Black History Month: African-American Swimmers- Why the Disparity?
by Dr. Phillip Whitten//Guest Blogger
It was the stuff of nightmares, a parent’s worst fears unfolding right before her disbelieving eyes, her refusing-to-believe eyes. But it was no dream. It was reality – stark, heart-rending reality.
August 3, 2010 was a typical summer day in Shreveport, La.: sweltering. So Maude Warner packed her three teenagers and a nephew in the family car and drove to a popular recreation area along the Red River to cool off, feast on some barbecued ribs and catch up on the latest gossip. The teens, too, were looking forward to horsing around in the river shallows, especially with their good friends, the three Stewart kids.
For Maude, it was a lovely, enjoyable summer’s afternoon in the Deep South. It was a time to reconnect with old friends and reinforce neglected friendships, some of which dated all the way back to grade school. So engrossed was she in sharing the latest scuttlebutt, that she failed to hear the first scream. But she heard the second one an instant later, and it sent a cold shiver up her spine.
“Help me. I can’t swim!”
The voice was familiar. It belonged to Dekendrix Warner, her 15 year-old nephew. There he was, about 10 or 15 yards from shore, panicked, churning the water with his arms, trying desperately to keep his head above water, but not having much success.
He couldn’t swim. Not even the short distance between himself and safety. But he was too panic-stricken to think rationally. His head dipped under the water, then bobbed up again. “Help me. I can’t swim,” he beseeched his family and friends
By this time, all the adults at the gathering – about twenty – were at the water’s edge. But none dared brave the now lethal waters to reach the boy, who was weakening fast. Not one of them could swim. Twenty healthy, middle-aged adults and not a swimmer among them.
By now, everyone was screaming but no one was stroking. Finally, DeKendrix’ two male cousins – 17 year-old JaTavious and his 14 year-old brother JaMarcus – plunged in, waded to the end of the slippery rocks, in water that was four feet deep. Then they, too, slipped off, and found themselves in serious trouble, 15 feet above the bottom of the treacherous Red River. Gone was any thought of rescuing their cousin.
Little Takeitha Warner, just 13, tried to help her big brothers, but wound up a victim just like them. So, too, the Stewarts – Litrelle, LaDarius and Latevin. Each made a valiant, but futile, attempt to save their friends.
It was a horrifying scene. When first responders finally arrived, it was too late. All they could do was pull the bodies of the six African American teenagers from the river. Ironically, the only survivor was DeKendrix Warner, who was rescued by a passer-by.
As terrifying and tragic as these multiple drownings were, variations on this theme play out with alarming regularity nearly every day, and African Americans are the victims far out of proportion to their numbers. According to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year, drowning is the second-leading cause of death among children from 1 to 4 years of age, and the third leading cause in every other age group through adults 29 and over.
At every age, African American children are the victims of drowning far more than white children. Among young people age 5 to 19, blacks drown in pools at a rate 5.5 times that of whites. When all age groups and venues are combined, the ratio is 3.2 to one. That means that for every 100 white kids who drown, 320 black kids drown.
(It is very rarely acknowledged, but there is also a humongous gender gap in drownings: four times as many males drown as females.)
You don’t have to look very far to find an explanation. According to studies conducted by researchers at USA Swimming and the University of Memphis, as many as a staggering 70% of black people cannot swim at all, while for Caucasians, the figure is still alarming at 31%.
Another facet of the same phenomenon can be seen by considering the makeup of the US Olympic swim team. The first African American to make the US Olympic team was Anthony Ervin in the year 2000; he took home two gold medals. In 2004, Maritza Correia became the first black woman to make the US squad.
At the 2012 London Games, just three of the 47 members of the US Olympic swim team were African American. That’s not surprising, considering only three percent of the members of USA Swimming are black. And though there are some phenomenal black kids coming up through the age group ranks, they still are disproportionately under-represented.
But why the disparity? Ahh, therein lies a most intriguing story. One that involves all sorts of convoluted explanations and pseudo-scientific theories. Such as: Black people can’t swim very well because they are unable to float. Or, because their musculature is too heavy; Or, because their torso is too short in relation to their legs (or is it the other way around? I forget).
In any event, the details don’t matter much, because it’s all rubbish. Pure, unadulterated nonsense. No truer than the notion that the sun revolves around the Earth.For you see, there was a time when not only were black people competent swimmers, they were regarded by many, especially Europeans, as the best swimmers in the world. Writing in journals dating to the 15th century, European explorers speak expansively and eloquently about the aquatic skills of West Africans. Not only were West Africans swimming, but they were using a type of crawl stroke that wasn’t adopted by Europeans until the very end of the 19th century. Ironically, during that time and up until the early years of the 20th century, it was the Europeans and white Americans who lacked swimming skills, while so-called primitive peoples were swimming proficiently all around the world, surfing and free diving to depths of 90 feet and more to collect pearls.The ancient Greeks and Romans were skilled swimmers and took pride in their abilities. For instance, Julius Caesar was well-known and admired for his aquatic skills. But from the Middle Ages on, very few Europeans dared to swim. They were too frightened by stories of monsters, such as the Loch Ness monster, and warnings from their priests that swimming nude would buy them a one-way ticket to Hell.Even during that period, however, there were some folks who weren’t buying the conventional wisdom. For example, Benjamin Franklin was not only a strong and avid swimmer, he also invented paddles and worked as a swim instructor in Paris while he was negotiating an end to the Revolutionary war and in London, where he served as US ambassador. Britain’s King George III also swam regularly, as did US president John Quincy Adams some years later.Swimming was also part of the literature of the period dating all the way back to the 16th century, when the French writer, François Rabelais, had his two giants, Gargantua and Pantagruel, swim over and back across the Seine River every day before breakfast.When West Africans were sold into slavery in the southern states of the USA, they brought their aquatic-based lifestyle with them. From time to time, a master might accidently tip his boat over, dumping him into the river. Dressed in heavy clothes and heavier boots, and not able to swim at all, he didn’t stand much of a chance. But a master who treated his slaves with some measure of human kindness would, more often than not, jump in and rescue the struggling slave master. On summer days, when the slaves would finish their work before the sun had set, many slave owners would allow them a little recreation down at the river. Indeed, it was not uncommon for a master to have a young slave the same age as his son assigned to the boy to teach him to swim and to serve as his personal lifeguard. Quite often, the two youngsters would bond and become lifelong friends.In an article entitled, “The Truth Behind African Americans and Swimming,” Maria Burzillo writes: “Slaves on some plantations participated in races and contests, often organized by their slave owners, who would then bet on the races and would even sometimes give out prizes. “There are also many accounts of slaves wrestling sharks, alligators, and manta rays as a show of strength. These events became spectacles and often drew large crowds. These types of contests required great swimming skill and were a way for slaves, especially men, to demonstrate their power and earn distinction in the slave community. It also gave them pride to be so skilled at swimming, an activity that most of their masters were afraid of.”As other countries freed their slaves, free black seamen became a common sight when ships would dock at U.S. coastal cities. Slaves in southern ports would talk to these sailors, who encouraged them to make a dash for freedom by swimming across rivers that served as borders between the free north and slave south. In ever-increasing numbers they did just that. The slave owners could not tolerate such rebellion and so the South Carolina legislature passed the Negro Seamen Act of 1822, which called for the imprisonment of any free, foreign, black seamen for the entire time their ship was docked in the state. Other southern states followed with similar Draconian laws. In the years that followed, laws were passed or rules enforced that had the effect of preventing slaves from coming near any bodies of water. At the same time, the slaves were told that the measures had been enacted for their benefit, since everyone knew that black folks were poor swimmers. As time passed, more and more blacks came to believe this precursor to the Big Lie technique.After the Civil War, African Americans could use any public beach or pool they wanted to use. Theoretically. In reality, what happened was that public facilities were abandoned or, more often, privatized. And black folks were excluded. However, after World War II, in which black Americans played a crucial role, their exclusion from swimming facilities could no longer be rationalized. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 secured their right to have the same access to swimming facilities as whites. Unfortunately, by that time, blacks had internalized the lie that claimed they could not swim. Only now, 150 years after the Civil War, is that historic falsehood finally unraveling. Dozens of organizations across the country have developed learn-to-swim programs aimed primarily at minority youngsters. Recognizing its responsibility to swimmers of all abilities, the USA Swimming Foundation is leading the way by expanding its successful “Make a Splash Initiative.” One of its most effective tools is its annual traveling tour, sponsored by Phillips 66, in which Olympic gold medalists such as Anthony Ervin, Janet Evans and Rowdy Gaines promote the importance of learning to swim so that tragedies like the one in Shreveport, Louisiana, never happen again.References:
USA Swimming Foundation, 2010 Diversity Research Study. Irving Drayer, et al, Department of Health and Social Services, University of Memphis, 4-4-08
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Fatal Unintentional Drownings, US Centers for Disease Control, 2014
Bruce Wigo, Black History and Swimming: 1500 to 2000, International Swimming Hall of Fame
Mary Burzillo, “The Truth Behind African Americans and Swimming”
Happy Birthday Sun Shuwei!!
Sun Shuwei (CHN)
Honor Diver (2007)
FOR THE RECORD: 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (10m platform); 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (10m platform); 1994 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (10m platform); 1998 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (10m platform synchro).
Sun Shuwei was 16 years old when he won the 1991 Perth World Championship 10m platform defeating his teammate Xiong Ni. Two years later at age 18, he was the Olympic Champion in the event, becoming China’s first male Olympic diver to win the gold medal on the 10m platform. His score of 677.31 points was well ahead of the silver and bronze medalists, Scott Donie (USA) and Xiong Ni (CHN). At the 1994 Rome World Championships, Russia’s Dimitry Sautin beat him by only four points but Sun returned in 1998 to win the World Championship gold medal in the 10m platform synchro with partner Liang Tian.
Sun started diving at the age of nine at the Guangdong Provincial Sparetime Sports School. At only 1.55 meters and 45 kilograms, he was a small athlete who relied on perfect technique to score high points. From 1988 to 1992, he won platform gold medals at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games, Canada International Invitational and Chinese National Championships. He missed the 1996 Atlanta Olympics due to eye surgery caused by a detached retina. The injury prevented serious diving the remainder of his career.
Swimming World Magazine named Sun, the World’s Best Male Platform Diver in 1991. He was selected China’s best diver in 1990 as well as one of China’s national top ten athletes of 1993. Upon retirement, he was invited to coach on the national team becoming China’s only national coach who was an Olympic gold medal winner.
World Aquatics Championships Doha: Six Fukuoka Gold Medalists Entered (Full Entry Lists)
by DAVID RIEDER – SENIOR WRITER
29 January 2024, 06:53pm
World Aquatics Championships Doha: Six Fukuoka Gold Medalists Entered (Full Entry Lists)
The entry lists for the swimming events at the upcoming World Aquatics Championships have been released, and as expected, many of the world’s premier swimmers will sit out the Doha meet next month as they prepare for the Paris Olympics in July. However, plenty of top-tier talent will make the trip to the Middle East to try to add to their record of swimming accomplishments and get in significant international racing experience.
Click here to view the full entry lists.
Out of 17 women’s individual events, 10 will feature at least one swimmer who won a medal at last year’s World Championships in Fukuoka while the men’s program will feature more established talent, with 14 of the 17 events featuring a 2023 medalist. Six individuals won won individual world titles last July will be in Doha: women’s 50 freestyle and 50 butterfly star Sarah Sjostrom, women’s 50 and 100 breaststroke winner Ruta Meilutyte, women’s 200 IM winner Kate Douglass, men’s 50 freestyle gold medalist Cameron McEvoy, men’s 800 and 1500 free champion Ahmed Hafnaoui and men’s 50 back titlist Hunter Armstrong.
Matt Richards, the British swimmer who won the 200 free at last year’s Worlds, is entered in Doha in the 100 free and for relay purposes. Great Britain still needs to qualify a 400 free relay team for the Olympics after the Fukuoka group, which was a medal favorite, was disqualified for a false start in prelims after Richards split a sizzling 46.89 on his leg.
Meanwhile, men’s 50 and 100 breaststroke world-record holder Adam Peaty is returning to the global stage for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics. Peaty will try to post strong times in the event as he tries to position himself for a potential Olympic three-peat in the 100 breast, an accomplishment no men’s swimmer aside from Michael Phelps has ever pulled off. Qin Haiyang, who swept the breaststroke events at the 2023 Worlds, is not entered, but the three men who shared 100 breast behind Qin silver in Fukuoka, Arno Kamminga, Nicolo Martinenghi and Nic Fink, will pose a challenge for Peaty.
On the women’s side, Douglass will be in line for a big meet, as the gold-medal favorite in the 200 IM and 200 breaststroke, an event in which she joined the sub-2:20 club earlier this month. Australia’s Shayna Jack will go head-to-head with Sjostrom in the 50 and 100 free, with Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey also in the 100 and favored in the 200 free. Other Fukuoka medalists on the entry lists include the Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen, New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather, Italy’s Simona Quadarella, Great Britain’s Lauren Cox, Italy’s Benedetta Pilato, the Netherlands’ Tes Schouten and China’s Yu Yiting.
In the men’s splash-and-dash, McEvoy will face off with the top-two finishers from the 2022 Worlds, Great Britain’s Ben Proud and the USA’s Michael Andrew. Hafnaoui will have to deal with Lukas Martens in the 400 free while the distance events should be exciting with the veteran trio of Gregorio Paltrinieri, Mykhailo Romanchuk and Florian Wellbrock in town after none of the trio won pool medals at last year’s Worlds.
In the absence of superstar Leon Marchand, American Carson Foster could have a big meet in the IMs, as he will face off with Great Britain’s Duncan Scott (200 IM) and Japan’s Daiya Seto (400 IM). Butterfly specialists Krzysztof Chmielewski of Poland, Tomoru Honda of Japan and Diogo Matos Ribeiro of Portugal will also be seeking podium returns in Doha, as will 200 back bronze medalist Roman Mityukov.
Olympic relay qualification will be on the line in Doha, with only the medal-winners from each relay event at last year’s Fukuoka Worlds having secured their spots in Paris. That means the United States and Australia have little at stake in Doha while the aforementioned British team plus countries like China and Canada still have work to do. It’s unclear which relays each country will contest, although the American women might sit out some relays with a squad lacking depth behind Douglass and Claire Curzan.
Happy Birthday Sylvie Bernier!!
Sylvie Bernier (CAN)
Honor Diver (1996)
FOR THE RECORD: 1984 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (3m springboard); 1983 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: bronze (3m springboard); 1982 COMMONWEALTH GAMES: silver (3m springboard); 1983 FINA WORLD CUP: bronze (3m springboard); 1983 WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES: bronze (3m springboard); 1983-1984 CAN-AM-MEX: gold (3m springboard); FIVE CANADIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (3m springboard).
She took her first step off a diving springboard when she was eight years old and from that moment on, springboard diving for Sylvie Bernier was never to be the same. A 3m springboard queen was born. Sylvie was to become one of the world’s best female divers.
From Ste-Foy, Quebec, Sylvie began her international career in 1973 under coach Jean Plamondon from 1975 to 1982 and Donald Dion from 1982 until her retirement in 1984. During her career, she was a five-time Canadian national Champion and still holds the Canadian record on the 3m springboard at 544 points.
During the 1980s, Sylvie’s international achievements really surfaced. All of her competition was on the 3m springboard. In 1981, she won the gold in Dive Canada Nationals and silvers at the USA Hall of Fame International Meet and Bolzano Invitational International. 1982 was a repeat of ’81 except for the addition of her gold medal at the Torneo International Eleventh Can-Am-Mex. At the 1982 Commonwealth Games she won the silver medal. 1983 saw a USA Hall of Fame International gold medal and bronze medals at the World University Games, Pan American Games and 3rd FINA World Cup. She won the gold medal at the East German Rostock Invitational.
Then it was 1984, the year of the Olympics, in the warm up meet at the USA Hall of Fame International two months before the Los Angeles Games, Sylvie won the gold medal. At Dive Canada again she won gold. She knew if she dived consistently in Los Angeles she could win.
But, it was supposed to be the Americans and Chinese battling it out for the gold. They were the favorites. They didn’t know that Sylvie had been working on her entries during the winter months and was confident going into the meet. After Bernier’s third dive in the final round, a reverse dive pike, she jumped ahead of all others and kept the lead throughout the competition, fighting off silver medalist Kelly McCormick and bronze medalist Chris Seufert, both of the USA.
Sylvie had become Canada’s first ever gold medalist in diving and only its second Olympic diving medal winner, with Irene MacDonald’s bronze medal performance on the 3m springboard in 1956. Her diving performances had made her the most successful diver in Canadian history, and she was named the Canadian Female Athlete of the Year in 1984. Upon her retirement following the Los Angeles Games, Sylvie was named a member of the Order of Canada, member of the International Olympic Academy and the Canadian Olympic Association.
Bernier went back to university to obtain a Certificate in Administration, and in 1985 started a career in television delivering chronicles, interviews and serving as commentator for the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games. She is now a TV commentator on a morning show, salesperson for different companies and a lecturer across Canada. Being asthmatic since she was a child, Sylvie has dedicated herself to the well-being of children suffering form breathing diseases, especially asthma. She offers motivational and visualization conferences across Canada. She is married to Gilles Cloutier and is a mother of 3 daughters Catherine, Annabelle and Florence.
Sylvie did for Canada what no other diver has done, a gold medal performance at the Olympic Games.
Betty Brussel Breaks Three Age Group World Records at Age 99
Photo Courtesy: Swimming Canada
by DAN D’ADDONA — SWIMMING WORLD MANAGING EDITOR
29 January 2024, 08:18pm
At 99 years old, Betty Brussel is still in the water two days a week training.
The Dutch-born British Columbia resident simply put her love for the sport in an interview with the Washington Post: “When I swim, I feel so happy”
At 99, she broke three world records for the 100-104 age group (which she is a part of because of the year of her birth, 1924). She swims Canadian Masters for the White Rock Wave Swim Team.
Brussel broke the 400-meter free style record by finishing in 12 minutes, 50 seconds, shattering the previous age group world record by close to four minutes.
She also broke the 50 backstroke record in 1:24 and the 50 breaststroke in 1:52.
According to the Washington Post story, Brussel grew up in the Netherlands as the second born of 12 children and looked after her siblings during World War II.
Brussel and her late husband immigrated to Canada in 1959 where she became a seamstress.
She got in the water for the first time in a competition in 1991. Since then, she has set several records and will be the subject of an upcoming documentary, according to the Post report.
“I’m very fortunate that I’m able to do all this stuff, and I have good health,” Betty Brussel told the Post.
She will turn 100 in July.
Happy Belated Birthday to Abdellatief Abouheif!!
Abdellatief Abouheif (EGY)
Honor Pioneer Open Water Swimmer (1998)
FOR THE RECORD: Abdellatief Abouheif, Honor Open Water Swimmer
World’s Great Marathon Swimmer from 1953-1972;
Longest Distance Swim – 60 miles of Lake Michigan in 34 hours, 45 minutes;
Competed in over 68 International Races between 30km and 80km in length.
1964, ’65 & ’68 World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation Champion.
Famous swims, with first place finishes, include:
1953 – Seine River (Paris) France, 18 miles, 5:46.40;
1954 – St. Nazaire LaBaule, France, 26 miles, 7:41.15;
1955 – English Channel (France to England), 21 miles, 11:44.00;
1955 – St. Nazaire – La Baule, France, 26 miles, 9:32.00;
1956 – Nile River, U.A.R., 42 miles, 17:01.01;
1956 – Ouvers, Oise, France, 11 miles, 4:24-00;
1956 – Seine River (Paris) France, 18 miles, 6:37.50;
1957 – Saida, Beirut, Lebanon, 25 miles, 13:05.00;
1961 – Saida, Beirut, Lebanon, 23 miles, 10:47.00;
1962 – Lake Ohrid, Yugoslavia, 21 miles, 9:27.07;1963 – Capri, Naples, Italy, 23 miles, (tie) 8:49.35;1963 – Lake Michigan USA, 60 miles, 34:45.00;1963 – Toronto (CNE) Ontario, Canada, 15 miles, 7:37.26; 1964 – Capri, Naples, Italy, 23 miles, (tie) 10:43.57;1964 – Rio Corond, Argentina, 38 miles, 10:38.50; 1964 – Toronto (CNE) Ontario, Canada, 30 miles, 19:00.00;1965 – Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, 10 miles, 5:18.54.2; 1965 – Lac St. Jean, Quebec, Canada, 25 miles, 8:34.35;1965 – Rio Parana, Argentina, 55 miles, 10:31.41; 1966 – Montreal, Quebec, Canada (30 hr. team race), 251 laps;1968 – Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada, 28 miles, 9:10.00; 1968 – Molson Sprint, 10:44.08;1968 – Narragansett, Rhode Island, 15 miles, (tie) 8:11.00; 1969 – Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada, 28 miles, 10 hr.;1969 – LaTuque, Quebec, Canada, 24 hr. team swim, 62.5 laps.
In a country where marathon swimming is the premier sport, Abdellatief Abouheif is Egypt’s national hero. Revered and respected, his fellow countrymen bow down to him, streets and buildings are named after him and when the great Abouheif speaks, people listen. To the rest of the world, he is an extraordinary phenomenon.
Very few other marathon swimmers can match the achievements of this amazing long distance swimmer. His death defying distance swims and open water races have been held in most of the major bodies of water in the world and under extreme conditions. For example, in a swim hosted by ISHOF Gold Medallion recipient Jim Moran, Abouheif accomplished the 60 mile Lake Michigan Crossing of 1963, spending 34 hours 45 minutes in the chilly 52 degree F. water. In 1962, he spent over 9 hours in the 84 degree F. water, completing the 23 mile Mar Del Plata swim in Argentina. But like all of his swims, he endures, takes himself to the limit and recovers.
Between 1953 and 1972, he competed in over 68 international races of lengths from 30k to 80 kilometers. In 1964, 1965 and 1968, he was the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation Champion of a circuit of races held in Canada, United States, Italy and South America. Of these 68 races he most often finished first and in only 12 races did he finish below third place. International competitions were hosted by France, Argentina, Lebanon, England, Yugoslavia, Mexico and Holland.
Abouheif was born in 1929, the eighth of fifteen children and the son of a school teacher and Parliamentary member. He received his secondary education at Eaton and Sandhurst Military Academy in England. He returned to Egypt to serve in the army rising to the rank of colonel. Along the way he learned to play the piano, speak six languages, marry a beautiful Greek opera singer and become the world’s professional swimming champion.
Abouheif’s five foot ten inch frame that weighs between 200 and 240 pounds, is well covered with fat to endure the exposure to cold water. His eating had no rules and he would eat anything that smelled good at the time, which, before a race, could include two whole roast chickens and a quart of orange juice and milk.
He was held in awe by every swimmer on the circuit. If there was ever any doubt as to whether or not a race could be completed, due to weather conditions, Abouheif would erase that doubt and battle the elements to the finish line. No body of water was too difficult a challenge for him, either fresh or salt water. He has crossed or traversed the English Channel, Lac St. John, Capri-Naples, Canadian National Exposition, La Tugue, Quebec City, Chicoutimi, the Nile River, the Seine River and many more. His trademark was a flurry of strokes and a finish sprint that carries him to the finish line to strive with unyielding competitiveness and to endure in the battle with mother nature.
If an emblem were made that represents Abouheif and his feats, it would have a big set of beautiful white teeth amidst a friendly grin and a picture of a huge stomach. He became the greatest marathon swimmer in the history of the sport and set the standards for today’s open water swimmers.
Happy Birthday Petra Thumer!!
Petra Thumer (GDR)
Honor Swimmer (1987)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1976 gold (400m, 800m freestyle); WORLD RECORDS: 5 (400m, 800m freestyle); EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1977 (200m, 400m, 800m freestyle); USSR-DDR MEET: 1977 gold (400m, 800m freestyle); 1978 gold (800m freestyle).
Barbara Krause, the world record holder in 400 meter freestyle and almost every other freestyle event, was sick at home in East Germany, but the GDR team hardly missed her as a relatively unknown, Petra Thumer, won the 400 by one and one-half feet over USA’s Shirley Babashoff. Both were under Krause’s world record. Babashoff was America’s best swimmer in 1976 and the longer the event, the better she got. Therefore, it is an even greater credit to Thumer that she again set a world record winning the 800 freestyle, the longest women’s freestyle event in the Olympics up until that time. She was largely responsible for the USA being shut out of individual women’s Olympic swimming medals for the first time since they first entered a woman’s team in 1920. She took Miss Babashoff in her two best events and world records were necessary to do it in both races.
Petra Thumer went on to set three more world records in her two pet events in 1977 and added the 200 in her tally of three golds at the 1977 European Championships. She would up her brief but brilliant career on a down note as she failed to place in the 1978 Berlin World Championships in all three of the middle distance freestyle events she had owned for two years.
Doping Disclaimer: In a German court of law, after this swimmer was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, team officials confessed to administering performance enhancing drugs to this swimmer, who therefore obtained an illegal and unfair advantage over other athletes. For more information, click here.
Happy Birthday Giorgio Lamberti!!
Giorgio Lamberti (ITA)
Honor Swimmer (2004)
FOR THE RECORD: 1 WORLD LONG COURSE RECORD: 200m freestyle; 2 WORLD SHORT COURSE RECORDS: 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle ; 1988 OLYMPIC GAMES: 5th (4x200m freestyle relay); 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: 5th (4x200m freestyle relay);1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (200m freestyle), bronze (100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay); 1987 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (200m freestyle); 1989 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle relay); 1991 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (200m freestyle), bronze (100m freestyle, 400m freestyle); 18 ITALIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS.
Born January 28, 1969, Giorgio Lamberti became the fastest freestyle swimmer in the world. At age six, his body weak and frail, doctors suggested swimming to build himself up. He began swimming competitively. At age 17, in 1986, as an unknown, he won his first of 18 Italian National Championships. His swimming physique was like that of Roland Matthes twenty years earlier – light and thin, but his heart was unstoppable and his tactical intelligence was great.
Coming from Brescia, a town halfway between Milan and Verona, and swimming for Coach Pietro Santi at Club Leonessa Nuoto, Lamberti was named to the 1986 World Championship team from Italy. Lamberti finished in the “B” final in the 200m freestyle and was on the 4x100m freestyle relay. But he was soon on his way to becoming European and World Champion.
After a coaching change, Alberto Castagnetti took over as club coach and became Lamberti’s mentor for his career. In 1988, at the Arena Festival in Bonn, Lamberti set short course world records in both the 200m and 400m freestyle. Seven months later, at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Giorgio finished a disappointing 12th place. The burden of preparing for his final academic examinations and the constant hounding by the Italian press towards this new and exciting rising star of Italian swimming paid its toll on Lamberti’s performance. He took a short break.
It was at the 1989 European Championships in Bonn, that Lamberti began to excel again. He won gold in both the 100m freestyle and the 200m freestyle. His 200m freestyle was in world record time, 1:46.69, a record which stood for ten years until broken by Grant Hackett of Australia in Brisbane, 1999. This ten-year period is the longest period of time in which any individual has held the 200m freestyle world record since Freddy Lane (AUS) established the first recorded record of 2:28.6 on August 18, 1902. By defeating Arthur Wojdat of Poland and Anders Holmertz of Sweden, Lamberti set Europe on fire with his three gold medals which also included the 4x200m freestyle relay.
At the 1991 World Championships in Perth, Australia, Lamberti showed he was the fastest swimmer in the world in his event, the 200m freestyle. He won a second gold medal as a member of Italy’s 4x200m freestyle relay team. He competed later in the year at his third European Championship, winning the silver medal in the 200m freestyle, only .05 seconds behind Arthur Wojdat, and the bronze medal in the 100m freestyle and 400m freestyle behind Alexander Popov (URS) and Evgeni Sadovyi (URS) respectively.
Giorgio competed at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, placing fifth with the 4x200m freestyle relay. All totaled, he had four world records, one in the 200m freestyle long course, two in the 200m short course and one in the 400m freestyle short course. He became the most celebrated swimmer in Italy.
After retirement in 1993, Giorgio has served in numerous swimming capacities including the 1994 Rome World Championship Organizing Committee, the Brescia Provencial Delegate to the Italian Swimming Federation (FIN), president of the G.A.M. Team Sport Society of FIN and the Italian Disability Sport Federation, as well as a consultant to other swimming and sport organizations.
Happy Birthday Greg Louganis!!
Greg Louganis (USA)
Honor Diver (1993)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1976 silver (platform), 1980 (boycott), 1984 gold (springboard & platform), 1988 gold (springboard & platform); WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1978 gold (platform), 1982 gold (springboard & platform), 1986 gold (springboard & platform); PAN AMERICAN GAMES: 1979 gold (springboard & platform), 1983 gold (springboard & platform), 1987 gold (springboard & platform); FINA CUP: 1979 gold (platform), 1981 silver (springboard), 1983 gold (springboard & platform), 1987 gold (springboard); U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 47.
Known as the king of diving, Louganis reigned over his sport for more than a decade with grace, power, and unequaled precision.
Winner of the coveted James E. Sullivan award for outstanding achievements in athletics in 1984, Greg established himself as the USA’s best athlete. Not only is Louganis the only male diver in history to win both springboard and platform gold medals for diving in consecutive Olympic Games, 1984 and 1988, a third set of double wins would have probably been his, too, if it were not for the USA’s boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games.
One man who came close to matching Louganis’ Olympic record was his first coach, Dr. Sammy Lee, who won consecutive platform titles at the 1948 Olympic Games in London and the 1952 Games in Helsinki. It was Sammy Lee who spotted the talents of Louganis in 1971 when Louganis scored a perfect ten at the age of eleven at the AAU Junior Olympics. Louganis was soon training with Sammy Lee and went on to win a silver medal at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. It was evident that Greg was on his way to becoming one of the best divers the world has ever seen.
In 1978 Ron O’Brien, also a world-class diver like Lee, joined the staff at Mission Viejo. That year Greg won both World championships titles and defeated the long-time platform champion Klaus Dibiasi of Italy. For the next decade, Greg Louganis was the man to beat on the boards, dominating every national and international competition he entered.
Like many athletes, Greg anticipated the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. Unfortunately, the United States government boycotted the Games in protest of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. Disappointed, but not discouraged, Louganis decided to continue to pursue his dream.
In 1984 Louganis became the first man in 56 years to win two Olympic gold medals in diving. Hall of Famer Pete Desjardins of Miami had done it at the 1928 Games in Paris. In 1988, competing against divers half his age, Louganis became the first man to win double gold medals for diving in two consecutive Olympic Games, a feat duplicated only once in Olympic history by women’s champion Pat McCormick in 1952-1956.
Happy Birthday Libby Trickett!!
Libby Trickett (AUS)
Honor Swimmer (2018)
FOR THE RECORD: 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4×100m freestyle), bronze (50m freestyle); 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (100m butterfly, 4x100m medley), silver (100m freestyle), bronze (4x100m freestyle); 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4x100m freestyle); 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): bronze (50m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle); 2005 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (50m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley), silver (100m butterfly, 4×200m freestyle); 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 4×100 m freestyle, 4×100m medley); 2009 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): silver (4×100 m medley), bronze (100m freestyle, 4×100 m freestyle); 2004 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): gold (100m freestyle, 4×100m medley), silver (50m freestyle, 4×200m freestyle), bronze (50m butterfly, 4×100m freestyle); 2006 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): gold (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 4×200m freestyle, 4×100m medley) silver (4×100m freestyle); 2006 Commonwealth Games: gold (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 4×100m freestyle, 4×200m freestyle, 4×100m medley), silver (200m freestyle, 100m butterfly)
Libby Lenton, joined her first swim team at age four. By age ten, she was one of Queensland’s top age groupers. In 1995, the family moved to Brisbane, where Libby started training under coach John Carew, mentor of Hall of Famer, Kieren Perkins. But in early 2002, Libby began training under coach Stephan Widmar.
Her progress under Widmar was rapid and explosive. Suddenly, the 18-year old girl who had never reached the podium at the state level, stood on the top step four times, for the 50 and 100m freestyle and 50 and 100m butterfly, at the Queensland Champs in January, 2003. This qualified her for the Australian Senior National Team.
She made her international debut in April at the inaugural Mutual of Omaha “Duel in the Pool” meet in Indianapolis. She beat Hall of Famer Jenny Thompson to win the 100m freestyle. She finished first in the 50m freestyle in 24.92, but she was disqualified for a false start. However, officials later ruled her start was fair and she was credited with setting a new Australian record and the first Australian to break 25 seconds.
Libby qualified for and swam in three events in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. She earned a bronze medal in the 50m freestyle and her 4x100m freestyle relay team made up of Libby, Petria Thomas, Jodie Henry and Alice Mills overtook Team USA on the final leg to win the gold in the event for the first time in 48 years!
Libby cemented her position among the world’s top swimmers in 2005. First at the Montreal FINA World Championships by reeling in gold in the 50m freestyle, silver in the 100m butterfly and two golds and a silver for the three relays. Back in Australia, she twice broke the world record in the 100m freestyle at the Telstra Australian Short Course Championships.
In 2006, it was on to Shanghai, for the Short Course World Championships, where she repeated her performance, won five of Australia’s twelve gold medals, as well as being named “Leading Female Swimmer of the Meet”.
Libby won five more gold medals at the 2007 FINA World Championships. This time, three individual, the 50 and 100m freestyle and the 100m butterfly as well as two relays, with the 4x100m freestyle relay in a record-breaking time of 3:35.48. A week later, at the third USA-Australia “Duel in the Pool” in Sydney, she led off the 4x100m mixed relay against Michael Phelps. Although Phelps beat her to the wall, her time of :52.99, broke the world record of Britta Steffens by nearly a third of a second. A race she says she’ll always remember. Four days later, on April 7, 2007, Libby married fellow swimmer, Luke Trickett and started swimming under the name Libby Trickett.
Her performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games brought her two gold, one silver and one bronze. She was part of the world record winning relay team, the 4x100m medley relay, that brought home the gold, and her 4x100m freestyle relay team took bronze. Individually, Trickett won a gold medal in the 100m butterfly and took silver in the 100m freestyle.
Libby briefly retired from swimming in 2009, at the age of 24, but decided to return to competition in 2010 to be part of the 4x100m freestyle relay team at the 2012 London Olympic Games, winning yet another gold, her fourth and final Olympic gold medal of her career. Libby retired in 2013 for the final time.
Libby gave birth to daughter Poppy in 2015 and struggled with the transition to motherhood. Trickett had struggled with depression throughout other times in her life as well. She had worked with sports psychologists and by seeking that advice and guidance, Libby says, that “the biggest lesson she learned was that it’s OK to ask for help and that help is really valuable.” Libby is currently Queensland’s Mental Health Ambassador. On February 28, 2018, Libby and her husband Luke had their second daughter, Eddie.