How the Furniss Brothers – Steve and Bruce – Were Robbed Of An Epic Olympic Showdown
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
09 January 2024, 03:40am
How the Furniss Brothers – Steve and Bruce – Were Robbed Of An Epic Olympic Showdown
“The Missed Turn” is a regular Swimming World feature that examines overlooked athletes or stolen opportunities. In this installment, we highlight the Furniss Brothers, Steve and Bruce, who were denied the chance to duel in the 200 meter individual medley at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.
Even today, nearly 50 years after the 1976 Olympic flame was extinguished, Bruce Furniss can picture the scene. Just before the start of the final of the 200 meter individual medley at the Montreal Games, he catches a glimpse of his older brother standing behind his starting block.
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Even today, almost a half-century after his Olympic career came to an end, Steve Furniss can picture the scene. To the tune of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” he stands on the medals podium at the 1976 Olympics, his younger brother also wearing a medal earned from the final of the 200 individual medley.
The Furniss Brothers are American swimming royalty. Their wide-ranging talent in the pool produced national titles, exceptional college careers at the University of Southern California and Olympian status.
Yet, a what-if cloud lingers—a stolen opportunity beyond their control. What would have happened if they had clashed for gold in the 200 IM at the 1976 Games. Would Steve have won? Would Bruce have prevailed? Would they each have earned a medal?
Of course, we’ll never know the answer—the 200 IM was eliminated from the 1976 program. What is inarguable, though, is this: It would have made for one hell of a storyline.
A FAMILIAL SPORT
Swimming has long been a familial sport. Parents who love the water get their children involved. An older sibling who dives into the pool is often followed by a little brother or sister. And so, it’s not surprising that, through the years, there have been numerous instances of world-class excellence emanating from the same family. There were the Kahanamoku brothers—Duke and Sam—in the early 20th century. There’s Gary Hall Sr., followed by his son, Gary Jr. There’s been the sister-brother tandems of Shirley and Jack Babashoff, and Laure and Florent Manaudou.
The Furniss Brothers, too, boast talented aquatic genes.
Like most brothers growing up, they tussled now and again. In the family room. In the backyard. On the basketball court. At practice. Some of the feuds were intense. Others were low-key. But more than anything—and it still rings true in their older years—they shared a deep respect and love, and were only a lane away with support when it was needed.
Photo Courtesy: Furniss Family
As Steve and Bruce embarked on their storied careers, they didn’t have to look far for inspiration. Their older brother, Chip, was an elite swimmer, gifted enough to take his skill set to USC. A blueprint existed for enduring family success, and Steve and Bruce were attentive to what worked.
More, the patriarch of the Furniss family, William, kept a logbook of times, numbers that proved to be checkpoints as the younger boys moved through the age-group ranks and beyond. For Bruce, who had two older brothers to follow, he holds a deep appreciation for the path worn ahead of him.
“A key for the family is when Chip went to USC,” Bruce said. “I think (our success) would have been less likely had he not gone there. That was the lynchpin. And for me, I could learn from my brothers.”
RICH CREDENTIALS
The focus of this piece is what could have been, that 200 individual medley that should have been a marquee event of the 1976 Olympics. But before we shift the attention to a moment that got away, we must look at the rich credentials of the Furniss boys.
International acclaim was first gathered by Steve Furniss at the 1971 Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia. Via titles in the 200 individual medley and 400 individual medley, Steve generated momentum heading into the 1972 Olympic campaign. At the Munich Games, he claimed the bronze medal in the 200 IM, finishing behind Sweden’s Gunnar Larsson and American Tim McKee, who also earned gold and silver in the 400 medley, Larsson’s triumph by 2-thousandths of a second!
Silver medals in the 200 backstroke and 400 IM followed for Steve at the 1973 World University Games, and gold-medal repeats in the medley events were registered at the 1975 edition of the Pan American Games. That year, Steve also picked up the silver medal in the 200 IM at the World Championships.
Four years younger than his brother, Bruce broke through on the global stage at the 1975 World Champs, where he was the silver medalist to United States teammate Tim Shaw in the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle. Bruce also secured a gold medal as a member of the American 400 freestyle relay (coincidentally, the other event eliminated from the 1976 Olympic program) that shattered the world record and would have nabbed a fourth medal if not for his false start on the anchor leg of the world-record-setting 800 freestyle relay.
At the U.S. National Championships in August, Bruce snared the world record in the 200 medley in unique fashion. En route to a time of 2:06.08, Bruce not only defeated his brother, but lowered the global standard that was jointly held by Steve and Great Britain’s David Wilkie at 2:06.32.
“Honestly, I’m glad the record stayed in the family,” Steve recently said of his brother’s record-breaking effort. “It was still our last name. We were competitive with one another, but in the best way.”
While Bruce supplanted Steve’s world record in the 200 IM at the 1975 nationals and broke his own world mark for the third time that summer in the 200 freestyle, Bruce and Steve got the chance to work together on another global mark. Teaming with teammates Tim Shaw and Rex Favero in the 800 freestyle relay, the Furniss Brothers helped Long Beach Swim Club to a time of 7:30.54, an effort that sliced nearly three seconds off the previous world record, set by Team USA at the 1973 World Championships. It’s the last time a club team broke a world record.
The time spent in Long Beach produced more than positive results in the water. The car rides to practice allowed the Furniss Brothers to speak about their feelings, discuss concerns and offer confidence boosts.
“We spoke candidly on those drives,” Steve said. “We really supported each other.”
THE POLITICS OF 1976
Between the conclusion of the 1972 Games and the Trials for the 1976 Games, the International Olympic Committee announced that two swimming events, the 200 IM and 400 freestyle relay, were being eliminated from the Olympic program.
The 200 individual medley was introduced at the 1968 Games in Mexico City, but only endured two Olympiads before its removal. Reasons for the expulsion vary. One reason for the scaled-back program revolves around its significant expansion, moving from 15 events (male and female) in 1960 to 29 events by 1972.
Another theory surmises there were too many opportunities for multiple medals, prompted by the seven gold medals won by Mark Spitz at the 1972 Games in Munich. An additional theory is that the events were eliminated as a tradeoff, the other option being a reduction in the number of athletes per event from three to two.
Photo Courtesy: TYR Sport
While swimming lost two events, the track and field program remained untouched, a fact that questions whether higher-ups in swimming did enough to protect the sport. Steve Furniss has long believed the individual medley events should have been branded like track and field’s decathlon, revered for their measure of all-around prowess.
“The stroke events were essentially protected,” Steve said. “Where swimming made a mistake was not marketing (the individual medley) properly. They never took the IM and marketed it as a true test of versatility and talent.”
Regardless of why the 200 IM was cut is ultimately inconsequential. Simply, it meant the Furniss Brothers’ long-envisioned dream of battling on the Olympic stage went up in bureaucratic flames. It also forced the siblings to adjust their programs.
Without the 200 medley, which was reinstated for the 1984 Games, Steve qualified for the 400 IM at the Montreal Games. By that time, however, he was dealing with a nagging ankle injury that required surgery, and his body was not as capable of handling eight laps as it was in the past. In the final of the 400 IM at the Olympics, Steve finished sixth, the gold going to Rod Strachan, and silver, for the second straight Games, to McKee.
The schedule in 1976 was more conducive to Bruce. In addition to capturing gold and setting a world record in the 200 freestyle, Bruce helped the United States to gold and a world record in the 800 freestyle relay. Still, he wanted that chance to race against his brother, to walk out of the ready room together and, potentially, stand side-by-side on the podium.
“That’s the vision I always thought it would be,” Bruce said. “In both of our minds, we view ourselves on top (of the podium). For me, I’m on top and he’s on the second step. It’s a picture we’ll take to the grave.”
As the Furniss Brothers answered questions on a Zoom call for this feature, they occasionally exchanged memories from their childhoods and competitive days. They also lauded one another’s ability. Everything was genuine, and an overwhelming theme hovered in the air: They succeeded because they had each other.
“We wanted to beat each other,” Bruce said. “But there was never a feeling of jealousy. We were always there with support.”
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN…
Photo Courtesy: USC Swimming
Had the 200 individual medley remained on the Olympic slate, how would the final have unfolded? For starters, the Furniss Brothers would have entered the race with Steve as the former world record holder and Bruce the current standard bearer. But they rightfully note the challenges that would have been posed by Wilkie and Canada’s Graham Smith, the previous and subsequent world record holders in the event, respectively. Wilkie shared the world record with Steve while Smith lowered Bruce’s world record in 1977. In Montreal, it could have been an epic four-way battle.
“All four of us were in the same place and time together, for a race that could have easily been conducted,” Bruce said. “I wish I had suggested the four of us just line up and race without spectators or officials.”
From a strategy standpoint, the Furniss Brothers both indicated a need to attack the front half of the race to build an advantage over the two breaststroke specialists. Heading into the closing freestyle leg, they would have been close, battling stroke for stroke to the wall, with Olympic and family bragging rights on the line.
Oh, it would have been special.
“We missed an opportunity we dreamed of,” Steve said. “It was always dinner-table fodder. We had great experiences in the sport, but that would have been the ultimate.”
For the Furniss Brothers…and the sport.
ISHOF gets visit from Norman and Janise Sarsfield, son and daughter-in-law of ISHOF Honor Contributor, Norman Sarsfield of Great Britain.
Last week, Norman and Janise Sarsfield stopped by ISHOF to visit and see the home of their Dad’s honor. They were last here in 2014, when Norman and his brother, Martin and their wives, came over for the induction of their Dad, who had passed away in 2003. And a well deserved-long overdue honor it was! (Read Norman’s bio below) We were glad to welcome them back and hope they can once again come back to Fort Lauderdale when the new ISHOF is completed and we have a whole new world to show them!
Norman Sarsfield (GBR)
Honor Contributor (2014)
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: FINA TECHNICAL SWIMMING COMMITTEE: CHAIRMAN (1968-1972); LEN: BUREAU MEMBER, HONORARY SECRETARY, HONORARY LIFE PRESIDENT; FIRST PROFESSIONAL SECRETARY OF THE ASA (1970-1980); COMMONWEALTH GAMES: COUNCIL CHAIRMAN AND HONORARY TREASURER; 1959 EUROPEAN SWIMMING COACH OF THE YEAR; BRITISH TEAM MEMBER AND COACH OF SWIMMING AND DIVING NATIONAL TEAMS (1955 – 1969); AUTHOR OF FOUR BOOKS.
When he wanted to join the local Rowing Club in Durham City as a ten-year old, his mother insisted he should swim first. He liked it so much he took up swimming rather than rowing. Six years later Norman Woods Sarsfield was the city champion.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=HwrTBgUyYIY%3Flist%3DPLjYWbX54Yv0Hajz_HtHecswNBl39Ybdz4
He was qualified as a teacher before enlisting in the British Army in 1940 and achieved the rank of Captain, serving in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Austria. In 1943, he was awarded the Military Cross for “gallantry under fire.” At the war’s end, he won gold medals at the Army Swimming championships before returning to Dunham where he reclaimed his championship titles and played on the water polo team until 1956.
This is the brief background for a man who would give a lifetime of service to promote swimming on local, national and international levels and whose induction into the Hall of Fame is long overdue.
From 1947 through 1970, Sarsfield was a school swimming teacher. That was his day job. In his “off time” he was a tireless volunteer with the local and regional chapters of the Amateur Swimming Association. He officiated at the 1948 Olympic Games, wrote instructional books and made training films for divers. He also coached both swimmers and divers and moved rapidly up the ranks of the ASA. In 1955, he started traveling as manager or coach of various England and British Swimming and Diving Teams and in 1958 was awarded the “European Swimming Coach of the Year” at the European Championships in Budapest.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=27S3GHilR68%3Flist%3DPLjYWbX54Yv0HVOw5kHd1i5ylYWBNDFnTY
In 1961, he developed the Personal Survival Awards. The awards were designed to promote confidence, learn to swim, fun, personal achievement and survival. He gave the commercial rights to the ASA and provided it, as a result, with much needed funding. He also devised the flipper-float method of teaching swimming for anyone to learn how to swim in ten minutes.
In 1966, he was elected President of the ASA, the youngest person to hold the office in the 20th century and in 1970 retired from teaching to become the first full-time, professional secretary general of the ASA. That same year he was appointed Chairman of the FINA Technical Swimming Committee and became a member of LEN’s Executive Committee and would serve as LEN’s Honorary Secretary for almost twenty years. He served as a member of the sports councils of the Central UK, Europe and the Commonwealth Games and was an outspoken proponent for the inclusion of synchronized swimming in the 1973 FINA World Championships and later for developing Masters Swimming and teaching the disabled to swim.
Sarsfield was a renowned orator and formidable debater who was also active in politics, first elected to the Durham Council in 1955 and then Mayor in 1964. During the time of the 1980 Moscow Olympic boycott, he was an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Thatcher’s desire to stop the British team from competing at the Games, saying that sport was non-political. He refused to accept the Prime Minister’s view, personally giving her his opinion, which won the day leading to the team’s successful competition at the Games.
He is author of four instructional books with a combined 11 editions titled: “Swimming for Everyone”, “Better Swimming”, “Competitive Swimming” and “Diving Instruction”.
In 1981 he was awarded the O.B.E., The Order of the British Empire, by Queen Elizabeth. He received the FINA Silver Pin in 1990 and was presented with the FINA Trophy by President Mustapha Larfaoui, for all his services to swimming. He passed away in 2003 at the age of 83.
Throwback Thursday: When the Olympic Games Last Visited Paris; A 100-Year Flashback
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
11 January 2024, 12:50am
Throwback Thursday: When the Olympic Games Last Visited Paris; A 100-Year Flashback
When the Olympic Games return to Paris this summer, it will mark a century since the French capital last served as host of the biggest sporting event on the planet. In 1924, Paris welcomed the finest athletes in the world, including an American swimmer by the name of Johnny Weissmuller. For this week’s version of Throwback Thursday, we look back at some of the highlights from the last Olympics in Paris.
Before he became better known for his portrayal of Tarzan, Weissmuller was the undisputed king of swimming, and his first Olympics in Paris allowed him to cement that status. Weissmuller claimed individual gold medals in the 100-meter freestyle and 400 freestyle, with each victory arriving over a stacked field.
In the 100 freestyle, Weissmuller finished ahead of the Kahanamoku brothers, Duke and Sam. Via a time of 59.0, Weissmuller prevailed and denied Duke Kahanamoku from capturing his third consecutive title in the event. Duke won gold in the 100 free in 1912 ad 1920, but didn’t have the chance at the crown in 1916 due to the cancellation of the Games by World War I.
Although the 400 freestyle was a stretch for Weissmuller in terms of distance, the American demonstrated his talent by defeating distance stars Arne Borg of Sweden and Andrew “Boy” Charlton of Australia. Weissmuller trailed late in the race, but surged past his foes over the last lap to secure victory.
Charlton got the best of Borg for the gold medal in the 1500 freestyle, as both men went under the previous world record.
The United States easily topped the medals table, thanks to 19 medals. Of that total, nine were gold while five were silver and five were bronze. Australia, Sweden and Great Britain tied for second place on the chart, with four medals each.
Overlooked in the shadow of Weissmuller was the United States’ Warren Kealoha. After mining gold in the 100 backstroke at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Kealoha defended his title with an Olympic-record performance. Kealoha was the only repeat champion in the event until 1960, when Aussie David Theile backed up his gold from the 1956 Games.
The United States women were led by a trio of gold medalists. Ethel Lackie bested the competition in the 100 freestyle while Martha Norelius emerged on top in the 400 freestyle, a championship she would defend four years later in Amsterdam. More, Sybil Bauer cruised to gold in the 100 backstroke.
Happy Birthday Xiong Ni!!
Xiong Ni (CHN)
Honor Diver (2006)
FOR THE RECORD: 1988 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (10m platform); 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: bronze (10m platform); 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (3m springboard); 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (3m springboard, 3m springboard synchro); 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (10m platform).
Only the great Greg Louganis had won back–to–back gold medals in men’s Olympic 3m springboard competition – until Xiong Ni appeared on the international diving scene. In 1996 and 2000, Xiong did what Louganis did in 1984 and 1988 – 3m Springboard Olympic Champion, both times.
2000 was Ni’s fourth Olympic competition. In 1988, as the youngster competing against veteran Louganis in the 10m platform, Xiong won the silver medal by only 1.14 points behind Greg. He vowed to return in 1992, but won the bronze medal in the same event. In 1996, he won the gold medal on the springboard and returned four years later to win it again. He and his synchronized diving partner Xiao Hailiang also won the gold medal in the 3m Springboard Synchronized Diving. He and Klaus Dibiasi are the only two men to win diving medals in four Olympic Games.
Xiong began diving training coached by Mr. Ma Yannian in Hunan Spare – Time Sports School in 1982 and joined the Hunan provincial diving team in 1983. He first caught the attention of Xu Yiming, the Head Coach of the China National Diving Team and intensified training began.Within his 15 year career, Xiong won five Olympic, one World Championship and two Asian Games medals as well as 16 Chinese National Championships.
Happy Birthday Tracy Caulkins!!
Tracy Caulkins (USA)
Honor Swimmer (1990)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1984 gold (200m, 400m individual medley; relay); 1980: member of U.S. Olympic Team; WORLD RECORDS: 5 (200m, 400m individual medley; 200m butterfly; relay); WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1978 gold (200m butterfly; 200m, 400m individual medley; 2 relays), silver (100m breaststroke); 1982 bronze (200m, 400m individual medley); PAN AMERICAN GAMES: 1979 gold (200m, 400m individual medley; 2 relays), silver (100m breaststroke; 400m freestyle); 1983 gold (200m, 400m individual medley), silver (200m butterfly); U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 48 (200m butterfly; 200yd, 200m, 400yd, 400m individual medley; 500yd freestyle; 200yd backstroke; 100yd, 100m, 200yd, 200m breaststroke; relays); AMERICAN RECORDS: 63 (100yd, 500yd freestyle; 100yd, 100m, 200yd, 200m breaststroke; 200yd backstroke; 200yd, 200m, 400yd, 400m individual medley; relays) NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: 12 (100yd, 200yd butterfly; 100yd, 200yd, 400yd individual medley; 100yd breaststroke); 1978 Sullivan Award; 1982, 1983 Broderick Cup; 1981, 1984 Sportswoman of the Year; 1980, 1981 American Swimmer of the Year.
Tracy Caulkins burst onto the international scene at the 1978 Berlin World Championships with five golds and one silver. In the ensuing years she accumulated more National Championship titles (46) and set more American records (63) than any other swimmer. At 15, Tracy was the youngest recipient of the AAU Sullivan Award given to United State’s finest amateur athlete.
Tracy Caulkins trained with her sister Amy at the Nashville Aquatic Club, a team her parents helped to organize. She was America’s queen of the individual medley for eight years and her versatility was phenomenal. Tracy’s performances from 1971 to 1984 included every stroke and distance at the AAU, USS and NCAA National Championships. She brought further notoriety to her already famous coaches Paul Bergen, Don Talbot, Ron Young and Randy Reese.
Tracy was a standout in the classroom and was the top vote-getter in the College Sports Information Directors Association 1983 and 1984 Academic All-American Teams.
Happy Birthday Karen And Sarah Josephson!!
Karen And Sarah Josephson (USA)
Honor Synchronized / Artistic Swimmer (1997)
FOR THE RECORD: 1988 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (duet); 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (duet); 1986 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (duet, team); 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (duet, team); 1991 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (duet, team); 1983 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: silver (team); 1987 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: gold (duet, team); 1985 FINA WORLD CUP: silver (duet, team); 1987 FINA WORLD CUP: gold (team), silver (duet); 1991 FINA WORLD CUP: gold (duet, team); USSS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (16): 7 (duet), 6 (team), 3 (trio); NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (8): 3 (duet), 2 (team), 3 (trio).
SARAH: 1984 OLYMPIC GAMES: 6th (figures); 1988 OLYMPIC GAMES: 3rd (figures); 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: 2nd (figures); 1986 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (solo, figures); 1985 FINA WORLD CUP: silver (solo); USSS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (2): (solo).
KAREN: 1988 OLYMPIC GAMES: 4th (figures); 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: 3rd (figures); NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (2): (solo).
They are not the average “Jo’s”, and to their competitors they were “double trouble.” In a sport where timing must be within 1/18 of a second, the career paths of these two synchronized swimmers, like their genes, were identical. They grew and blossomed in a sport where togetherness is everything and where every move must be made as if you are one. Identical twins Karen and Sarah Josephson made the moves on synchronized swimming, engulfing the world, not only with their athletic timing and skill, but with the style and grace of true champions. They join Margo McGrath and Carol Redmond of the San Francisco Merrionettes as only the second synchronized swimming duet team to be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
They started synchronized swimming at age 5, in 1969, in the Girls’ Club of Bristol, Connecticut, their hometown. By 1977, they shifted to the Rocky Hill, Connecticut School of Swimming with coach Sue Bevier, and then, after making the 1980 national team, began training in Hamden, Connecticut (Heronettes) to be with national team coach Linda Lichter. Their careers began to take off. Junior National Champs in 1980, Senior National – 6th place and second to Hall of Famers Tracie Ruiz and Candy Costie at the National Sports Festival in 1981, plus other US Zone and Junior National meets put the Josephson name on the board.
In 1982, while Sarah was winning a team silver medal at the World Championships in Guayaquil, Equador, Karen won the Mallorca Open team silver medal. It was their first year competing on the Ohio State University Synchronized Swimming team where they went on to be undefeated in collegiate competitions and graduate with academic honors in 1985. At the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, they helped win the team silver medal.
Their sights were set on the 1984 Olympic Games, and the twins never thought of making the team without the other. But with Sarah’s slightly higher score in the figures at the Olympic Trials, she made the team as an alternate to what became the gold medal winning duet team of Ruiz and Costie.
Sarah and Karen are the toughest of competitors towards one another, but they are also the best of friends. “We really don’t mind getting beat as long as one of us wins,” they say. So while Sarah competed in the Los Angeles Games, Karen traveled with a US team to Mallorca, Switzerland and Scandinavia.
“Karen and Sarah are very calm and easy going”, says their mom, Beryl. But at 5′ 4″ and 120 lbs., they are energy-packed machines who can perform a routine with more sharpness, crispness, fluidity, style and synchronization to each other and the music than almost all of their competitors. Following their 1985 graduation from Ohio State (Karen in Genetics, Sarah in Biochemistry) where they helped their team win the National Championships in the 1982, 1983 and 1985, the grads moved to Walnut Creek, California, to train with National Team and Olympic coach Gail Emery. After Tracie’s and Candy’s Olympic gold medal performance in 1984, the “J’s” were ready to step in, as the gold medal pair retired. In 1985, they won the French Invitational and the US Nationals duet, and Sarah won three major solo competitions. At the 1986 Barcelona World Championships, they won silvers in all events, Sarah in the solos. In 1987, they were Pan American champions and FINA world Cup silver medalists. All was in preparation for the 1988 Seoul Olympiad where their eyes were set on defeating Canada’s Michele Cameron and Hall of Famer Carolyn Waldo. They had defeated them in duet competition only once, at the Japan Lotte Cup in 1986. In every other competition, the “J’s” scored higher in the routine but the Canadians won it with better scores in figures. The gold medal was not be for the “J’s” as Waldo and Cameron duet outscored them again in the figures.
They were very happy with the silver medal, but as with every champion, the desire to win the gold medal never diminished, and after a month’s rest they decided to pursue the 1992 Olympic and the gold medal in Barcelona. During the four years between Seoul and Barcelona, they never lost a competition. That included the Pan Pacifics, Goodwill Games, US Nationals, Olympic Festivals, The German, Mallorca and Rome Opens, the US Olympic Trials, and the Perth world Championships where they set the world record for the highest total duet score.
In Barcelona, they lived up to their own and other’s expectations, winning the gold medal in the duet event, the last time the event will be contested in Olympic competition.
The Josephson Twins are the epitome of synchronization. Whether right side up or upside down, they brought imagination, excitement and beauty to synchronized swimming. They achieved what every synchronized simmer aspires to achieve, the coveted Olympic duet gold medal, won by only two competitors every four years. They have received every synchronized swimming award available and other awards in general, including ESPN/Revco’s Co-Collegiate Athletes of the Year (1985) and as AAU Sullivan Award finalists.
Their 22 years in synchronized swimming, 12 of them on the National Team, are an inspiration to every aspiring athlete. It may still be difficult to tell them apart from one another, but it is easy to tell them apart from their competitors.
Happy Birthday Michele Mitchell!!
Michele Mitchell (USA)
Honor Diver (1995)
FOR THE RECORD: 1984 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (10m platform); 1988 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (10m platform); 1985 FINA WORLD CUP: gold (10m platform); 1987 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: gold (10m platform); 9 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS.
Born in Scottsdale, Arizona, Michele Mitchell discovered the sport of diving purely by accident. As a gymnast she often went to the pool after practices to cool off. Former diver Charles “Sparky” Goodrich discovered her twisting and flipping. After a few sessions of diving, she was hooked on the sport.
It wasn’t until some seven years after taking her first dive that she burst onto the US diving scene. Amazingly, Michele placed second just behind the reigning champion, Wendy Wyland, at her first platform national finals. One year after her graduation from the University of Arizona and entrance onto the national scene, this spunky diver surprised her competition once again by winning the Olympic Trials and setting a record while doing it! In the summer of ’84, before a crowd of some 20,000 participants, Michele Mitchell dove off the Olympic platform in Los Angeles to claim a silver medal.
Mitchell continued her winning momentum throughout the 1985-86 seasons. At the World FINA Cup in China, she claimed the world title, defeating her Olympic competitor, Zhou Ji Hong.
Tired from years of relentless training and surgery on her shoulders, Michele struggled to hold on until the 1988 Olympic Trials. And hold on she did! In a three way struggle for the two spots on the Olympic Team, Mitchell’s steadfast determination and grit paid off — she won her second Olympic Trials, going on to the Olympics to win yet another silver medal.
In total, Mitchell won nine US National titles, a Pan American Games gold, a FINA World Cup title and two Olympic silver medals, among numerous international titles. Michele still holds three national records for the highest diving score of 479.4 on the platform, the highest point total of 94.4 for a single dive, as well as the highest total record in the Pan American Games.
Michele has been very active since her retirement. She has assisted the International Swimming Hall of Fame in the coordination of numerous events, acted as a commentator for swimming and diving events including the 1992 Olympics, and has fought the American Gladiators and won!
Michele Mitchell currently lives in Southern Florida where she and husband Jose Rocha (former Olympic diver from Mexico) coach the Atlantic Diving Team, the largest in Florida.
Happy Birthday Vladimir Vasin!!
Vladimir Vasin (URS)
Honor Diver (1991)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1972 gold (3m springboard); EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1970 bronze (3m springboard); First Soviet diver to win an Olympic gold medal.
In 1972, Vladimir Vasin became the first Soviet diver to win a medal in the Olympic Games, capturing the gold medal in the three meter springboard competition. He beat the great Italian diver Georgio Cagnotto by only 2 1/2 points at a time when the Italian duo of Cagnotto and Dibiasi were the divers to beat.
Vasin made his Olympic debut at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, and also competed again in 1968 at the Mexico City Olympics. On the 10 meter platform in Mexico City, he injured his shoulder on the 10th dive, but went on to finish fifth. Between Mexico City and Munich, Vladimir competed internationally, which included a first place finish at the USA International meet in Fort Lauderdale.
Vladimir stayed in diving beyond his competitive days and served as a member of the Technical Diving Committee of FINA, as well as a leader for youth in many Soviet organizations, where he is considered a hero.
Happy Birthday David Theile!!
David Theile (AUS)
Honor Swimmer (1968)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1956 gold (100m backstroke); 1960 gold (100m backstroke), silver (4x100m medley relay); QUEENSLAND and AUSTRALIAN JR. CHAMPION: 1947; AUSTRALIAN SR. CHAMPION; 1955; AUSTRALIAN RECORDS: 1955 (100m backstroke).
Dr. David E. Theile is the only swimmer other than a freestyler to win gold medals in two successive Olympics since World War II. This Australian backstroker won gold medals in both the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games. He is currently lecturer in surgery at the London Hospital (England) after an honors academic record at the University of Queensland and a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons.
Dr. Theile began competitive swimming at 9, was Queensland and Australian Jr. Champion at 16, and began a five-year reign as Sr. Champion in 1955, at 17. When Thiele set the Australian 100 meter backstroke record at 1:07.4 in 1955, he was breaking a 17-year-old record set the year he was born (1:07.8 by Percy Oliver in 1938).
Thiele won the 100 meter backstroke crown at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics in world and Olympic record time, 1:02.2. At Rome in 1960, he lowered his Olympic record to 1:01.9 for a second gold medal and was part of the Australian silver medal medley relay.
Currently living in London with his wife and two children, David Theile joins Murray Rose and Dawn Fraser as Australian contemporaries honored in the Hall of Fame. Together with John Devitt, Jon Hendricks, Kevin O’Halloran, Gary Chapman, Lorraine Crapp, Faith Leech, Terry Gathercole, John Monckton, the Konrads Kids and a host of others, the Aussie swimmers of this 1956-’60 period represented a return to the world swimming dominance which Australia maintained at the turn of the century when Barnie Kieran, Freddie Lane and the Cavills were dominating the record books with something called the Australian Crawl
Italian Supserstar Swimmer Federica Pellegrini & husband Matteo Giunta Announce Birth Of Baby Daughter
Article by Swimming World
by LIZ BYRNES – EUROPE CORRESPONDENT
03 January 2024, 10:26am
Federica Pellegrini & Matteo Giunta Announce Birth Of Baby Daughter
Two-time Olympic medallist Federica Pellegrini and Matteo Giunta have announced the birth of their daughter Matilde.
Matilde is the first child for the Italian couple who married in August 2022, months after Pellegrini retired from the sport following a long and illustrious career that spanned 17 years and five Olympics and which included 200 free gold and silver at Beijing 2008 and Athens 2004 respectively.
The 35-year-old also claimed six long-course world titles and seven European golds and her 200 free WR of 1:52.98 stood from the 2009 World Championships to July last year when Mollie O’Callaghan lowered it to 1:52.85 at the Fukuoka worlds.
In a post to social media, they said:
“Complicated 2 days….Finally you arrived !!!!
6:5103/01/2024
Matilde
“Thanks to the angels that cared for us during this journey, Titty, Marcello, Giada, Alessandra, Massimo and the entire team of the Sacred Heart hospital.”
Among those to congratulate them were Katinka Hosszu, Elena Di Liddo, World Aquatics and Juventus Football Club.