Happy Birthday Elaine Tanner!!
Elaine Tanner (CAN)
Honor Swimmer (1980)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1968 silver (100m, 200m backstroke), bronze (freestyle relay); WORLD RECORDS: 5 (100m, 200m backstroke, 220yd butterfly; 440 yd freestyle relay); U.S. NATIONAL AAU Titles: 2 (1966: 100yd backstroke); COMMONWEALTH GAMES: 1966 gold (110yd, 220yd butterfly; 440yd individual medley; 440yd freestyle relay), silver (110yd, 220yd backstroke; medley relay); PAN AMERICAN GAMES: 1967 gold (100m, 200m backstroke), silver (100m butterfly, 400m freestyle; medley relays); U.S. OPEN RECORD: 1 (100yd backstroke); CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: 17.
“Mighty Mouse”, a tiny girl of heroic proportions, was no 98 lb. weakling. She dominated women’s swimming in Canada in virtually every stroke and distance in the middle 1960s, and with Ralph Hutton brought her country into the front rank of world swimming. Certainly she was the world’s most versatile woman swimmer of her era. Canadian press and public always expected her to win and she usually did in spite of the pressure of carrying her nation’s honor on her back. She came to the U.S. Nationals in 1966 and won over all in the 100 back and butterfly, the backstroke in world’s fastest time. In 1966 she dominated the British Commonwealth Games as no athlete ever had with seven gold or silver medals, won two gold and three silvers again in the 1967 Pan Am Games, and topped her career with two silvers and a bronze in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico. Her road show included trips to South Africa (three times), New Zealand, England, and Russia, and she always went head-to-head with the host country’s best. She was the first Canadian woman to medal in any Olympics. Elaine was elected the Outstanding Athlete of the Commonwealth Games and the Canadian Athlete of the Year. Her honors included 17 National titles in four years and 50 Senior and Age Group Canadian records.
Black History Month: Historic Swimming Firsts in Black History
by BRUCE WIGO
09 February 2022, 07:37pm
Black History Month: Historic Swimming Firsts in Black History
By Bruce Wigo
In recognition of Black History Month, Swimming World takes a look at some historic accomplishments in swimming turned in by athletes of African descent.
Who was the first swimmer of African descent to win the Navy Medal for heroism?
Charles Jackson French, 23, a “Negro mess attendant” from Foreman, Ark., was commended by Admiral William Halsey Jr. and awarded the Navy Medal in 1943 for swimming six to eight hours in shark-infested waters, towing a raft filled with 15 wounded (white) sailors to safety, after their ship was sunk by the Japanese off the Solomon Islands. The raft was drifting toward Japanese-occupied territory, and if it had washed ashore, the sailors would have either been taken as prisoners of war or killed. The raft was eventually rescued at sea by an American craft. “His conduct was in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval service,” said Halsey.
Who was the first swimmer of African descent to win a national collegiate championship?
Chicago State’s Fred Evans of Washington, D.C. won the 100-yard breaststroke at the 1975 NAIA National Swimming Championships.
Who was the first swimmer of African descent to win an Olympic medal?
Holland’s Enith Brigitha placed third at the 1976 Montreal Olympics in the 100-meter free (56.65) behind the German Democratic Republic’s Kornelia Ender (55.65 WR) and Petra Priemer (56.49). We now know that both East Germans were doped.
Who was the first swimmer of African descent to make a U.S. national team?
UCLA’s Chris Silva of Los Angeles was a member of the World University Games in Edmonton, Canada, in 1982. The charismatic Silva was elected team captain. He also was an employee of ISHOF in charge of one of the nation’s first aquatic diversity programs at the time of his tragic death in an auto accident in Fort Lauderdale in 1991.
Who was the first swimmer of African descent to win an Olympic gold medal and an NCAA Division I title?
Suriname’s Anthony Nesty beat the USA’s Matt Biondi in the 100-meter butterfly at the 1988 Seoul Olympics by 1-hundredth of a second. Two years later as a sophomore swimming for the University of Florida, Nesty won the 100 and 200 yard fly at NCAAs. The 16-time Gator All-American also won the 100 fly and 4×100 medley relay in 1991, then the 100 fly in 1992. Nesty is now the head coach for his alma mater.
Who was the first African American swimmer to set an American record?
Atlanta’s Sabir Muhammad of Stanford University set a short course meters American record in the 100 butterfly in 1997.
Who was the first swimmer of African descent to make a U.S. Olympic swimming team?
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Anthony Ervin of Cal and the Phoenix Swim Club made the U.S. Olympic team in 2000. He was also the first to medal, tying Gary Hall Jr. for the gold in the 50 free and earning a silver medal in the 4×100 freestyle relay at the Sydney Games.
Who was the first female swimmer of African descent to win an NCAA Division I title?
University of Georgia’s Maritza Correia of Tampa, Fla. won both the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle at the 2002 women’s NCAAs.
Who was the first female swimmer of African descent to set an American record and make a U.S. Olympic swimming team?
Again…Maritza Correia. At the 2002 NCAA Championships, Correia broke two American and NCAA records. In the 50, she bettered the record held by four-time Olympic gold medalist Amy Van Dyken, and in the 100, she broke the record held by Jenny Thompson, the most decorated American swimmer in Olympic history. In 2004, she became the first female swimmer of African descent to win an Olympic medal: silver in the 4×100 free relay.
Who was the first swimmer of African descent to hold a world record and win an Olympic gold medal?
That distinction goes to Cullen Jones of Newark, N.J., and North Carolina State. Jones was a member of the U.S. team that set a world record in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay in 2006…and in 2008, he was a member of the gold medal-winning 4×100 freestyle relay in Beijing.
Who is the first woman of African descent to win an individual Olympic gold medal?
Stanford’s Simone Manuel tied for the gold medal with Canada’s Penny Oleksiak in the 100-meter freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Her winning time also set an Olympic record and an American record.
Who is the only female swimmer of African descent to hold a current world record in swimming in an individual event?
Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson currently holds two short course meters world records in breaststroke: the 50 and 100 (28.56, 1:02.36).
Who was the first Africa-American swimmer to swim across the English Channel?
Charles Chapman of Buffalo, N.Y., was the first African American swimmer to cross the Channel in 1981. The first person to swim the Channel was English sailor, Mathew Webb, in 1875.
Who was the first female swimmer of African descent to score in an NCAA final?
In 1988, Boston University’s Sybil Smith finaled in the 100-yard backstroke. Sybil’s daughter, Sloane Stevens, is a famous tennis player.
Who was the first swimmer of African descent to score in an NCAA championship final?
Ohio State sophomore Nate Clark from Pittsburgh finished fifth in the 200-yard butterfly at the 1962 NCAA Championships.
Who was the only All-American swimmer to win the Olympic decathlon?
Milton Gray Campbell, an African American, was a high school All-America swimmer as a sophomore in 1951 for Plainfield High School in New Jersey. He dropped swimming to focus on track, and won the silver medal in the Olympic decathlon in 1952 and the gold medal in the same event at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.
Who was the first female swimmer of African descent to make a U.S. National Team?
San Diego’s Alison Terry qualified for the U.S. national team that competed in the 1999 Pan American Games.
Bruce Wigo, historian and senior consultant at the International Swimming Hall of Fame, served as president/CEO of ISHOF from 2005-17.
Happy Birthday Douglas Russell!!
Douglas Russell (USA)
Honor Swimmer (1985)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1968 gold (100m butterfly; relay); WORLD RECORDS: 4 (100m butterfly; 100m backstroke; 2 relays); PAN AMERICAN GAMES: 1967 gold (200m individual medley; 1 relay); AAU NATIONALS: 1969 (100m butterfly); NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1968 (100yd butterfly; 1 relay); AMERICAN RECORDS: 6 (100yd backstroke, 5 relays).
Doug Russell is the butterflier who won two Olympic gold medals Mark Spitz was supposed to win in Mexico–the 100m Butterfly and the Medley Relay at the1968 Games. In addition to his two Olympic gold medals, Russell, with his coach, Don Easterling, (then of Texas at Arlington, now at North Carolina State), made a habit of knocking off favorites in several different strokes.
Russell won a Pan American gold medal in the 200 I.M. and set an American Record in the National A.A.U.’s in the 100m Backstroke. In the World University Games in Tokyo, he set a World backstroke Record in the preliminaries only to lose in the finals to Hall of Famer Charlie Hickcox. As great as he was in the Backstroke and Individual Medley, he was at his best in the Butterfly.
If anyone was surprised by his Olympic performance, it wasn’t Russell. One of swimming’s all-time “head” swimmers, Russell often won because he wouldn’t believe he could be beaten.
Flashback Friday: Celebrating the Anniversaries of Several Iconic Olympic Swimming Moments
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
15 February 2024, 06:08am
Throwback Thursday: Celebrating the Anniversaries of Several Iconic Olympic Swimming Moments
Regardless of sport, trawls through history allow for the appreciation of great moments and legends who excelled in their field. So, with the next edition of the Olympic Games rapidly approaching in Paris, we’re going to look back and feature the highlights from some of the anniversaries that will be celebrated in 2024. Enjoy this trip through Games of the past.
Click here for a complimentary digital edition of Swimming World Magazine’s January issue.
1904 (120th Anniversary)
Site: St. Louis…Number of Events: 9
The first Olympiad held in the United States featured only men’s events, with American Charlie Daniels—the United States’ first star in the sport—leading the way with a five-medal haul. Daniels earned titles in the 220 yard freestyle, 440 freestyle and as a member of Team USA’s 200 freestyle relay. He added a silver medal in the 100 freestyle and a bronze medal in the 50 freestyle.
Hungary boasts a rich tradition in the pool, and it dates back to the days of Zoltan Halmay, who swept the 50 and 100 freestyles in St. Louis. Halmay made his Olympic debut four years earlier at the 1900 Olympics in Paris, where he won three medals. He also raced to a pair of medals at the 1908 Games in London.
1924 (100th Anniversary)
Site: Paris…Number of Events: 11
Century has passed since Paris served as host of the Olympic Games, and was the site of Johnny Weissmuller’s international emergence. At the 1924 Games, Weissmuller surged to gold medals in the 100 freestyle and 400 freestyle, and anchored the United States to victory in the 800 freestyle relay. Of course, Weissmuller would go on to excel at the 1928 Games, and eventually become a Hollywood star as Tarzan.
The United States dominated the women’s competition in 1924, claiming gold in four of the five female events. More, American women combined for 10 podium appearances, including gold-silver-bronze sweeps in the 100 freestyle and 400 freestyle.
1964 (60th Anniversary)
Site: Tokyo…Number of Events: 18
Australian ace Dawn Fraser made history during the Olympic Games’ first visit to Asia. After winning gold in the 100 freestyle at the 1956 Olympics and 1960 Games, Fraser became the first swimmer to three-peat when she prevailed in 1964. That feat was not matched until 1996, when Hungarian Krisztina Egerszegi won her third straight Olympic title in the 200 backstroke.
When the topic of greatest American swimmers of all-time is raised, Don Schollander’s name is always part of the conversation. At the Tokyo Games, Schollander secured his place in history by capturing four gold medals, including individual titles in the 100 freestyle and 400 freestyle. Schollander was denied a third solo title in the 200 freestyle only because the event, which was his strongest, was not part of the Olympic program.
Overshadowed by Fraser’s greatness was American Sharon Stouder, who finished as the silver medalist to the Aussie in the 100 freestyle. Stouder, though, earned three gold medals in her other events, highlighted by a world record in the 100 butterfly. She also helped the United States to triumphs in the 400 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay.
The gold medal in the men’s 400 individual medley went to American Dick Roth, but not without drama. Ahead of the prelims of the event, Roth was stricken by a bout of appendicitis and taken to a U.S. Army hospital. Prepped for surgery, the 17-year-old Roth begged his parents to let him swim and to delay the procedure to remove his appendix. Given the opportunity to race, and with the help of antibiotics, Roth fought through the pain and delivered a world-record performance of 4:45.4 to capture the gold medal.
1984 (40th Anniversary)
Site: Los Angeles…Number of Events: 29
The 1984 Games marked the second straight Olympiad in which a major boycott affected the participating nations. After the United States led a boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, as a protest to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, the Soviet Union led a retaliatory boycott of the 1984 Games by Eastern Bloc countries that also included East Germany, Hungary and Poland.
The final of the women’s 100 freestyle featured the first tie in Olympic swimming history, as Americans Nancy Hogshead and Carrie Steinseifer produced matching times of 55.92. The opportunity for a deadlock resulted from the final of the men’s 400 individual medley at the 1972 Games in Munich. There, Sweden’s Gunnar Larsson and the United States’ Tim McKee tied to the hundredth of a second, but Larsson was awarded the gold medal when the time was taken to the thousandth of a second. Following that incident, it was determined that ties would be allowed if athletes had matching marks to the hundredth of a second.
West Germany’s Michael Gross, nicknamed the Albatross, won three individual medals. Behind world-record performances, Gross stood atop the podium in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly. In the 200 fly, where Gross was the world record holder and heavy favorite, the West German captured the silver medal, as 17-year-old Australian Jon Sieben set a world record and delivered the upset of the competition.
Because the United States boycotted the 1980 Games, many top American athletes waited four years for their chance at Olympic glory. Among those enduring the heartache of four years earlier and capturing gold medals were Tracy Caulkins (200 individual medley/400 individual medley), Mary T. Meagher (100 butterfly/200 butterfly) and Rowdy Gaines (100 freestyle).
2004 (20th Anniversary)
Site: Athens…Number of Events: 32
After making his debut at the 2000 Games in Sydney as a 15-year-old, Michael Phelps walked away from Athens with the first eight medals of his Olympic career: six gold and two bronze. Phelps captured individual titles in the 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, 200 individual medley and 400 individual medley. In the years ahead, he added 20 more medals to his collection.
The men’s 200 freestyle was dubbed “The Race of the Century,” as it matched Aussie Ian Thorpe and the Netherlands’ Pieter van den Hoogenband with Phelps, who was an upstart in the event. Ultimately, Thorpe avenged his defeat to van den Hoogenband from Sydney, with Phelps grabbing the bronze medal.
One of the most underappreciated swimmers of this millennium, Ukraine’s Yana Klochkova doubled in the individual medley events for the second consecutive Games. After sweeping the 200 IM and 400 IM in Sydney, Klochkova repeated that feat by edging Americans Amanda Beard (200 IM) and Kaitlin Sandeno (400 IM). Beard, who made her Olympic debut as a 14-year-old in 1996, won gold in the 200 breaststroke.
Controversy erupted after the final of the men’s 100 breaststroke, which was won by Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima over his American rival, Brendan Hansen. Video of the race showed Kitajima using illegal dolphin kicks (banned at the time) off the start and turn en route to a narrow triumph over Hansen. After the race, the United States’ Aaron Peirsol voiced his opinion on the outcome, stating that “Kitajima cheated his way to gold.”
Happy Birthday Amy Van Dyken!!
Amy Van Dyken (USA)
Honor Swimmer (2007)
FOR THE RECORD: 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES; gold (50m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 4x100m medley, 4x100m freestyle), 4th (100m freestyle); 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4x100m medley, 4x100m freestyle); ONE WORLD RECORD: (50m butterfly-sc); 1994 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley), bronze (50m freestyle); 1998 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (50m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley); 1995 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: gold (100m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley), silver (100m freestyle); 1994 NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (50m freestyle).
Amy VanDyken set the world on fire when she qualified in five events for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and won an unpredicted four gold medals – 50 free, 100 fly and both relays, the most ever by an American woman at one Olympic Games and a feat achieved only two other times in women’s Olympic swimming history.
An asthmatic since childhood limiting her to about 65% of normal lung capacity, she was advised by her doctors to take up swimming. A slow starter, it took her a few years to finish one length of the pool. But after winning a race, she was hooked. As she matured, she became a Spartan, no-nonsense competitor who tried to psych out her opponents with pre-race claps, growls and stares. After her stellar Atlanta Olympic performance, she won three gold medals at the 1998 Perth World Championship and another two more Olympic gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Games as a member of the 4 x 100 meter freestyle and medley relays giving her a total of six career Olympic gold medals.
Amy competed in the 1995 Pan American and Pan Pacific Games winning four gold and three silver medals in freestyle and butterfly events. She was the NCAA Female Swimmer of the Year at Colorado State University in 1994 and then trained with US National Team coach, Jonty Skinner. At 6’0” and 145 pounds, Amy is one of the world’s great freestyle and butterfly sprinters who held the World Record in the 50m butterfly – short course. She was the 1996 U.S.O.C Female Athlete of the Year and the Associated Press Worldwide Female Athlete of the Year. She is seen on the Wheaties cereal box, Got Milk ad and TV and radio programming along with husband Tom Rouen, NFL punter who has won two Super Bowl rings with the Denver Broncos.
Happy Birthday Jonty Skinner!!
Jonty Skinner (RSA)
Honor Swimmer (1985)
FOR THE RECORD: WORLD RECORD: 1976 (100m freestyle); AAU NATIONALS (4): 1976, 1977, 1978 (100yd, 100m freestyle; 1 relay); NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1975 (100yd freestyle); U.S. OPEN RECORDS: 3 (100yd freestyle); SOUTH AFRICAN CHAMPION: 1973, 1974 (100m freestyle); Awarded South African “National Colours” in Swimming and Life Saving.
John Alexander Skinner, better known as Jonty, was born in South Africa, educated at Alabama and now coaches the San Jose Aquatic Club in California. He weighed 185 pounds, stood 6’5″ and was the fastest sprinter in the world, but it was 1976, and South Africa was non-grata in the Olympic Games. Jonty watched his friends go one, two, three in the Montreal Olympics on television.
Jonty’s big chance came on “The Day,” August 14, 1976 at Philadelphia’s John B. Kelly Pool. It was the U.S. Nationals, held as an anti-climax. It was hard to get oneself up for a race after the Olympics, as many Americans found four years later trying to beat the times they could have swum if not for the Moscow Olympic boycott. Jonty Skinner knew this was the only chance he’d have to prove he was the world’s best sprinter, even if no one was watching.
Skinner was strictly a hundred sprinter. In addition to his World Record, he won the U.S. Nationals three times, the N.C.A.A.’s once and set a U.S. Open Record and three American Records. He was voted Alabama’s most valuable swimmer three straight years and was both Alabama and South Africa Athlete of the Year.
Throwback Thursday: Mary T. Meagher and a Standard Decades Ahead of Its Time
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
06 February 20245, 12:34am
Throwback Thursday: Mary T. Meagher and a Standard Decades Ahead of Its Time
In this World Record Flashback, we examine the historic 1981 world record of Mary T. Meagher in the 200-meter butterfly. When Madame Butterfly clocked 2:05.96 at the United States National Championships, she produced a standard that was years – even decades – ahead of its time.
More than 40 years have passed since, in relative quiet, a 16-year-old Mary T. Meagher delivered one of the greatest performances in the sport’s history. To make that statement is not hyperbole, as is often the case when specific moments are considered against time. No, in this case – and the facts serve as proof – historical defiance is the only way to properly classify what Meagher produced in the 200-meter butterfly at the 1981 United States National Championships in Brown Deer, Wisconsin.
As Meagher climbed the blocks on August 13, the possibility of a world record certainly existed. After all, Meagher was the current record holder, having set four standards in the event between 1979 and 1980. Yet, when she surged through the water in 2:05.96, her competition battered, eyes could hardly fathom what the scoreboard offered. A sub-2:06 mark? Seriously? It wasn’t even 14 years earlier in which a man – some guy by the name of Mark Spitz – first breached the 2:06 barrier.
Three days later, Meagher broke the world record in the 100 butterfly, in the process becoming the first woman to go sub-59 AND sub-58 in the event, thanks to a swim of 57.93. Both standards endured for more than 18 years, but it is the record in the 200 butterfly which has best stood the test of time, its transcendence evident in the fact that it would have placed fourth at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. To reiterate, what Meagher managed in 1981 remains world class today.
“I was joyful, happy, all those words,” she once told Swimming World about her 200 butterfly record. “At that point, I was still taking my success for granted. I didn’t know I would never swim that fast again.”
On the road to that day in Wisconsin, Meagher experienced both joy and heartache in the sport. As a rising teenage phenom, she long seemed destined for greatness. She made her international breakthrough at the 1979 Pan American Games, where she won gold in the 200 butterfly and set her first world record, behind an effort of 2:09.77. The showing was supposed to be the precursor to the next summer’s Olympic Games in Moscow, where Meagher would be among the most-heralded athletes.
But instead of shining on the biggest stage, Meagher became a victim of politics, one of hundreds of American hopefuls robbed of their impending Olympic glory. In response to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, President Jimmy Carter announced the United States would boycott the Moscow Games. The decision left Meagher obviously stung, used as a political pawn.
At the Olympics, East Germany’s Caren Metschuck won gold in the 100 butterfly with a time that was a second slower than Meagher from a few months earlier. The gap was even more extraordinary in the 200 fly, as East German Ines Geissler won gold in Moscow in 2:10.44, more than four seconds slower than what Meagher clocked nine days later in Irvine, California. Had Meagher been in Moscow, gold would have been a certainty, her races primarily duels against the clock.
“I was feeling sorry for myself,” Meagher said of the boycott. “On the one hand, I feel so lucky, so blessed, that God chose me to have that surreal experience of winning and traveling the world. But the timing (of the boycott) wasn’t ideal. According to the times, I would have won in 1980.”
Photo Courtesy: Tony Duffy
The boycott had varying impacts on the athletes who were affected. Some retired. Others had reached their prime. A handful were mentally devastated and opted for retirement. For Meagher, she was young enough to forge ahead and turn in the best performances of her career, most notably that spectacular world record in the 200 butterfly.
More, Meagher was in position to eventually receive her Olympic opportunity. Although her finest days were in the past by the time the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles rolled around, Meagher impressively captured titles at a home Games in the 100 butterfly and 200 butterfly, along with gold as a member of the American 400 medley relay. She even stayed in the sport long enough to add a bronze medal in the 200 fly at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
“I guess I’ll always envision them as a kind of heaven, sort of a dream world,” Meagher said of the 1984 Games. “Only this dream world was real.”
It took until 2000 for Meagher’s world record to go down, at the hands of Australian Susie O’Neill and her time of 2:05.81 at the Aussie Olympic Trials. Really, it was appropriate that O’Neill broke the record, as she had the mark in her sights for several years and is considered one of the greats in the history of the 200 butterfly. She, too, was given the nickname of Madame Butterfly.
Given its 18-year status as the world record, Meagher’s 2:05 marker stands out on its own. Still, some additional perspective reveals just how remarkable the performance was. The record was posted without any of the technological supports of the current age. No tech suit. No goggles. A pool not in touch with present-day standards for speed. Meagher’s world-record time not only would have qualified for every Olympic final through the current day, it would have medaled at every Olympics through the 2008 Games.
Despite a lack of exposure to the aforementioned advantages of the modern athlete, Meagher’s career-best outing would have scared the podium at the most-recent Olympics. In Tokyo, China’s Zhang Yufei was the runaway champion, a time of 2:03.86 comfortably beating silver medalist Regan Smith (2:05.30) and bronze medalist Hali Flickinger (2:05.65). The fact that Meagher’s world record of 1981 would have been in contention for hardware is a testament to the swim’s ahead-of-its-time nature.
In the other 200-meter distances, the existing world records of Meagher’s era would have been well out of touch. The 200 breaststroke would have been a bottom-five time in preliminaries in Tokyo while the 200 backstroke standard would not have advanced out of heats. Meanwhile, the 200 freestyle would have been 16th in prelims, narrowly advancing to the semifinals.
When digesting what Meagher accomplished, an initial reaction is awe. Nonetheless, Meagher once suggested she could have been faster.
“I always felt I could do a 2:04,” she once said. “When I did 2:05, I wasn’t pushed at all, and the last 25 meters felt real easy. At the finish, I thought, ‘I’m not tired, I could’ve kept on going.’”
Her legacy has.
Happy Birthday Norbert Rosza!!
Norbert Rosza (HUN)
Honor Swimmer (2005)
FOR THE RECORD: 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (100m, 200m breaststroke); 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (200m breaststroke); 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: semifinals (200m breaststroke); THREE WORLD RECORDS: 100m breaststroke; 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m breaststroke); silver (200m breaststroke); 1994 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m, 200m breaststroke), bronze 4x100m medley), 1998 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: bronze (200m breaststroke, 4x100m medley); 1991 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m breaststroke), silver (200m breaststroke).
In a country noted for its male individual medley and breaststroke swimmers, Norbert Rozsa was a standout. He won gold medals in each of European Championships, World Championships and Olympic Games.
Norbert was born on September 2, 1972, in Dombovar, Hungary, only a month after John Hencken (USA) won the 200m breaststroke at the Munich Olympics. Little did Rozsa know that in 1996, twenty-four years later, he would be swimming in the same Olympic event in Atlanta and winning the gold medal.
Rozsa started swimming at age eight with Coach Andrea Kecskes and continued with her for six years until, at age fifteen in 1997, began swimming with Hungary’s great individual medley and breaststroke coach, Tamas Szechy. Hall of Famer Tamas Darnyi had been having great success with Szechy when in 1986 he won both the 200m I.M. and 400m I.M. at the Madrid World Championships. Darnyi had also won the same two events at the 1985 and 1987 European Championships. Rozsa wanted to win on the international level, too. He stayed with Coach Szechy for the remainder of his swimming career even though he spent a year (1998-1999) with breaststroke Coach Jozsef Nagy, the Hungarian breaststroke coach living in the United States.
With three years of training, Rozsa entered his first major international competition at the 1991 World Championships in Perth, Australia. Astoundingly, he won the gold medal in the 100m breaststroke beating the current world record holder Adrian Moorehouse (GBR). He tied Moorehouse’s world record in the preliminary heats (1:01.49) and claimed the record again in the finals with a time of 1:01.45.
At the European Championships in Athens later that year, Norbert again beat Adrian Moorehouse in the 100 meter breaststroke to win the gold medal in a close race. In the 200m breaststroke, he lost by only .03 seconds to the former World Record holder Nick Gillingham of Great Britain. With this as a continued confidence builder, Norbert went to Barcelona the next year to compete in the 1992 Olympics winning the silver medal in the 100m and 200m breaststroke events. In the 200m race, Mike Barrowman won the event in world record time, but in winning the silver medal Rozsa had now beat Gillingham, the bronze medalist by .06 seconds. In the 100 meter race, Norbert was only .18 seconds behind gold medalist Nelson Diebel of the USA.
Only 20 years old at the Barcelona Olympics, Norbert decided that he would continue training for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in hopes to win an Olympic gold medal. He elected not to swim in the 1993 European Championships of Sheffield but in 1994 at the Rome World Championship, he swept the breaststroke events, winning gold medals in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke, just edging out teammate Karoly Guttler in the 100m breaststroke and Eric Wunderlich (USA) in the 200m breaststroke. As a member of the 4×100 medley, his country took the bronze medal behind the United States and Soviet Union.
The Rome World Championships set the stage for the Atlanta Olympics. In the Olympic 200m breaststroke race, Mike Barrowman’s world record set in Barcelona was to stand (for a total of ten years), but Norbert was to take the gold medal in a come-from-behind win to beat his teammate Karoly Guttler, silver and Andrei Korneev (RUS) , bronze. Norbert continued training after the Olympic Games and competed in the 1998 World Championships of Perth, winning the bronze medal in the 200m breaststroke behind Kurt Grote (USA) gold and Jean Sarnin (FRA) silver, all within .19 seconds of each other. In the 4x100m medley he aided teammates Attila Czene, Peter Horvath, and Attila Zubor in capturing the bronze medal.
Rozsa competed in the 200m breaststroke at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, but swam only a 2:14.67 in the semifinal; over two seconds slower than his gold medal winning time four years earlier.
All totaled, Norbert had won a gold and two silver Olympic medals, two gold and three bronze World Championship medals, as well as a gold and silver European Championship medal. His three World Records in the 100m breaststroke stood for over two years and solidifies his place as one of the worlds best breaststroke swimmers.
Following retirement from swimming, Norbert enrolled as a student in the University of Physical Education in Budapest. His new sports are now fishing and racing sports cars.
Happy Birthday Bridgette Gusterson!!
Bridgette Gusterson (AUS)
Honor Water Polo (2017)
FOR THE RECORD: 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold; 1998 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: bronze; 1994 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, 6th. 1993 FINA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP: 4th; 1995 FINA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP: gold; 1997 FINA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP: bronze; 1999 FINA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP: silver. 1996 OLYMPIC YEAR TOURNAMENT: silver.
Growing up in Perth, Western Australia this young lady had a clear and precise goal: She wanted to be an Olympian. The only problem was, she didn’t have a sport. Her first choice was gymnastics but she knew she was going to be too tall. The Bicton pool was just two minutes from her home and her older sister, Danielle, played water polo, so the choice became clear. Even though women’s water polo was not yet on the Olympic program, there were hopes it would be added to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. So she began a career that set the standard for female water polo players around the world.
As she grew to 5 feet 11 inches tall, Bridgette Gusterson’s size lent itself to the demanding center forward position. Her physical attributes were matched by her fierce determination to master all technical aspects of the game. As a feared center forward, accurate passer and outside shooter, Bridgette was regarded as the best all-rounder in the world in the latter parts of the 1990s. She made her first Australian National Team appearance in 1992 and subsequently represented her country in 212 international matches, scoring more than 400 goals. In 1995, she scored a hat-trick in leading Australia to the World Cup gold medal over the Netherlands and she was the first Australian woman to receive a professional contract to play in Europe, representing the Italian club, Orrizonte from 1995 to 1997.
It had always been her dream, from when she first started playing, that one day women’s water polo would be an Olympic sport. As she grew older the dream became more defined. She would be captain of the team that won the gold medal in the first women’s Olympic tournament.
Amazingly, her dream came true. It started when she assumed captaincy of the Australian team in 1998. A short time later the Sydney Olympic Organizing Committee announced women’s water polo would be added for the first time to the Olympic program in 2000. In the semi-final game against Russia, she scored the winning goal with a clever flick shot over the goal keeper’s shoulder. The final against the United States was even more dramatic as she made the assist that led to the winning goal to break a tie and clinch the gold medal with just 1.3 seconds on the clock. When the final tallies were made, she had led her team in scoring and to add icing to the top of dream cake, she shared the Olympic triumph with her sister and teammate, Danielle.
Bridgette retired after the 2000 Olympic Games, but continues to be involved in the sport as a coach. She resides in Perth with her husband Gary Ireland (former World Champion swimmer/ surf lifesaver) and their son Kalani.
Happy Birthday Mark Tewksbury!!
Mark Tewksbury (CAN)
Honor Swimmer (2000)
FOR THE RECORD: 1988 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (4x100m medley relay), 5th(100m backstroke); 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (100m backstroke), bronze (4x100m medley relay); SEVEN WORLD RECORDS: 1 (200m backstroke (SC)), 6 (100m backstroke ñ (SC) (1)); 1986 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 4th (100m backstroke); 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (100m backstroke); 1986 COMMONWEALTH GAMES: gold (100m backstroke, 4x100m medley relay); 1990 COMMONWEALTH GAMES: gold (100m backstroke, 4x100m medley relay); 1985 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: 8th (100m backstroke); 1987 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m backstroke), silver (200m backstroke, 4x100m medley relay); 1989 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m backstroke), silver (4x100m medley relay); 1991 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (100m backstroke, 4x100m medley relay); 21 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 11 (individual), 10 (relays); ONE U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: 100yd backstroke; SWIMMING CANADA’S MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: four times.
It all began for him at the age of 5 when the family moved from Calgary, Alberta to Dallas, Texas. The relentless 100-degree Texas heat forced mom, dad and kids to spend time in the cool water. Upon returning to Calgary two years later, this youngster who had become a competitive swimmer soon joined the Cascade Swim Club and launched a rare and successful swimming career. Mark Tewksbury was on his way to Olympic stardom and world record history.
Following a few difficult years of age group swimming, Mark moved to the University of Calgary Swim Club where, under the guidance of Hall of Fame coach Deryk Snelling, he spent 12 years perfecting technique, improving conditioning and establishing his place in international swimming. By age 17 in 1985, he made his first international team, the Tokyo Pan Pacific Games and his 100m backstroke world ranking went from 54th place to 4th place. At the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, he won gold medals in both the 100m backstroke and 4x100m-medley relay and in the year before the 1988 Olympics, he was ranked 2nd in the world behind Igor Polianski of Russia. But at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, he finished a disappointing fifth place behind Suzuki of Japan, Berkoff of the USA and others who unlike him, were using the new underwater kick. Canada’s medley relay team did take a silver medal with Mark swimming the lead-off backstroke leg.
Disappointed but not disoriented, Tewksbury returned home talking to school children about the merits of amateur sports and talking himself into competing another four years. In 1990, he won another two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and set the first of seven short course world records in the backstroke. After suffering a defeat by USA’s Jeff Rouse at the 1991 World Championships in the 100m backstroke by six hundredths of a second, Mark teamed up with Canada’s synchronized swimming coach Debbie Muir and developed his underwater dolphin kick that greatly improved his starts and turns. The next year at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Mark won the 100m backstroke with a come-from-behind victory in a new Olympic record time. His medley relay team won the bronze medal. Throughout his career Tewksbury won 21 Canadian National Championship titles with one additional U.S. National Championship. He was picked as Canadian Swimmer of the Year four times (1987, 1991, 1992, 1993). In 1989-1990, he was first in the backstroke World Cup standings with 66 points, second in 1988-1989.
Tewksbury’s wins were life-changing, putting him on the cover of Time Magazine and awarding him Canadian Athlete of the Year, the Meritorious Service Medal and a place in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. After his 1993 retirement, Mark remained active in the international world of sport. As a member of the Canadian Olympic Association, Honorary Secretary of FINA’s Athletes’ Commission, executive Board Member of the Toronto 2008 Olympic bid, and athlete’s representative on the IOC’s 2004 Site Evaluation Commission, he was devoted to making the voice of athletes heard and promoting the true spirit of sport. He stunned the world in 1999, by stepping down from all his posts within the Olympic movement due to a loss of faith in leadership, as derived from the IOC’s bribery scandal. He went on to co-found OATH (Olympic Advocates Together Honorably), the first independent, international, athlete-lead organization in the world dedicated to restoring the Olympic spirit and creating constructive solutions to the problems facing international sport. Mark is currently working as the chair of OATH.
Heart has always been the art of Mark Tewksbury that has made him a charismatic Olympian and compassionate humanitarian. As a motivational speaker, Mark continues to mesmerize groups of all ages with his honesty, sincerity, genuineness, humor and story telling. He has made frequent appearances on Canada’s AM, CNN, ABC’s “Good Morning America” and “Nightline” as well as at various special events. In 1993, he launched the Mark Tewksbury Junior Swim Bursury to provide program and financial assistance to young swimmers across Canada. He has been a spokesperson for Children’s Miracle Network, AIDS Walk Canada and Special Olympics where he served on the National Advisory Board.
Mark attended the University of Calgary (1986-1989) and graduated from the University of New South Wales (1995) in Sydney, Australia with a degree in Political Science.