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.
Friend of ISHOF and Former SMU Men’s Swimming Head Coach Eddie Sinnott passed away on Tuesday, February 20
by DAN D’ADDONA — SWIMMING WORLD MANAGING EDITOR
Former SMU Men’s Swimming Head Coach Eddie Sinnott passed away on Tuesday, February 20.
He was 70.
Sinnott ’76 led his alma mater from 1989-2019. After swimming at SMU from 1972-76 and earning All-America honors in 1973 and 1974, the 16-time conference Coach of the Year led the Mustangs to 16 league crowns, and under Sinnott, SMU recorded 11 NCAA top-15 finishes, 80 individual All-America honors and 59 relay honors and 288 conference championships.
“Coach Sinnott won tremendous accolades over the life of his career and was a huge influence on his swimmers,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “We’re proud that he began his journey as a student swimmer at SMU, and will long remember his support for the men and women he coached and mentored.”
In 2019, Sinnott was selected by his peers for the 2019 National Collegiate Scholastic Trophy. The trophy is presented annually by both the CSCAA and the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (NISCA) to the coach who, in the estimation of the recipient’s peers, has made the greatest contribution to swimming as a competitive sport, and as a healthful, recreational activity in the province of undergraduate and scholastic education.
“It’s hard to put into words the impact Eddie Sinnott had on SMU,” said Director of Athletics Rick Hart. “This was a man who spent more than 30 years on the Hilltop, from his time as a student-athlete through his decades-long coaching career. Coach led the SMU team and its individual swimmers to incredible heights collegiately, domestically and on the international stage, but more than that, he shaped the lives of hundreds of men and women here at SMU and throughout the swimming community.
“He will be missed by so many. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and daughters and the many who loved Eddie.”
An accomplished coach on the international level, Sinnott coached 11 student-athletes since 1992 who competed in seven different Olympic Games. In 1996, Mustang great Ryan Berube won a gold medal as a team member of the U.S.A. 4×200 free relay team. In the summer of 2000, Lars Frolander became the fourth Mustang to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games, taking first in the 100 butterfly in Sydney, Australia. Under Sinnott, both Berube and Frolander were named NCAA Swimmer of the Year within two years of each other (Berube-1996, Frolander-1998).
“Eddie’s loss will not just be felt here in the SMU community, but throughout the USA swimming community as well,” stated SMU Head Men’s Swimming Coach Greg Rhodenbaugh. “Eddie coached me when I swam here at SMU, mentored me as I started my coaching career and was a friend and brother for the last 40 years. He will be missed greatly.”
Sinnott also served United States Swimming in various capacities. He was the team leader and the men’s head coach of the U.S. squad at the World University Games in 1993, and a head coach and assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic Festival team in 1987 and 1993, respectively. Sinnott also served as the head coach of the U.S. National Team on its European Tour in 1987. At the 2008 Olympics, Sinnott was the U.S. Olympic Team assistant manager. In addition to coaching for the United States, Sinnott served on the Olympic International Organizing Committee from 1984-92. He was the head coach for Haiti at the 1996 Olympic Games. He also served as the assistant coach for Colombia, Denmark and South Africa at the World Short Course Championships.
Sinnott’s impact on the sport, however, extends well beyond his conference titles, Olympic Gold Medalists, and All-Americans. Sinnott was instrumental in fundraising for the new Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium. Beyond the college teams, Sinnott helped teach in the SMU swim lesson program for most of his 40 years on campus, and was a leader in the Dallas swimming community.
A four-year letterwinner at SMU from 1973-76, Sinnott was the SWC champion in the 400 IM in 1973. Born in Greenwich, Conn., Sinnott is survived by his wife, Sioux, and their two daughters K.C. and Silver Ann.
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.
If you don’t already know her, meet ASHLEIGH JOHNSON, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and first African-American on the USA Women’s Water Polo’s Team ~
Ashleigh Johnson was the first African American woman to make the United States Olympic water polo team in 2016, when she qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Not only was Johnson the only African American on the team, but she was also the only girl NOT from California. Ashleigh grew up in Miami, playing water polo with her three brothers and one sister. The Johnson kids attended Ransom Everglades School, a well known swimming/aquatics powerhouse in the South Florida area. After making a statement in South Florida as a four-year letter winner and starter on her school’s team, she led her team to three consecutive Florida State Championships. In addition, she earned All-Dade County honors throughout her career, while also earning all-county honors in swimming, twice.
She went on to attend college at Princeton University, where she received All-American Honors for most of her collegiate career. Johnson and the USA Women’s Water Polo Team won Olympic gold, with Ashleigh as goalie in 2016, in her very first Olympic experience.
Ashleigh currently competes for Ethnikos in Greece… From 2018-19, she played for NC Vouliagmeni in Greece…Finished third in Final Four of European League Championships and finished second in Greek league; Prior to that, she competed for Ekipe Orizzonte in Sicily 2017-18, finished third in Final Four of European League, and finished second in Italian League.
And let’s not forget, she competed in her second Olympic Games in Tokyo, in 2021. Ashleigh and her USA Teammates came away with gold, beating Spain in the gold medal round. Ashleigh was credited with the most saves.
Let’s al get ready to cheer on the future Hall of Famer in Paris this Summer!
Watch this great video of Ashleigh from CBS MORNINGS from 2020 Olympics Coverage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRFGaI_8-ik
INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
2023 PAN AMERICAN GAMES, SANTIAGO, CHILE, 1ST PLACE
2023 WORLD AQUATICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, FUKUOKA, JAPAN, 5TH PLACE
2023 WORLD AQUATICS WORLD CUP, LONG BEACH, UNITED STATES, 1ST PLACE
2022 FINA WORLD LEAGUE SUPER FINAL, SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, SPAIN, 3RD PLACE
2022 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY, 1ST PLACE
2020 OLYMPIC GAMES, TOKYO, JAPAN, 1ST PLACE (Took place in 2021 due to Covid-19 Pandemic)
2021 FINA WORLD LEAGUE SUPER FINAL, ATHENS, GREECE, 1ST PLACE
2019 HOLIDAY CUP, PRINCETON, NJ, 1ST PLACE
2019 CANADA CUP, MONTREAL, CANADA, 1ST PLACE
2019 PAN AMERICAN GAMES, LIMA, PERU, 1ST PLACE
2019 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, GWANGJU, SOUTH KOREA, 1ST PLACE
2019 FINA WORLD LEAGUE SUPER FINAL, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY, 1STPLACE
2019 FINA INTERCONTINENTAL TOURNAMENT, PERTH, AUSTRALIA, 1STPLACE
2018 FINA WORLD CUP, SURGUT, RUSSIA, 1STPLACE
2018 FINA WORLD LEAGUE SUPER FINAL, KUNSHAN, CHINA, 1STPLACE
2016 OLYMPIC GAMES, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, 1STPLACE
2016 FINA WORLD LEAGUE SUPER FINAL, SHANGHAI, CHINA, 1STPLACE
2016 OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT, GOUDA, NETHERLANDS, 1STPLACE
2016 FINA WOMEN’S INTERCONTINENTAL TOURNAMENT, LEWISVILLE, TX, 1STPLACE
2015 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, KAZAN, RUSSIA, 1STPLACE
2015 PAN AMERICAN GAMES, TORONTO, CANADA, 1STPLACE
2015 FINA WORLD LEAGUE SUPER FINAL, SHANGHAI, CHINA, 1STPLACE
2014 FINA WORLD CUP, KHANTY-MANSIYSK, RUSSIA 1STPLACE
2013 FINA JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, VOLOS, GREECE, 1STPLACE
Happy Birthday 2014 Honor Diver Peng Bo
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (3m springboard); 2001 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (3m springboard synchro); 2002 ASIAN GAMES: gold (3m springboard synchro); 2001 UNIVERSIADE GAMES: gold (3m springboard synchro); 2003 UNIVERSIADE GAMES: gold (3m springboard synchro); 2005 UNIVERSIADE GAMES: gold (3m springboard synchro); 2007 UNIVERSIADE GAMES: gold (3m springboard, 3m springboard synchro).
He was born in Nanchang, capital of the Jiangxi province of China in 1981 and began training in diving at the age of six at the Nanchang Sports School. He was selected to be a member of the Jiangxi Provincial Diving Team in 1991, joined the diving team of the PLA Navy in 1995 and became a member of the National Team in 1998.
Peng and his synchronized diving partner, Wang Kenan, won gold medals at the 2000 World University Games, at the 2001 FINA World Championships in Fukuoka and at the 2002 Asian Games.
In 2003, Peng won the Chinese national Championships in the 3 meter individual event and finished second at the FINA World Championships in Barcelona.
For the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Peng was selected to compete in both the 3 meter individual and synchronized event with partner Wang. First up was the synchro event and heading into the final round of dives, Peng and Wang held a comfortable lead. Then came disaster. A dreadful error by Wang resulted in a failed dive – a zero – and no medal.
Comeback, for diver Peng Bo, is a particularly appropriate word. You see, Bo means, “never give up” in Chinese. And eight days later, in the final of the individual event of the 3 meter springboard, Peng came back with a vengeance.
Overcoming his earlier disappointment, Peng Bo led from start to finish.
His victory was fourth of the six gold medals China would win in Athens, and with a margin of victory of over 30 points his was the most dominating performance in diving at the Games in Athens.
February 17th ~ Happy Birthday Rebecca Adlington (GBR) Honor Swimmer, Class of 2018
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (400m freestyle, 800m freestyle); 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES: bronze (400m freestyle, 800m freestyle); 2009 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): bronze (400m freestyle, 4×200m freestyle); 2011 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (800m freestyle), silver (400m freestyle); 2008 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): gold (800m freestyle) , silver (4×200m freestyle); 2006 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): silver (800m freestyle); 2010 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (400m freestyle), bronze (4×200m freestyle); 2010 COMMONWEALTH GAMES (Representing England): gold (400m freestyle, 800m freestyle), bronze (200m freestyle, 4×200m freestyle)
The youngest of three girls, Rebecca Adlington naturally wanted to do what her older sisters did, and the sisters were all swimmers. Before long, her desire to keep up with them made her into a serious competitor.
By the age of 14, when she was showing real promise as a distance swimmer, she came under the guidance of coach Bill Furniss, who would remain her coach throughout her career. Her commitment to training combined with mental toughness and her ability to tolerate pain made her one of Britain’s brightest Olympic hopefuls. After a year with Furniss she won the 800m gold medal at the 2004 European Junior Championships.
Both Becky and her coach looked forward to 2005 with high expectations, but early in the year she came down with a case of glandular fever. Then, just as she was getting back in the pool, her sister Laura came down with a case of encephalitis that put her on life-support and fighting for her life for over a month. Laura eventually recovered, but the experience was traumatic for Becky and the next few years were full of ups and downs.
As the British Olympic Trials in 2008 approached, Becky knew she would have to swim her heart out and to the surprise of many, she won the 200 and 400m freestyle, in addition to the 800, which was her signature event. She eventually dropped the 200 to focus on the longer events.
First up in Beijing was the 400m freestyle, an event for which she had not even been certain to qualify for the British team. In the prelims she swam brilliantly and qualified for the finals in lane five. Then, in the final, she went from fifth place with 50 meters to go to snatch the gold medal from American Katie Hoff and teammate Joanne Jackson in a thrilling finger-tip finish. It was the first Olympic gold medal for a British woman since Anita Lonsbrough won the 200m breaststroke in 1960.
When she won the 800m freestyle five days later, destroying the field and smashing Janet Evans‘ 19-year old world record, there was no precedent. Adlington was the most successful woman swimmer Britain ever produced, and the first British swimmer since Henry Taylor had won multiple gold medals one hundred years earlier, in 1908.
Her triumphs in Beijing brought her instant fame: front-page headlines, an open-top bus parade in her home town and a coveted pair of gold Jimmy Choo shoes. In 2009 she became a celebrity spokesperson for the Encephalitis Society and received an Office of the British Order (OBE) by HRH (Her Royal Highness) Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. In 2010, the refurbished Sherwood Swimming Baths was renamed the Rebecca Adlington Swimming Centre.
And she hadn’t even retired. In fact, between the Beijing and London Olympics, she stood on the podium in every major international event in which she competed, even though she refused to wear the polyurethane suits that helped the world records tumble in 2009. When she won gold in the 800 and silver in the 400m freestyle at the 2011 FINA Championships in Shanghai, expectations were high that she could repeat her double gold medal performance from Beijing in London.
But it was always going to be tougher for her competing at home. In Beijing she was an unknown, which is a tremendous psychological advantage in terms of pressure and surprise. In London, that advantage belonged to a 15-year old American named Katie Ledecky. It just wasn’t to be.
When Adlington took bronze in the 400m, she was delighted, for the 400 was her weaker race. But after winning a second bronze in the 800, the disappointment showed.
The British public adored her and when she retired a few months later, at the age of 23, it was as Great Britain’s most decorated female Olympian of all time. Since then she has joined the BBC as a popular commentator for the aquatic sports. In 2015, she gave birth to a daughter, Summer, and in 2016 she launched Becky Adlington’s Swim Stars, a partnership program designed by Becky for pool operators to make learning to swim fun and enjoyable. Her vision is to ensure that every child leaves primary school able to swim at least 25 meters.
Happy Birthday to the one and only Ambrose “Rowdy” Gaines!! February 17th
Rowdy and daughter, Isabella
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: 1984 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (100m freestyle, 4x100m medley relay, 4x100m freestyle relay); 8 WORLD RECORDS: (1-100m freestyle, 2-200m freestyle, 2-4x100m freestyle relay, 3-4x100m medley relay); 1978 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (4x100m freestyle relay, 4x200m freestyle relay), silver (200m freestyle); 1982 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (4x100m medley relay, 4x100m freestyle relay), silver (100m, 200m freestyle); 1979 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: gold (200m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x200m freestyle relay); 1983 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: gold (100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x100m medley relay, 4x200m freestyle relay), bronze (200m freestyle); 17 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 9 Outdoor, 8 Indoor; 8 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: 50 yd, 100yd, 200yd freestyle; 400m, 800m freestyle relays.
Rowdy Gaines was named after the rambunctious western her in the television series “Rawhide.” He is described by his merits for being “rapidly successful, competitive, and very, very fast” and feels more at home in the water than on land. He has broken eight world records and continues to swim today.
Rowdy loved the water as a child, but did not begin his notorious swimming career until the late age of 17 with a 16th place finish in the Florida High School Championship. The following year, Rowdy came back to win the State championships and quickly developed into a world class contender when he placed second in the 200m freestyle at the World Championships in 1989. Rowdy was recruited to Auburn University where he stroked to American records in the 100 and 200 yard freestyles and to the world record in the 200m freestyle in 1:49.16. By 1980, he was named “World Swimmer of the Year.”
It was at the pinnacle of his swimming career that he suffered a tremendous disappointment when the 1980 US Olympic Team boycotted the Olympic Games. Shortly thereafter, he retired, only to return with a vengeance a year and a half later, determined to regain his place in the swimming world and claim the medals he was unable to obtain in 1980.
Rowdy had no problem grasping three Olympic gold medals amidst roaring fans who believed in the “old man” of the 1984 Olympics. Rowdy’s crowning moments of capturing gold by winning the 100m freestyle and the 4×100 medley and freestyle relays will remain sacred to him and his fans.
Throughout his memorable career, Rowdy won three Olympic gold medals, set eight world records, won seven World Championship medals, not to mention numerous medals in the Pan American Games, US National Championships, and NCAA Championships.
Since his retirement, Rowdy has been asked to endorse many products, has been a swimming commentator for CNN, ABC, and NBC, and has written articles for the FINA Swimming and Diving Magazine. Today, Rowdy lives in Hawaii with his wife Judy and their three children. He manages a health and fitness center, coaches swimming and continues to feel at home in the water swimming in a Masters program.