the Paragon Award for Competitive Swimming from the International Swimming Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame.
A List of Penny Taylor’s Vast Accomplishments:
USA Swimming National Champion
1951 Pan American Games – Gold and Bronze Medalist
USMS Member and National Record Holder
USA Swimming Award Recipient
American Swimming Coaches Association President
Chef de Mission of United States Aquatic Sports
United States Aquatic Sports Convention Committee member
Member of the USA Swimming Board of Directors
USA Swimming Splashmaker
USA Swimming Manager of United States Olympic Teams
Secretary of the USA Swimming Olympic International Operations Committee
Hall of Fame Recognition
International Swimming Hall of Fame Paragon Award – Competitive Swimming
American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame
Purdue Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame
About the Max Ritter Award
The R. Max Ritter Award was donated by the Ritter Family and is presented by United States Aquatic Sports to the organization or individual of a World Aquatics member country who has contributed the most to the advancement of understanding and good will among nations through international participation in amateur aquatic sports.
Richard Max Ritter (November 7, 1886 – May 24, 1974) was born in Magdeburg, Germany and competed for Germany in the 1908 and 1912 Summer Olympics. He was educated in London from 1906 to 1909 and in 1910 he immigrated to the United States. He was one of the eight founders of FINA on July 19, 1908 where the group set uniform international rules for swimming, diving, water polo and established world records for swimming.
Ritter was the only person to have served in each of the three officer positions within FINA. Ritter served as FINA Honorary Secretary and FINA Honorary Treasurer. In 1960, he was elected FINA President, the first American to serve in a FINA leadership position. At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, under Ritter’s leadership, FINA membership grew to more than 90 National Federations. He served as the treasurer of the US Olympic Committee and was active for more than 50 years in the Amateur Athletic Union. In 1965, he was inducted as an Honor Contributor in the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Past recipients of this award are listed below:
2026 Carol “Penny”Pence Taylor
2025 Dr. Cees van den Hoogenband
2025 Dr. David Gerrard
2024 Brent Rutemiller
2024 Dr. Donald Catlin
2023 Kiho Abe
2023 Virginia “Ginny” Jasontek
2021 Donald Leas
2021 Dennis Miller
2019 Dale Neuburger
2019 Peruvian Swimming Federation – FPDN
2018 Frank “Frankie” Flowers2017 Adolph Kiefer2016 June Krauser2015 Rose Cody
2015 Giovana Moreira2014 United States Anti-Doping Agency2013 Nick Thierry2012 William “Bill” Matson2011 Eldon Godfrey2010 Francisco Javier Lopez Chaves2009 Bartolo Consolo2007 Coaracy Nunes Filho2006 Tom Gompf2005 Orban Mendoza2003 Gerald T Olson2001 Hironoshin Furuhashi2000 Lynn Bates1999 Julio Maglione1998 Carol Zaleski1997 Allen B Richardson, MD1996 Klaus van de Pol1995 Bill Payne1992 Spanish Swim Federation1991 Ross Wales1990 Mustapha Larfaoui1989 William Lippman1988 Robert H. Helmick1987 Dr. John A Bogert1986 Javier Ostos Mora1985 David Jay Flood1984 Jan Armburst1983 Masaji Kiyokawa1982 Buck Dawson1981 Pat Besfort1980 Dr. James E. Counsilman1979 Deutscher Schwim-Verband1978 Douglas F Roby1977 Yugoslav Swim Federation1976 Dr. Harold W. Henning
Bob Bowman Sees Similiarities Between Summer McIntosh and Michael Phelps
by John Lohn – Editor-in-Chief
08 July 2026
Bob Bowman Sees Similiarities Between Summer McIntosh and Michael Phelps
As the man who guided Michael Phelps to never-before-seen Olympic glory and as the coach who guided Leon Marchand to four-time Olympic champion status, Bob Bowman obviously recognizes the characteristics required for greatness. So, when Bowman heaped compliments on Summer McIntosh earlier this week at the Bell Canadian Trials, his words carried significant weight.
On the opening day of the meet in Montreal, McIntosh broke the longstanding world record in the 200-meter butterfly, going 2:01.65. That performance wiped out the 16-year-old standard of China’s Liu Zige, who went 2:01.81 late in the 2009 campaign, and while wearing a now-banned super suit. The 19-year-old McIntosh followed with a victory in the 400 individual medley, but an illness that started to show signs on Monday forced McIntosh to withdraw from the meet on Tuesday. McIntosh was slated to race the 400 freestyle and 200 IM for her final two events.
Still, McIntosh shined during her races in Montreal, and Bowman knows she stands in elite company.
“It’s hard to start naming the best women swimmers of all-time and not say her, right? Even now,” Bowman said in an interview with the CBC.
Yes, McIntosh – as a teenager – is already a legend in the sport, and her best days figure to await. At one time, the world record in the 200 fly was deemed untouchable. McIntosh tracked it down. In the 400 IM, she knows no peer. The same can be said for the 200 IM and 400 freestyle, and Bowman sees commonalities between his Canadian charge and Phelps, who won 28 Olympic medals under Bowman’s mentorship.
“They’re very similar,” Bowman said. “Scarily similar in some ways…(McIntosh has) a lot of the same things that Michael had. She has a very clear way of preparing for races. She knows exactly what her routine is from the time she walks in until the time that she swims, and then afterward, there’s a whole thing that is locked in.”
On a daily basis, McIntosh trains with a pro group that features some of the best swimmers in the world, including Marchand, Regan Smith and Hubert Kos. More, with youth on her side, McIntosh has her best days ahead.
“I think she’s entering it, probably in the next four years,” Bowman said of her prime. “I think she can be stronger. There are a lot of things that we can add to help her be faster…just in terms of her physiological maturity kind of now and in the next few years.”
Sports Illustrated Names Top-5 Athletes in All States; Michael Phelps Leads Several Swimmers on Lists
by John Lohn – Editor-in-Chief
05 July 2026
Sports Illustrated Names Top-5 Athletes in All States; Michael Phelps Leads Several Swimmers on Lists
With the United States celebrating its 250th birthday on Saturday, Sports Illustrated unveiled a special project in which it identified the five-best athletes from each of the 50 states. In the end, 250 athletes were recognized, a number that matched the number of years America has been a country.
While stars from the major sports dominated the list, several swimmers were honored. Here’s a look at the swimmers who made the Sports Illustrated list.
Alaska
Lydia Jacoby was slotted in the No. 5 position, thanks to her gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke from the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Jacoby was the first Alaskan swimmer to qualify for the Olympic Games and claimed victory in Tokyo over South African Tatjana Schoenmaker and American Lilly King.
Colorado
A six-time Olympic medalist during her career, Amy Van Dyken was ranked third among Colorado athletes. At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Van Dyken collected a quartet of gold medals, highlighted by individual titles in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly. She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2007.
Hawaii
Of the five Hawaiian athletes recognized, two were swimmers – Duke Kahanamoku (No. 1) and Buster Crabbe (No. 4). Considered the Father of Modern Surfing, Kahanamoku was the Olympic champion in the 100 freestyle in 1912 and 1920. As for Crabbe, he was a two-time Olympic medalist, including gold in the 400 freestyle in 1932. He followed by enjoying a highly successful career as a Hollywood actor.
Kentucky
Rated No. 2 from Kentucky was Mary T. Meagher, who can only be described as ahead of her time in the butterfly events. Meagher broke multiple records in the 100 butterfly and 200 butterfly during her career, with her standards enduring for well over a decade. At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Meagher was a three-time gold medalist.
Maryland
Only legendary slugger Babe Ruth prevented a sweep of the top-two positions in Maryland by swimmers, as Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky checked in at second and third from their home state. Phelps, of course, is a 28-time Olympic medalist, with 23 of those medals golden in color. As for Ledecky, the four-time Olympic champ in the 800 freestyle continues to star on the road to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
New Hampshire
Between four Olympic appearances (1992-2004), Jenny Thompson piled up 12 Olympic medals, one of the highest totals in history. Thompson is the second-ranked athlete on the New Hampshire list and will be remembered for her prowess as a sprint freestyler and butterflyer, and as one of the most clutch relay performers in the sport’s history.
Oregon
Sitting atop the list of all-time great Oregon athletes is Don Schollander, whose freestyle talent spanned multiple distances and carried him to six Olympic medals between the 1964 and 1968 Games. At the 1964 Olympics, Schollander was the gold medalist in the 100 freestyle and 400 freestyle, and would have been heavily favored in the 200 freestyle if the event had been part of the Olympic program.
Rhode Island
Earning recognition from Rhode Island as its fifth-ranked top athlete in history is Elizabeth Beisel, who was a staple for Team USA in international competitions during the 2010s. At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Beisel claimed the silver medal in the 400 individual medley and added a bronze medal in the 200 backstroke. She was the gold medalist in the 400 IM at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai.
Tennessee
Perhaps the greatest all-around female swimmer in history, Tracy Caulkins captured the No. 4 slot for Tennessee. Caulkins excelled across all strokes and multiple distances during her career, which was punctuated with gold medals in the 200 individual medley and 400 IM at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. At various points in her career, Caulkins owned world records in the 200 butterfly, 200 IM and 400 IM.