Column: Latest International Swimming Hall of Fame Class Celebrates Greatness; 13 Honorees Inducted
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
30 September 2023, 06:33pm
Latest International Swimming Hall of Fame Class Celebrates Greatness
There was always going to be something special about the first class of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. The year was 1965, and like any initial induction, the athletes enshrined accounted for a Who’s-Who of the sport. Just a few: Johnny Weissmuller. Dawn Fraser. Duke Kahanamoku. Robert Kiphuth. Gertrude Ederle.
In the five-plus decades since, ISHOF has continued to celebrate the greats of aquatic sports. The yearly induction ceremony in Fort Lauderdale is a special event, one which honors individual excellence, but also recognizes history and offers inspiration for the future. Really, that combination is the essence of all Halls of Fame.
On Saturday night, ISHOF’s latest class – its 58th – was feted at the Parker Playhouse. Those in attendance applauded vociferously and rose to their feet for several standing ovations. For the first time, the event was broadcast by ESPN+, enabling fans, family, and friends to witness the event from around the world.
By definition, any Hall of Fame class is grand. It’s a pinnacle accomplishment in a career, and enshrinement isn’t doled out like a pizza-shop coupon. ISHOF conducts an exhaustive, year-round process is utilized to select each year’s honorees. Eventually, that year’s group of legends is revealed, and they are brought to Southern Florida to receive their due – and place in aquatics history.
As it should be, there is something special about this 2023 class. The career accolades of the 13 individuals recognized would stand strong against any other year. The five swimmers totaled 51 career Olympic medals. But the class, too, has range – athletes from the artistic, Paralympic, diving, governance and water polo worlds all having reached spectacular heights. Arguments can be made that Trischa Zorn (Paralympics) and Natalia Ishchenko (artistic swimming) are the best in history from their respective domains.
Here is a look at the full class of inductees:
Bob Bowman (USA) / Honor CoachChris Carver (USA) / Honor CoachCesar Cielo (BRA) / Honor SwimmerKirsty Coventry (ZIM) / Honor SwimmerMissy Franklin (USA) / Honor SwimmerNatalia Ischenko (RUS) / Honor Synchronized SwimmerKosuke Kitajima (JPN) / Honor SwimmerHeather Petri (USA) / Honor Water Polo PlayerMichael Phelps (USA) / Honor SwimmerWu Minxia (CHN) / Honor DiverSam Ramsamy (RSA) / Honor ContributorStéphane Lecat (FRA) / Honor Open Water SwimmerTrischa Zorn (USA) / Honor Paralympic Swimmer
In Michael Phelps, there is no debate concerning his status as the greatest swimmer his sport has seen. He was a modern-day Moses, moving water like no other. It equated to 28 Olympic medals, 23 of the gold variety. During a career that spanned 2000-2016, Phelps was the undisputed face of the sport. He proved anything was achievable, such as claiming eight gold medals in a single Olympiad, and he served as an inspiration for youngsters dreaming of their own success in the pool.
The fact that Phelps was inducted on a night when his longtime coach, Bob Bowman, also earned enshrinement was only appropriate. It was Bowman who was willing to tell an 11-year-old’s parents that he had the potential for greatness. He then followed that claim by molding Phelps’ career in deliberate and careful fashion.
Photo Courtesy: John Lohn
As she delivered her acceptance speech, six-time Olympic medalist Missy Franklin wore her trademark smile. Franklin will long be remembered for her backstroke and freestyle prowess, her double-gold in the backstroke events at the 2012 Olympics an iconic sweep. Yet, she will also be recalled for what she brought to the sport from a personality standpoint. Franklin’s bubbly, full-of-life demeanor showed that you don’t have to be a robot, or free of verve, to excel. She showed you can also reach the top of the sport with pure joy, and while connecting with a fanbase – something she continues to do today.
Photo Courtesy: John Lohn
Meanwhile, Kirsty Coventry was honored following a career that yielded seven Olympic medals. Who would have thought such a run could be made by an athlete born in Zimbabwe, not exactly a hot bed for swimming. But Coventry found a way, and provided proof that success can come from any locale, as long as belief and hard work click in unison.
The night of Saturday, September 30 is now part of swimming’s history. There are 13 new members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Their stories will resonate in perpetuity, and soon have a place in the new ISHOF museum. Just like that inaugural class from 1965, these athletes will continue to have an impact on the aquatics’ world.
The past, present, and future have again been celebrated, and will forever be intertwined. It’s what a Hall of Fame is all about.
Happy Birthday Joe Ruddy. Sr!!
Joe Ruddy. Sr (USA)
Honor Water Polo (1986)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1904 gold (water polo); Coach of swimming and water polo for next 50 years; NYAC (New York Athletic Club) teams undefeated, 1930-1939 in both indoor and outdoor US National Championships.
Picking the greatest softball “Tarzan” water polo player is not easy. But picking the greatest “softball” family is a cinch — the remarkable Ruddys of the New York Athletic Club. Joe, Steve, Joe Jr., Ray, Don, Steve and Tom all played outstanding water polo. The “softball” game dominated US play for 40 years before it was finally abandoned in 1945 for the international hardball game. The differences: 1) The ball was partially deflated so you could grab it in one hand; 2) You could hold a player underwater and take the ball underwater; 3) The goal was a backboard instead of a net, and you literally tried to bull your way into the goal.
Joe Sr., (1904) and nephew Steve (1920) made Olympic teams as swimmer and water polo player while Ray, the best swimmer of all the Ruddy’s, made it to three Olympics in 1928, 1932 and 1936. Ray won the President’s Cup Race seven years in a row and was National Long Distance Champion six years. At 15, he was the USA’s youngest Olympian. After Joe’s Olympic gold medal in 1904, he became a player-coach, playing until the age of 50. A practical joker, often called the Milton Berle of the chlorine set, Joe Ruddy’s softball water polo teams at NYAC were undefeated for 10 years (1930-1939 in both indoor and outdoor US National Championships). The roughest of all team sports was finally abandoned after WWII because of the resistance of coaches who did not want their star swimmers hurt and also because it was felt Americans needed to concentrate on the international hardball game to do well in the Olympics. During the 1920s and 1930s, however, when the New York Athletic Club reigned supreme in both swimming and water polo, Joe Ruddy was coach of both. He did some of his best work underwater.
Happy Birthday Lenny Krayzelburg!!
Lenny Krayzelburg (USA)
Honor Swimmer (2011)
FOR THE RECORD: 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 4x100m medley); 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4x100m medley, preliminaries); 4 WORLD RECORDS: 1 (50m backstroke), 1 (100m backstroke), 1 (200m backstroke), 1 (4x100m medley); 3 WORLD RECORDS (25m):1 (100m backstroke, 2 (200m backstroke); 1998 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke), silver (4x100m medley); 2000 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (25m): gold (4x100m medley), silver (50m backstroke); 1997 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 4x100m medley); 1999 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 4x100m medley).
Leonid “Lenny” Krayzelburg was born in Odessa, the Soviet Union. After spending his boyhood years in what is now the Ukraine, his family immigrated to the United States to escape Soviet Jewish anti Semitism and the call of the Soviet army, settling in a Soviet Jewish enclave in Los Angeles. This soft spoken Russian, a product of the Soviet sports system, wanted to continue his swimming in America, training first at the Jewish Community Center and eventually at the University of Southern California and Trojan Swim Club with coaches Bruce Becker at the Westside JCC, Stu Blumkin at Santa Monica College and Mark Schubert at USC.
His first big international meet was the 1997 Fukuoka Pan Pacific Games, where he won three backstroke gold medals. Now at 6 feet 2 inches, 190 pounds, he was destined to become the world’s best backstroke swimmer. At the 1998 Perth World Championship, he won gold medals in the 100m and 200m backstroke. At the 1999 Sydney Pan Pacific Games he won all gold medals again. At the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Lenny became the first Olympic swimmer, since Rick Carey in 1984, to win both the 100 meter and 200 meter backstroke events at the same Olympics. He also led off the 4x100m medley relay gold-medal swim setting the 100m backstroke world record in the process.
Repeated surgeries to his left shoulder did not prevent him from being elected captain of the 2004 US Olympic Team and winning a fourth Olympic gold medal on the 4×100 medley relay team swimming in the prelims.
All totaled, Lenny set five world records, one each in the 50 meter, 100 meter and 200 meter backstroke and two short course records. He was the USA Swimmer of the Year in 1999 and 2000. Lenny’s story is the ultimate success story: the immigrant who came to a new land, worked hard, overcame obstacles and found exactly what he hoped to find, the American Dream. He has opened the LK Swim Academy to teach children to swim and his Foundation helps underprivileged kids to learn to swim.
Happy Birthday Tian Liang!!
Tian Liang (CHN)
Honor Diver (2012)
FOR THE RECORD: 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (10m platform), silver (10m platform synchro); 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (10m platform synchro), bronze (10m platform); 1998 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (10m platform synchro), silver (10m platform); 2001 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (10m platform, 10m platform synchro); 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: bronze (10m platform, 10m platform synchro).
Tian Liang began diving at the age of seven. He was very quick to learn and was hard working. He joined the National Team in 1993 at the age of 13. Nicknamed “child prodigy”, he led a new generation of Chinese divers in the 10 meter platform event. His technical style featured a strong explosive force, vigorous movements and agility in execution.
Tian won his first National title in 1994 in the 10 meter platform and claimed his first World Championship in the 10 meter platform synchronized diving event in 1998 as well as the silver medal in the 10 meter platform. It was not until the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 that he realized his dream of winning the Olympic gold medal in the 10 meter platform event, beating favorite Dimity Sautin of Russia and teammate Jia Hu of China. He scored 101.52 points, the most points ever recorded for one dive in Olympic competition. Tian and partner Yang Jinghui won the silver medal in the men’s synchronized 10 meter platform event. In 2004, in Athens he won his second Olympic gold medal in the men’s synchronized diving 10 meter platform event. Individually, he took the bronze medal at those same Games in the 10 meter platform event. In addition to his four Olympic medals, Tian won the gold medal in the 10 meter platform and 10 meter platform synchronized diving events at the 2001 World Championships, and bronze medals in both events at the 2003 World Championships.
But, not since Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe has an Olympic Champion made such an impression in the entertainment industry. Tiang Liang’s acting career is just beginning. Today, his is one of the most recognizable faces in all of China. Recently, Liang starred in Chinese language films including “A Beautiful Life” (2011), the 2010 romance “The Fantastic Water Babies”, “I love Wing Chun” among others. He appeared in music videos with his beautiful and talented wife, Ye Qian, and released an autobiography recalling his brilliant career.
His success in diving and his bright sunny smile made him an adorable sweetheart in media and entertainment circles, but his commercial activities cost him a place on the national team to compete in Beijing. Hundreds of media reporters flocked to get a glimpse of the legendary diver at a press conference held in Beijing. A few months later, he and Ye were married and now have two children.
Happy Birthday Lenore Kight!!
Lenore kight (USA)
Honor Swimmer (1981)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1932 silver (400m freestyle); 1936 bronze (400m freestyle); WORLD RECORDS: 7; NATIONAL AAU Titles: 23; AMERICAN RECORDS: 24; Placed first in 1937 Toronto C.N.E. marathon swim.
Lenore Kight (Wingard) had the distinction of finishing second to Helene Madison just as Istvan Barany was second to Johnny Weissmuller and John Nelson to Don Schollander. There is a distinction between being touched out by one tenth of a second in the Olympic games in World Record time set by an all-time great and just finishing second. Lenore medaled in two Olympics, held seven World Records, won 23 U.S. Nationals, set 24 American Records and won the 440 and 1 mile National AAU freestyle 4 years in a row. In 1933 she won every U.S. AAU National Championship possible in the crawl stroke. She finished her remarkable career by turning pro to win the Toronto Canadian Exhibition “World Championship” marathon. So Helene Madison did catch the tail of the “Kight” early in Lenore’s career but almost no one else ever did.
Happy Birthday Dick Roth!!
Dick Roth (USA)
Honor Swimmer (1987)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1964 gold (400m individual medley); WORLD RECORDS: 2 (400m individual medley); AAU NATIONALS: 11 (200m, 400m individual medley; 1 relay); NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3 (200yd, 400yd individual medley; 1 relay); AMERICAN RECORDS: 12 (200yd, 400yd, 200m, 400m individual medley; 5 relays).
The 1964 Tokyo Olympics final in the 400 meter individual medley looked like an Army sick call with almost as many doctors as coaches hovering around the swimmers. Dick Roth, the world record holder, certainly had a good excuse for not swimming. On the night before the race, Dick had his appendix in ice packs and was told he must have an emergency operation. “No!” said Roth. “I’m not missing the Olympic final no matter what happens.” Former world record holder Gerhard Hetz of Germany had pneumonia, and Roy Saari (USA) had a very heavy cold that was causing him to have a sub par Olympics. They all swam. “I forgot my hot appendix during the race,” said Roth. He won the 400 IM setting a new Olympic and world record with Saari second and Hetz third. The five healthy finalists finishing behind.
Dick Roth’s world record lasted four years. He set seven American records between 1963 and 1967 during a period when the 200 meter individual medley was not recognized as a world record. This Santa Clara and Stanford swimmer won 12 nationals in his all stroke specialty as well as making the finals in backstroke and swimming on seven national relay winners for coaches George Haines and Jim Gaughran. His size 13 feet were too big for Japanese shoes and lots of swimmers could beat him at one of the individual strokes, but put the four in the pool together and versatile Dick Roth was King Richard of the I.M. for five years.
Happy Birthday Gary Hall Jr.!!
Gary Hall Jr. (USA)
Honor Swimmer (2013)
FOR THE RECORD: 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley), silver (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle); 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (50m freestyle, 4x100m medley), silver (4x100m freestyle), bronze (100m freestyle); 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (50m freestyle), bronze (4x100m freestyle); 1994 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley), silver (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle); 1998 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m freestyle), silver (4x100m medley); 1995 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: gold (4x100m freestyle); 2003 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: bronze (50m freestyle); 1995 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley); 1999 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (50m freestyle); FIVE U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1-50y freestyle, 1-100y freestyle, 2-50m freestyle, 1-100m freestyle.
As a two year old, his dad carried him on to the pool deck of the Montreal Olympic swim stadium. Five years later, he was in Fort Lauderdale to see his dad’s induction into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Gary Hall, Jr. learned to swim at age three, but didn’t start competitively until he was 16. He grew to be six feet six inches tall, weighing 218 pounds and became known not only for his pre-race antics but for being one of the world’s fastest swimmers.
His Olympic career began in 1996 with two gold medals in the 4×100 meter freestyle and medley relays and two individual silver medals in the 50 and 100 meter freestyle, only .13 seconds behind Russia’s Alexander Popov in the 50 and .07 seconds in the 100.
Then, in March of 1999, he was diagnosed with type one diabetes. Doctors initially told him that his Olympic career was over. However, after consulting with Dr. Anne Peters Harmel, he resumed training for the Sydney Games in a new way. In addition to checking his insulin levels up to ten times a day, Gary and his Dad started the Race Club, a club concept for elite athletes in 2002. Training under coach Mike Bottom during this time in Islamorada, Florida, Gary went on to tie for the individual gold medal in the 50 meter freestyle with fellow American Anthony Ervin. He also won a bronze in the 100 meter freestyle along with gold and silver medals in the relays.
Four years later at the age of 29, the oldest American Olympic swimmer since Duke Kahanamoku in 1924, he capped off his Olympic career in Athens by standing on top of the 50 meter freestyle podium alone as Olympic champion.
Gary has ten Olympic medals to his name and joins his father as the only father and son duo to each win Olympic medals in three Olympic Games.
Gary’s relaxed ability to accept challenges head-on and conquer them is what won him countless awards and fans. His fans were always on the edge of their seats to see how he would emerge and perform in his next race. By achieving his dreams despite health challenges, he has been a great inspiration to the millions of people living with diabetes and would personally return calls, no matter the hour.
Happy Birthday to our 2023 Honoree Kosuke Kitajima!!
There was a lapse after the war and it took many years for them to regain the power they once had. In 1972 Nobutaka Taguchi won gold in the 100-meter breaststroke and Mayumi Aoki won gold in the 100-meter butterfly. Taguchi also won bronze in the 200 breaststroke, but it was very sporatic before and after that point.
But after Daichi Suzuki won the gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke, in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea, it once again gave the Japanese hope and slowly things started to change. After Suzuki’s victory, the world start seeing more Japanese in the Olympic Games. Suzuki is now the President of the Japanese Swimming Federation, and Japanese names are now frequently in the finals of those Games. Names like Kusoke Kitajima. Kitajima specialized in the breaststroke. In his first Olympic Games in 2004, he captured gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke and then took bronze, swimming the breaststroke leg of the 4 x 100 medley relay representing his homeland. During the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, he did an exact repeat of the 2004 Games, winning the gold medal in the 100 and 200m breaststroke, while also breaking the world record in the 100, in a time of 58.91. By winning back-to-back medals in 2004 and 2008, Kitajima became the first and only swimmer ever to sweep the breaststroke at consecutive Olympic Games. He and his team also won the bronze again in 2008 in the medley relay, and again in 2012, Kitajima and the relay team bettered it in London by winning silver. In the end, Kitajima won four gold, one silver and two bronze medals in Olympic competition.
Kitajima’s most significant rival was American and ISHOF Honoree, Brendan Hansen. The two men dueled it out at all the major events, such as the FINA World Championships and the Olympic Games. Kitajima set world records in both the 100 and 200m breaststroke, finishing his career by breaking seven world records. In all, Kitajima has competed in six (long course) World Championships. At the 2013 World Championships, he won bronze in the medley relay, extending his national record to 12, three gold, four silver and five bronze. He is a 16-time medalist at the FINA World Cup events, winning four gold, nine silver and three bronze.
Purchase tickets to see Kitajima live in person here https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0D005EF4B8CBCE3D
Happy Birthday to our 2023 Honoree Kirsty Coventry!!
by: John Lohn
Kirsty Coventry first competed at the 2000 Olympic Games as a teenager, and although she failed to advance to any finals, the experience was valuable and allowed the girl from Zimbabwe to get an up-close view of elite racing. Continuing to hone her skills, she made a major decision, to attend Auburn University, an NCAA powerhouse.
Behind her work at Auburn, Coventry elevated her status on the international stage and made her second Olympics, in 2004 in Athens, a successful appearance. Coventry collected a full set of medals in that Olympiad, claiming gold in the 200-meter backstroke, silver in the 100 backstroke and bronze in the 200 I.M.
She was even more impressive at the next year’s World Championships in Montreal, where she became one of the few athletes in history to win four individual medals at a single Worlds. In addition to winning titles in the 100 and 200-meter backstroke, Coventry was the silver medalist in the 200 and 400 I.M. Her win in the 100 backstroke arrived over world-record holder Natalie Coughlin, one of the few defeats the American endured between back-to-back Olympic crowns in 2004 and 2008.
Coventry added two medals at the 2007 World Championships and in early 2008, she set her first world record, breaking a 16-year-old standard in the 200-meter backstroke.
At the 2008 Olympic Games, Coventry won four medals. In her first three events in Beijing, Kirsty earned silver medals in the 400 IM, 100 backstroke and 200 IM She broke through in her fourth event, winning gold in the 200 backstroke in world-record time.
A year later, Coventry won a silver medal at the World Championships in the 400 IM and secured another world title in the 200 backstroke, where she lowered her world record. Coventry also competed at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, bringing her total number of Olympic appearances to five.
Overall, she won seven Olympic medals and eight medals at the World Championships, all from
individual events and was a five-time world-record setter.
Beyond her success in the pool, Coventry has been a member of the International Committee for more than a decade, helping to ensure positive experiences for athletes. She has also served in roles with World Aquatics and the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Kirsty Coventry will be remembered for her multi-event talent and enduring legacy as a major factor in international competition.
Happy Birthday Tom Dolan!!
Tom Dolan (USA)
Honor Swimmer (2006)
FOR THE RECORD: 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (400m I.M.), 7th (200m I.M.); 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (400m I.M.), silver (200m I.M.); TWO WORLD RECORDS: 400m I.M; 1994 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (400m I.M.), 8th (400m freestyle); 1998 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (400m I.M.), 5th (800m freestyle); 1993 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (400m I.M.); 1995 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (400m, 200m I.M.), silver (200m backstroke, 800m freestyle), 5th (400m freestyle); 14 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 400 freestyle (3), 800 freestyle (4), 1500 freestyle (1), 200 I.M. (2), 400 I.M. (4); NINE NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 400 I.M. (2), 500 freestyle (2), 1650 free (2), 800 freestyle relay (3); FIVE AMERICAN RECORDS.
Tom Dolan of Curl-Burke Swim Club and the University of Michigan held the 400m I.M. World Record longer than any other swimmer in history, eight years, and that includes Hall of Famers Gary Hall, Sr., Tamas Darnyi, Alex Baumann, Jesse Vassallo, Charlie Hickcox, Dick Roth and Ted Stickles. He is only the second swimmer to win successive 400m I.M. Olympic gold medals (1996, 2000), along with Hungary’s Darnyi. Tom also won the Olympic 200m I.M. silver medal in Sydney.
At 6’6″ tall and with 3% body fat, Tom was diagnosed with Exercise Induced Asthma and a 20% windpipe obstruction, which would side-line the normal person. Tom only trained harder and exhaustion, dizziness and occasional blackouts never stopped him from swimming. Coached by Rick Curl and Jon Urbancheck, Tom also set two world records, won two gold medals in World Championship swimming, won nine NCAA National Championships and 14 U.S. National Championships.