Happy Birthday Jenny Thompson!!
Jenny Thompson (USA)
Honor Swimmer (2009)
FOR THE RECORD: 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley), silver (100m freestyle); 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley, 4x200m freestyle); 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley, 4x200m freestyle), bronze (100m freestyle); 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley); SIX WORLD RECORDS: 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, two – 4x100m freestyle, two – 4x100m medley; NINE WORLD RECORDS (25m): three – 50m butterfly, four –100m butterfly ,two–100m individual medley; 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (4x100m freestyle); 1994 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley); 1998 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley), silver (4x200m freestyle); 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle), silver (50m butterfly, 4x100m medley), bronze (100m freestyle); 1997 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
(25m):gold(100m freestyle, 100m buttefly, 50m butterfly, 100m butterfly, 4x100m medley, silver (50m freestyle); 2000 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (25m):gold(50m butterfly, 100m butterfly),silver(100m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle),bronze(4x100m medley); 2004 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (25m): gold (50m butterfly), silver (4x100m medley), bronze (100m butterfly); 1987 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: gold (50m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle), bronze (100m freestyle); 1999 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle); 19 NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: individual and relay titles.
When Jenny Thompson finished her swimming career following the 2004 Olympic Games, she was the most decorated U.S. Olympian with twelve medals, eight of them gold. From 1992 to 2004, she competed on four Olympic
Jenny Thompson Teams winning gold medals all as a member of relay teams, but in the process she set 15 world records mostly in individual events.
In 1999, she broke one of swimming’s most revered records, Mary T. Meagher’s 18 year old world record in the 100m butterfly. All totaled, she set 15 World Records – six long course in the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly with four world records on relays and nine short course, all individual freestyle, butterfly and individual medley events.
Jenny swam for Mike Parratto (Seacoast Swimming Association, Dover, NH) from 1985-1991. She then swam for Richard Quick at Stanford University where she accrued 19 individual and relay NCAA National titles. When not at the University, she swam for John Collins at the Badger Swim Club. She competed in her last Olympic Games at the age of 31 in 2004 Athens where she won silver medals in the 4 x 100m freestyle and medley relays.
Thompson was the 1998 World Swimmer of the Year.
Remembering Skip Kenney on his Birthday
Skip Kenney (USA)
Honor Coach (2004)
FOR THE RECORD: 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: Head Coach Men’s Team; 1988 OLYMPIC GAMES: Assistant Coach Men’s and Women’s Team; 1984 OLYMPIC GAMES: Assistant Coach Men’s and Women’s Team; 1994 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: Assistant Coach Women’s Team; 1993 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: Head Coach; 1987 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: Head Coach; Coach of Stanford University (1979-present) winning a total of 7 NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS; Coach of 18 OLYMPIC SWIMMERS winning 16 OLYMPIC medals.
Skip Kenney was never a competitive swimmer, but he surely knew how to coach them. He developed all of local, state, national, collegiate and Olympic champions not only as individual champions, but also team champions.
Born February 24, 1943, he grew up in Fresno, California attending Fresno High School, playing baseball and doing a little diving. Upon graduation, he joined the U.S. Marines, went through boot camp and served in Viet Nam in the mid-1960s.
Kenney’s first swim coaching position was as Don Gambril’s assistant from 1968-1971 at Phillips 66 Long Beach. He also coached at Long Beach State during that time. When Gambril moved to Harvard University so did Skip, and he stayed there for one season before taking his first head coaching position at the Houston Dad’s Club in Texas. After a few years, Skip moved to Charlie Keating’s Cincinnati Marlins where he coached Renee Magee and Charles Keating, Jr. to the 1976 Montreal Olympics and Glenn Mills, Bill Barret and Kim Carlisle to the 1980 Olympic Team that was never able to compete due to the boycott.
In 1979, Kenney became the head coach of the Stanford University Men’s Swimming Team, a position he has held now for a quarter of a century. In collegiate swimming, he has won seven NCAA National Team titles and a record 23 PAC-10 Conference titles. He is a 15-time PAC-10 Coach of the Year, coached 93 All Americans to 785 All-America honors and developed over 63 NCAA champions. In his first 24 years at Stanford, Kenney has recorded a 177-35 overall record, including an 88-5 record (.946) over the past 11 years.
In the international arena, Coach Kenney was head coach of the U.S. Men’s Team at the 1996 Olympic Games after serving as the assistant coach of both the men’s and women’s teams at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and 1988 Seoul Olympics. He was the assistant coach of the women’s team at the 1994 World Championships and head coach at both the 1993 Pan Pacific Championships and 1987 Pan American Games. Skip will be the men’s coach for the U.S. Team at the 2004 Short Course World Championships in Indianapolis.
Kenney has coached 18 swimmers to Olympic competition winning ten gold, three silver and three bronze medals. His swimmers in World Championship competition have won five gold, three silver and two bronze medals. Some of his swimmers include Dave Bottom (American record holder); Ray Cary (1996 U.S. Olympian); Wade Flemons (1980 Canadian Olympian); Kurt Grote (1996 Olympic gold medalist); Joe Hudopohl (1992 and 1996 Olympic gold medalist); Jeff Kostoff (1984 and 1988 U.S. Olympian); John Moffet (1980 and 1984 U.S. Olympian and world record holder); Pablo Morales (three-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time world record holder); Jay Mortensen (1988 Olympian); Anthony Mosse (1988 Olympic bronze medalist); Sean Murphy (1988 Canadian Olympian); Eddie Parenti (1992 and 1996 Canadian Olympian); J. Plummer (1988 Australian Olympian); Brian Retterer (American record holder); Jeff Rouse (1992 and 1996 Olympic gold medalist and world record holder); John Simons (1980 U.S. Olympian); Derek Weatherford (American record holder); and Tom Wilkens (2000 U.S. Olympic bronze medalist).
Skip’s international coaching achievements are held in high esteem by his peers and he is respected for his ability to teach as well as coach. His strong sense of character is revered by his swimmers.
Skip is also a great clinician whose purpose is to promote swimming better at all ages.
IMSHOF Selects 13 Honorees for the Class of 2024
by DAN D’ADDONA — SWIMMING WORLD MANAGING EDITOR
23 February 2024, 09:35am
The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (IMSHOF) is different from most sports halls – Honorees do not have to be retired to be inducted. The sport is often a lifetime activity – 50 years in some cases. One example, Honoree Michael P. Read, MBE – Class of 1978 swam the English Channel 33 times between 1969 and 2004 and other marathons until 2018. All 13 of the IMSHOF Honorees – Class of 2024 now become part of the IMSHOF family. They will already have met with; competed against; helped or been helped by other Honorees. One of the largest Honoree gatherings took place at the Induction and Awards Ceremony in London (see photo): 30 individual Honorees and representatives of 6 Honoree organizations.
This leads to incredible accomplishments in the sport by individuals after they become Honorees:
Elite Racers
From left: Chelsea Gubecka, Sharon van Rouwendaal, Ana Marcela Cunha: Photo courtesy: Andrea Masini / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
Tokyo Olympics: Gold Medal – Honoree Ana Marcela Cunha – Class of 2019 and Silver Medal – Honoree Sharon van Rouwendaal – Class of 2022. This doesn’t count other Honoree swimmers plus coaches (including Honoree Catherine Vogt Kase – Class of 2024) and administrators (including Honoree Sam Greetham – Class of 2024). helping.
Honoree Leonie Beck – Class of 2024 won 2 majors in 2023: World Aquatics 10 km World Championship and World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup.
Going back 90 years or so, Class of 2024 Honoree Pauline Jackson would have been at the Canadian National Exhibition races at the same time as Honorees: Gertrude Ederle, Ernst Vierkoetter, George Young, Georges Michel, and William “Bill” Goll. She was also a member of the International Professional Swimmers’ Association which met in New York City – where she lived. It is likely that she met other Honoree members: Norman Ross, William “Bill” Sadlo Jr., Eva Morrison, Charlotte “Lottie” Schoemmell, Henry Sullivan, and William Wrigley Jr.
Solo Swimmers
The Oceans Seven is perhaps the ultimate bucket list achieved by only 27 swimmers. Six IMSHO Honorees reaching this level after their Induction:
Nora Toledano Cadena – Class of 2006
Elizabeth Fry – Class of 2014
Antonio Argüelles Díaz-González – Class of 2015
Attila Mányoki – Class of 2016
Rohan Dattatrey More – Class of 2018
Cameron Bellamy – Class of 2020
Honoree Lynton Mortensen – Class of 2024, had already accomplish the goal prior to IMSHOF selection.
Contributor – Coach
Probably the connected is Honoree Dan Simonelli – Class of 2024. He has already met with, competed against, helped or been helped by 75 other Honorees and all the current members of the IMSHOF Executive Committee. 42 during previous IMSHOF Induction & Awards Ceremonies in California (2015 and 2016) Naples Italy 2022 and New York City 2023. 33 others during Catalina swims/annual lunches, coaching clinics, the beach in Dover England – gathering point for English Channel swimmers and aspirants, etc. Dan will increase his “total” in Cancun México in May at his Induction and Awards Ceremony.
— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with IMSHOF. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.
Throwback Thursday: When Ian Crocker Dazzled in 100 Butterfly in Montreal
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
22 February 2024, 03:01am
Throwback Thursday: When Ian Crocker Dazzled in 100 Butterfly in Montreal
In this Throwback Thursday, we celebrate the day in which Ian Crocker clocked 50.40 in the 100 meter butterfly. Racing at the 2005 World Championships in Montreal, the 22-year-old delivered a swim that belied reality and, over time, proved itself to be a decade ahead of its time.
Ian Crocker never sought the spotlight. It wasn’t his style. He’d much rather strum his guitar or restore a car. Under the radar was the preference of the Maine native. But when you possess major talent and duel with the biggest name in the sport, as was the case with Crocker, it’s not easy to escape the bright lights.
What can be controlled, however, is the way one operates, and Crocker was a master of the businesslike approach. Set goals. Work hard. Chase excellence. In a Hall of Fame career that saw him compete at three Olympic Games, Crocker frequently found success, and proved that his way worked. And on a summer evening in 2005 at the World Championships in Montreal, Crocker put together one of the greatest efforts the sport has seen: an unthinkable 50.40 in the 100 meter butterfly!
GETTING STARTED
How Crocker arrived at that moment of athletic glory requires a recap of the prior years, and how he progressed from a rising talent into a world-class performer. After qualifying for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, which were held as his freshman year at the University of Texas was starting, Crocker showed his prowess Down Under. In addition to helping the United States to a gold medal in the 400 medley relay, Crocker just missed the podium in the 100 butterfly via a fourth-place finish and American record of 52.44.
His ascension was rapid from that point forward, as he followed a silver medal in the 100 fly at the 2001 World Championships with a title in the event at the 2002 Pan Pacific Championships. But it was at the 2003 World Champs in Barcelona where Crocker significantly enhanced his status and opened the door to what was possible in the 100 butterfly.
During the semifinals in Barcelona, Ukraine’s Andrii Serdinov (51.76) and American star Michael Phelps (51.47) exchanged world records and headed into the final expected to duel for the gold medal. Crocker, meanwhile, entered the final off a 52.31 clocking with a bronze-medal haul his likely best-case scenario.
Yet, when the championship race ended, it was Crocker who stood on the top step of the podium. Surging off the blocks, Crocker split 23.99 for the opening lap to take an advantage over Serdinov by 40-hundredths along with a 62-hundredth margin over Phelps.
While Phelps cut into Crocker’s lead over the closing 50 meters, there wasn’t enough room to completely erase the deficit. Both men went under the world record, Phelps at 51.10 and Crocker going 50.98 to not only crack the 52-second barrier for the first time, but to take the event into sub-51 territory.
“I mean, my goal going in was to go as fast as I could and see where that would take me,” Crocker said of his first world record. “I had faith it would take me far. I just didn’t know how far. My goal for two years now has been to go 51, and I guess I still haven’t made that goal.”
THE BEGINNINGS OF A RIVALRY
Although they had raced each other previously, the events of Barcelona officially launched the Phelps-Crocker rivalry, which saw several additional chapters written in the years ahead. At the 2004 United States Olympic Trials in Long Beach, Crocker lowered his world record to 50.76, with Phelps following in 51.15. A showdown at the Olympics in Athens loomed, and it was in the birthplace of the Olympics where Phelps caught Crocker in the final strokes to win by 4-hundredths of a second, 51.25 to 51.29.
The victory was one of six gold medals for Phelps, who won eight medals overall, and it gave him the right to handle the butterfly leg on Team USA’s 400 medley relay. Having already raced that leg in prelims, Phelps stepped aside and gave Crocker the duty. It was the ultimate in sportsmanlike gestures, and Crocker acknowledged the move as such. He then did his part on the relay, helping the United States prevail.
CROCKER’S MOMENT
For Phelps, the 2005 World Champs offered an opportunity to experiment with a different schedule than he attacked in Athens. He replaced the 400 individual medley and 200 butterfly with the 400 freestyle and 100 freestyle, events that did not yield medals. But the 100 butterfly remained on Phelps’ schedule, which meant another clash with Crocker.
For Crocker, Montreal served as a chance at redemption. No, a title there would not equal an Olympic gold. Still, it was an opportunity to regain his status as The Man in the 100 butterfly. That was a title that now belonged to Phelps, based on his Olympic crown.
In the preliminaries and semifinals, Crocker left little doubt he was in peak form. He followed a 51.19 marker in the heats with a 51.08 outing in the semifinals. They were times only Crocker and Phelps had ever managed. But Phelps wasn’t in the same shape as Athens, and Crocker made the final into a personal showcase.
Leaving no question from the start, Crocker blasted a split of 23.51 for the opening 50 meters and came home in 26.89. The merged splits produced a world record of 50.40 and had the crowd at Parc Jean-Drapeau in a frenzy. As Crocker approached the wall, there was a moment in which a sub-50 possibility crossed the mind. In the end, Crocker took 36-hundredths off his previous global standard. Phelps was the runner-up in 51.65.
In the years ahead, the rivalry undoubtedly swung back in favor of Phelps. At the 2007 World Championships, where Phelps won seven gold medals, he replicated their Olympic duel by tracking down Crocker in the final meters to win by 5-hundredths. At the next year’s Olympic Games, Phelps used an epic finish to edge Serbia’s Milorad Cavic by 1-hundredth, with Crocker placing fourth.
STILL COMPETITIVE TODAY
The time Crocker brought to the scoreboard on July 30, 2005, was considered Beamonesque, such was his gap over the opposition and how he lowered the previous record by a sizable chunk. Although his record was broken in 2009, amid the super-suit craze that temporarily changed the dynamic of the sport, it wasn’t until Singapore’s Joseph Schooling went 50.39 for gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro that the record was bettered by an athlete in textile.
Today, Crocker’s brilliance remains competitive. Seventeen years after it was produced, Crocker’s 50.40 would have won silver at the 2022 World Championships, just 26-hundredths outside of gold.
“I always assume that whenever I race against Michael, it’s going to take something amazing like a world record to win,” Crocker said in Montreal. “It’s definitely faster than I thought I could go, but you can’t put limits on yourself.”
That mentality certainly paid off.
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.