Massimo Giuliani to Receive the 2024 Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award
FORT LAUDERDALE – The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) will
recognize Massimo Giuliani, for his extensive contributions to the administration of open
water swimming with the 2024 Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award.
The Award will be presented to Massimo during the International Marathon Swimming Hall of
Fame (IMSHOF) Induction and Award Ceremony in Cancun México on Saturday May 18th
2024. The Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award is presented annually
by the International Swimming Hall of Fame to the individual who has contributed the most to
the administration of open water swimming.
This year’s award recognizes Massimo Giuliani, an open water swimming administrator from
Italy. Following a successful coaching career (1994 FINA World Champion Team), Massimo
moved to administration to become the Open Water Team Manager for Italy from 1995 to
2020. During these years, Italy rose to the top three level of international programs –
winning the overall points competition in 5 different years. Under Massimo’s guidance and
leadership Italy has won 17 gold, 17 silver & 19 bronze at major International 10 km and 25
km events.
He also took on a senior role from 2019 to 2022 in LEN (European Swimming) as Technical
Open Water Swim Committee Secretary. Massimo served as the President of the Organizing
Committee of the 2012 European Open Water Championships and 2016 Junior Open Water
European Championships plus Competition Manager at European Open Water Swimming
Championships in Rome 2022.He was one of the youngest qualified swimming coaches in
Italy in 1985 and became the Italian 25 km Team Coach for the 1994 FINA World Championship
Team.
Massimo was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honor Coach in
2020.
Massimo Giuliani riceverà il premio Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award 2024
FORT LAUDERDALE – L’International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) riconoscerà
Massimo Giuliani, per il suo ampio contributo alla gestione del nuoto in acque libere, con il
premio Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award 2024. Il premio sarà
consegnato a Massimo durante la cerimonia di premiazione e di induzione dell’International
Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (IMSHOF) che si terrà a Cancun, in Messico, sabato 18
maggio 2024. Il premio Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award viene
assegnato annualmente dalla International Swimming Hall of Fame alla persona che ha
contribuito maggiormente alla gestione del nuoto in acque libere.
Quest’anno il premio è stato assegnato a Massimo Giuliani, amministratore del nuoto in
acque libere in Italia. Dopo una carriera di allenatore di successo (squadra campione del
mondo FINA 1994), Massimo è passato all’amministrazione diventando il responsabile della
squadra di nuoto in acque libere dell’Italia dal 1995 al 2020. Durante questi anni, l’Italia è
salita ai primi tre livelli dei programmi internazionali, vincendo la classifica generale in 5 anni
diversi. Sotto la guida e la direzione di Massimo, l’Italia ha vinto 17 ori, 17 argenti e 19
bronzi nei principali eventi internazionali di 10 e 25 km.
Dal 2019 al 2022 ha assunto anche un ruolo di responsabilità nella LEN (European
Swimming) come Segretario del Comitato Tecnico di Nuoto in acque libere. Massimo ha
ricoperto il ruolo di Presidente del Comitato Organizzatore dei Campionati Europei in acque
libere del 2012 e dei Campionati Europei Juniores in acque libere del 2016, nonché di
Competition Manager dei Campionati Europei di nuoto in acque libere di Roma 2022.
È stato uno dei più giovani allenatori di nuoto qualificati in Italia nel 1985 ed è diventato
l’allenatore della squadra italiana di 25 km per i campionati mondiali FINA del 1994.
Massimo è stato inserito nella International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame come Honor
Coach nel 2020.
For additional information, please call Ned Denison in Ireland at (+353) 87-987-1573 or
ISHOF at (+1 954) 462-6536, or visit https://ishof.org
Venerdì 17 novembre 2024
Massimo Giuliani riceverà il premio Irving Davids/Captain
Roger W. Wheeler Memorial 2024
FORT LAUDERDALE – L’International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) riconoscerà
Massimo Giuliani, per i suoi ampi contributi alla gestione del nuoto in acque libere, con il
premio Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award 2024. Il premio saràconsegnato a
Massimo durante la cerimonia di premiazione e di induzione dell’International
Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (IMSHOF) che si terrà a Cancun, in Messico, sabato 18
maggio 2024. Il premio Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award viene
assegnato annualmente dalla International Swimming Hall of Fame alla persona che ha
contribuito maggiormente alla gestione del nuoto in acque libere.
Il premio di quest’anno è stato assegnato a Massimo Giuliani, amministratore del nuoto in
acque libere in Italia. Dopo una carriera di allenatore di successo (squadra campione del
mondo FINA 1994), Massimo è passato all’amministrazione diventando il responsabile della
squadra di nuoto in acque libere dell’Italia dal 1995 al 2020. Durante questi anni, l’Italia è
salita ai primi tre livelli dei programmi internazionali, vincendo la classifica generale in 5 anni
diversi. Sotto la guida e la direzione di Massimo, l’Italia ha vinto 17 ori, 17 argenti e 19
bronzi nei principali eventi internazionali di 10 e 25 km.
Dal 2019 al 2022 ha assunto anche un ruolo di responsabilità nella LEN (European
Swimming) come Segretario del Comitato Tecnico di Nuoto in acque libere. Massimo ha
ricoperto il ruolo di Presidente del Comitato Organizzatore dei Campionati Europei in acque
libere del 2012 e dei Campionati Europei Juniores in acque libere del 2016, nonché di
Competition Manager dei Campionati Europei di nuoto in acque libere di Roma 2022.
È stato uno dei più giovani allenatori di nuoto qualificati in Italia nel 1985 ed è diventato
l’allenatore della squadra italiana di 25 km per i campionati mondiali FINA del 1994.
Massimo è stato inserito nella International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame come Honor
Coach nel 2020.
Happy Birthday Laura Wilkinson!!
Laura Wilkinson (USA)
Honor Diver (2017)
FOR THE RECORD: 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (10m platform); 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: 5th (10m platform); 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: participant; 2005 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (10m platform); 1998 GOODWILL GAMES: gold (10m platform); 1997-1999 NCAA: 10m champion
Inspired by the publicity surrounding Romanian gymnastic guru Béla Károlyi’s arrival to her home town of Houston, Texas, in 1981, Laura Wilkinson fell in love with gymnastics and dreamed of being in the 1996 Olympic Games. After years of training her gymnastic career ended when a growth spurt made her too tall for the sport. Then she discovered diving. In spite of being told by one of her teachers that she was too old to start a new sport at the age of 15, Laura plunged in and “fell in love with the sport on the first day.”
Wilkinson didn’t go very far her first year, but the next year, in 1995, she won her first US National Title, and earned a bronze medal at the FINA World Cup in the 10m synchronized diving event, with partner Patty Armstrong. Earning a scholarship to the University of Texas, she won the NCAA 10m platform title as a freshman and then won both the 3m and 10m titles at the USA Diving Nationals. In 1998, she gave up her scholarship after winning the Goodwill Games gold medal, to turn pro and train for the 2000 Olympic Games at the Woodlands with coach Kenny Armstrong.
Three months before the Olympic trials, she was doing a typical warm-up somersault, when she landed on a block of wood and broke her right foot in three places. To fix it, doctors had to re-break everything. They also found she had a stress fracture on her left foot as well. It appeared that another Olympic dream was at an end. Together, with her coach, Wilkinson embarked on a brutal training regime. She also watched an “insane amount of video tape” and “visualized every dive” to keep her “head in the game.”
Although her foot was still not fully recovered when she started to train again three weeks before the trials, her perseverance paid off as she won the trials and qualified for her first Olympic team.
Three months later, while wearing a protective shoe that enabled her walk up the ladder to the platform, Wilkinson battled back from eighth place and a 60-point deficit after the semifinals to record one of the biggest upsets in Olympic diving history. The turning point came in the third dive of the final round, a reverse two-and-a-half somersault, which Wilkinson performed perfectly, entering the water knife straight with barely a ripple. She went on to win over the favored Chinese diver, Li Na by a minuscule 1.7 points. Her win was the first in the 10m platform event by an American since Leslie Bush in 1964 and the accomplishment earned her an appearance on a Wheaties’ cereal box and a finalist for the prestigious Sullivan Award as one of the nation’s outstanding athletes.
In 2004, although Laura won the World Cup she finished a disappointing fifth at the Olympic Games in Athens. But she came back the next year to win the gold medal at the FINA World Championships in Montreal. She retired after competing in her third Olympic Games in Beijing as a14-time US National team member (1995-2008), a 19-time US National Champion and one of the greatest divers of all time.
Beginning with her gold medal in the 10m platform event at the 1998 Goodwill Games, Laura Wilkinson is one of the few divers in the world to claim individual gold medals at every major international diving competition during her career. In addition to winning the Goodwill Games, she won gold medals at the 2000 Olympic Games, the 2004 FINA World Cup and the 2005 FINA World Championships.
Happy Birthday Jodie Henry!!
Jodie Henry (AUS)
Honor Swimmer (2015)
FOR THE RECORD: 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (100m freestyle, 4x100m medley, 4x100m freestyle); 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (100m freestyle), bronze (4x100m medley, 4x100m freestyle); 2005 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m freestyle, 4x100m medley, 4x100m freestyle); 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (4x100m freestyle); 2002 COMMONWEALTH GAMES: gold (100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley), silver (50m freestyle); 2006 COMMONWEALTH GAMES: gold (4x100m freestyle), silver (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle); 2002 PAN PACIFIC GAMES: gold (4x100m freestyle , 4x100m medley), silver (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle)
Growing up on the beautiful beaches of Queensland, Australia, Jodie Henry spent a lot of time at the beach with her two sisters, thanks to her parents love for the water. She learned to swim at the early age of three at the local Brisbane Swim School, but didn’t start competing until she was a teenager, which is quite late for a future Olympic Champion in this era.
Jodie made her first appearance on the international stage at the Commonwealth Youth Games of 2000, held in Edinburgh, Scotland. She proudly represented Australia by bringing home five gold medals. At the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, she won the Women’s 100 meter freestyle, took silver in the 50 meter freestyle as well as being a member of the gold medal winning relay team. Later that same year, Henry competed at the Pan Pacific Championships and helped Australia take gold from the United States in the freestyle and medley relays.
At the 2003 World Championships, Jodie won the silver medal in the 100 meter freestyle and picked up bronze in the both the 4 x 100 free and 4 x 100 medley relays.
The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, held in Athens, Greece, proved to be the pinnacle of Jodie Henry’s career. For her first medal winning performance, she anchored the Australian Women’s 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay team that won gold in world record time of 3:35.94. In the semi-finals of the individual 100 meter freestyle event, she broke teammate Libby
Lenton’s world record with a time of 53.32, and went on to win the gold medal – the first to do so since Hall of Famer Dawn Fraser did it 40 years earlier. She picked up her third gold medal anchoring the 4 x 100 meter medley relay in another world record time.
In November of 2004, Jodie Henry was named the Australian Swimmer of the Year, becoming just the third woman in 15 years to take the honor, breaking Ian Thorpe’s five-year streak of receiving the award. She also was awarded the Order of Australia Medal.
After the 2004 Olympic Games, Henry followed her one and only coach, Shannon Rollason, to the Australian Institute of Sport, in Canberra, as she looked ahead to the Games in Beijing. At the 2005 World Championships in Montreal, she won the gold medal in the 100 meters with a time of 54.18. That came on top of her leadoff role in Australia’s victorious 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay team and second relay gold as a heat swimmer in the 4 x 100 meter medley relay. At the 2007 World Aquatic Championships in Melbourne, Henry anchored the Australian 4 x 100 freestyle relay team in world championship record time of 3:35.48 to win gold, again ahead of the USA.
A combination of health and motivational issues derailed her hopes for the 2008 Olympic Games and she announced her retirement from swimming in 2009, at the age of 25. Today, Jodie Henry lives in Brisbane with her husband, Tim Notting, a now retired Australian football star, and their three children.
Happy Birthday Britta Steffen!!
Britta Steffen (GER)
Honor Swimmer (2019)
FOR THE RECORD: 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: bronze (4x200m freestyle); 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle); 2009 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle), silver (4x100m freestyle), bronze (4x100m medley); 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): silver (4x200m freestyle), bronze (100m freestyle); 2011 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): bronze (4x100m freestyle); 2000 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): silver (4x100m freestyle); 2012 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): gold (100m freestyle; 5 WORLD RECORDS
She was winning youth championships in Germany at age 14 and was quickly becoming one of the top junior swimmers in all of Europe. At the 1999 European Junior Championships when she was just 15, Britta Steffen won six gold medals.
A year later, Steffen was selected to compete for Germany at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in both freestyle relays. She led off Germany’s 4x200m freestyle prelim relay and watched as her teammates raced to the bronze medal in the final, earning her first major international medal at the senior level.
In 2004, Steffen missed qualifying for the Olympic Team by six hundredths of a second in the 50m freestyle, but still picked up a relay spot to compete in Athens. She again swam on the prelims relay in the 4x100m freestyle, but injured her foot and was unable to compete during the rest of the Games.
After a heartbreaking Olympic experience, Steffen returned home to begin her studies and work on her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering, adding on to an already rigorous training schedule.
Steffen had to start practice later than all her teammates, because of her studies, and often had to practice alone. With the continuous work load, she was constantly tired and ended up bedridden with a severe cold. She decided then that maybe it was time to quit swimming.
One of Britta’s biggest struggles in swimming was her inability to put her swims together in competitions when it mattered the most. She knew that if she was going to come back to swimming, she was going to have to get out of her own head. She met with a sports psychologist, who specialized in high performance and health. She was able to help Britta make changes with her training as well as her relationship with her coach.
With this new mental training, Steffen hoped she would lead her swimming career on a new path and in 2006 at the European Championships, Steffen set a world record in the 100m freestyle and was on two world record setting freestyle relays for Germany, swimming one of the fastest relay splits in history. For these efforts, Steffen was honored as Swimmer of the Year by the German Swimming Federation.
After her seemingly meteoric rise to the top of the world rankings, Steffen was accused of doping by the international media, even though she had never failed a drug test. To hush these rumors, Steffen volunteered to take examinations to ensure she was clean and all of the tests came back negative.
Steffen struggled to return to her form as the best sprinter in the world after her spectacular 2006 performances. At the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, she only managed a bronze in the 100m freestyle and a silver in the 4x200m freestyle relay. Leading into the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Steffen was hardly a medal favorite.
She silenced all of her doubters when she won the 100m freestyle at the last stroke to win Germany’s first Olympic gold medal in swimming since 1992. Two days later, she won her second gold medal of the Games in the 50m freestyle, winning again at the very last stroke.
After the Olympics in 2008, she continued her momentum with two new world records at the 2009 World Championships in the 50m and 100m freestyles, but after 2009 her career would never be the same.
Illnesses and injuries kept her off the podium at the 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympics and Steffen retired from swimming in September 2013. Today, she hosts TV programs and is involved in social projects for young children.
Happy Birthday Aleksandr Popov!!
Aleksandr Popov (RUS)
Honor Swimmer (2009)
FOR THE RECORD: 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle), silver (4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley); 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle), silver (4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley); 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (100m freestyle), SEVEN WORLD RECORDS: 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle (50m), 50m freestyle, four 100m freestyle (25m); 1994 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (50m & 100m freestyle), silver (4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley); 1998 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m freestyle), silver (50m freestyle), bronze (4x100m freestyle); 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (50m &100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle), silver (4x100m medley); 1991 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley); 1993 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (50m & 100m freestyle, 4x100m medley, 4x100m freestyle); 1995 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (50m & 100m freestyle, 4x100m medley, 4x100m freestyle); 1997 EUROPEAN CHAMPONSHIPS: gold (50m & 100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley); 1999 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle, bronze (50m freestyle, 4x100m medley); 2001 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (50m & 100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley); 2002 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (4x100m medley), silver (100m freestyle); 2004 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (50m freestyle).
Aleksandr Popov of Russia dominated swimming’s marquee events, the 50m and 100m freestyle and became the world’s premier sprinter during the decade of the 1990’s. He won nine Olympic medals at three Olympic Games from 1992 to 2000 with a total of four gold medals in individual events.
He was the first Olympic swimmer since Johnny Weissmuller in 1924 and 1928 to win back to back sprint races – 1992 and 1996. Volgograd native, Popov moved to Australia to be with his Russian coach Gennadi Touretski, but he never gave up his Russian citizenship competing for the Unified Team in 1992 and the Russian Team thereafter.
Popov held seven World records during his career. His 100m freestyle (long course) record of 48.21 held for six years until broken by Michael Klim of Australia and his 100m freestyle (short course) record of 46.74 held for ten years until broken by Ian Crocker of the United States. He won six World Championship and 21 European Championship gold medals from 1991to2004. He was European Swimmer of theYear in 1994 and 2003.
Popov is a full member of the International Olympic Committee and Vice Chairman of the Athletes Commission within FINA.
Happy Birthday Melvin Stewart!!
Melvin Stewart (USA)
Honor Swimmer (2002)
FOR THE RECORD: 1992 OLYMPICS: gold (200m butterfly), gold (4x100m medley relay), bronze (4x200m freestyle relay); 1988 OLYMPIC GAMES: 5th (200m butterfly); ONE WORLD RECORD: 200m butterfly; 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (200m butterfly); 14 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 7-200m butterfly, 6-200m butterfly, 1-100y butterfly; TWO NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 200m butterfly.
Melvin Stewart was known as the greatest 200m butterfly swimmer of his era. Not only did this 14-time National champion win the 200m event at the 1991 Perth World Championships, defeating legendary Hall of Famers Michael Gross of Germany and Tamas Darnyi of Hungary, he became the gold medallist at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in Olympic record time, 1:56.26. Stewart won a second gold as a preliminary heat member of the 4x100m medley relay and a bronze on the 4x200m freestyle relay. In his first Olympic Games at Seoul in 1988, he placed fifth in the 200m butterfly. Stewart held the world record at 1:55.69 from 1991 to 1995 when it was broken by Denis Pankratov of Russia.
It all began for Stewart in 1974. Under the direction of Coach Frankie Bell at the Johnston Memorial YMCA pool in Charlotte, North Carolina, he won National YMCA titles. Bell taught him stroke technique and built his love for the sport, motivating the already inspired youngster with a banana split every time he won. By age 10, he was ranked among the top 10 in the nation in his age group in 16 events. “Little Melvin,” as he was called, grew up on the grounds of Heritage USA, the PTL Ministries Theme Park and religious retreat where his father was recreation director of Jim and Tammy Bakker’s Heritage Church and Athletic Director of his school, Heritage Academy.
Mel became a butterfly side-breather, preferring this unconventional breathing technique to the more traditional head up breathing common to most butterfly swimmers. At 6’1”, 180 lbs., he was a natural. He had flexibility, quick hands and feet, great turning ability and tremendous kicking power. His arms reached from lane rope to lane rope.
In need of some academic tutoring, his mentor, George Baxter, enrolled Stewart at Mercersburg Academy, a small boarding school known for its academics and competitive swimming teams. In his three years there, Mel became an honor student and a leader.
He followed his Mercersburg coach John Trembley to the University of Tennessee and swam on to international stardom one year later, winning the 200m butterfly at the Goodwill Games of 1986. He repeated with Goodwill Game wins in 1990 and 1994 in Moscow, and at the Pan Pacific Championships of 1987, 1989 and 1991. While at Tennessee, he won two NCAA titles in the 200y butterfly.
Stewart holds the record in United States Swimming for winning the most national championships (14) in one event (200 butterfly), more than any other male swimmer in USA history.
After failing to qualify for the 1996 Olympic Team, Mel began to pursue his second dream of acting. He appeared in plays, movies and television shows. He served as an ABC Sports field reporter, hosted ESPN’s “American Outback” and appeared in “Pentathlon,” starring Dolph Lundgren. Stewart was also a hotel lifeguard in “Baywatch.” He is a partner, producer and writer for Symbiotic Entertainment.
Happy Birthday Dr. Julio Maglione!!
Dr. Julio Maglione (URU)
Honor Contributor (2012)
FOR THE RECORD: INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE BOARD MEMBER: 1996-present; FINA PRESIDENT: 2009 – present; FINA HONORARY TREASURER: 1992–2009; FINA HONORARY VICE-PRESIDENT: 1988-1992; FINA BUREAU MEMBER: 1984–1988; PRESIDENT UNION AMERICANA DE NATACION (UANA): 1979-1983, 1995-1999; PRESIDENT OF THE SOUTH AMERICAN SWIMMING CONFEDERATION: 1976-1978; HONORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SOUTH AMERICAN SWIMMING CONFEDERATION: 1984; PRESIDENT OF THE URUGUAYAN SWIMMING FEDERATION: 1969-1985.
Dr. Julio Maglione was born in 1935, in Montevideo, Uruguay. After learning to swim, he soon became Uruguay’s National Champion and record holder in the 100 meter and 200 meter butterfly/breaststroke from 1949 to 1954. He was a participant in Porto Alegre, Brazil’s first University Games and a bronze medalist in 200 meter breaststroke and 100 meter butterfly with a silver medal in the 4 x 100 meter medley relay at the Latin American Games in Havana. He was a participant in the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City and was the South American record holder in the 4×100 meter medley.
In 1955, Julio then turned his attention to giving back to the sport he loved. As an administrator, he served as President of the Uruguayan Swimming Federation from 1969 to 1985, President of the South American Swimming Confederation from 1976 to 1978 and was elected Honor President of the Confederation in 1984. He was President of the Amateur Swimming Union of the Americas from 1979 to 1983 and from 1995 to 1999.
In 1984, Maglione was elected to the FINA Bureau and served as Bureau Member until 1988, when he was elected vice president. In 1992, he was elected Treasurer of the Bureau and served in that office for 16 years. In 2009, he was elected President of FINA at the FINA Congress and World Championships in Rome.
Among the many awards he received are the FINA Gold Pin; ANOC Order of Merit (1994); International Olympic Committee Centennial Trophy (1994); National Olympic Committee Gold Insignia; Royal Order of Merit in Sport of the Spanish Minister of Education and Science (1996); Legion of Honour of the French Republic (1998); Order of the Chinese Olympic Committee (1999); Order “Bernardo O’Higgins”, Chili (2000); Distinction of the International Pierre de Coubertin Committee (2002) and Honorary Citizen of Montevideo (2007).
Since 1996, Julio has served as a member of the International Olympic Committee. Dr. Maglione is married, has two children and is a forensic dentist by profession.
Throwback Thursday: Chad le Clos Chases Down Michael Phelps For Stunning Olympic Gold
by DAVID RIEDER – SENIOR WRITER
09 November 2023, 06:30am
Throwback Thursday: Chad le Clos Chases Down Michael Phelps For Stunning Olympic Gold
Before the 2012 Olympic final of the men’s 200 butterfly, no one had beaten Michael Phelps in a major final of the event for 12 years. For all the accolades Phelps earned in his greatest-of-all-time career, the 200 fly was his signature event, the one in which he made his Olympic debut as a 15-year-old and the one in which he earned his first world record and world title. In between Phelps’ first Olympic final of the event and his fourth, he won two Olympic golds (including one with leaking goggles) and five world titles while resetting the world record on eight different occasions.
But the London Games were the only one of Phelps’ five Olympics in which he did not show up in tip-top shape. Over the previous two years, Phelps had taken a handful of losses during in-season competitions, and this gold-medal pursuit, in which Phelps was aiming to become the first male swimmer to ever win three consecutive Olympic golds in one event, would be no easy task.
Japan’s Takeshi Matsuda, the World Championships silver medalist one year earlier and a consistent medal presence in the event, was considered the biggest threat to Phelps, and Matsuda had qualified first in the semifinals. But in between Matsuda and Phelps in the final was Chad le Clos, a skinny 20-year-old from South Africa considered a rising star in the sport. Le Clos, who had already won gold medals in the event at the Commonwealth Games and Short Course World Championships as a teenager, swam a time of 1:54.43 in the Olympic semifinals, an African record but nowhere near the best times of Phelps or Matsuda.
That did not matter. In the Olympic final, le Clos unleashed a career-defining performance. Refusing to be overwhelmed by the moment, le Clos stayed close to the favorites, saved up for a finishing burst — and won Olympic gold.
Phelps was long known for his clutch finishes, coming from well behind in the final meters to out-touch fading competitors. He did that to Ian Crocker in the 2004 Olympic final of the 100 fly and to Milorad Cavic in the same event four years later. But this time, it was a fading Phelps running out of gas as le Clos surged ahead. Coming down the stretch, Phelps had an arm-length lead, but he took a long stroke into the finish, gliding into the wall as his South African hit the finish perfectly. In a time of 1:52.96, his best time by one-and-a-half seconds, le Clos claimed Olympic gold.
As he realized what he had done, le Clos smashed the water in joy and disbelief. He was on the verge of tears as he sat on the lane line before dropping back into the pool to acknowledge Phelps, who had finished five hundredths behind for silver.
That moment made le Clos a star, and over the last decade, he has continued to put forth quality performances at international meets. Later on in London, he won silver in the 100 fly, and four years later in Rio de Janeiro, he used a scintillating start to take an early lead in the 200 freestyle final before holding on for silver. He faded to a surprising fourth in the 200 fly final, but he rebounded to finish in a three-way tie for silver in the 100 fly, joining Phelps and another familiar rival, Laszlo Cseh. In perhaps the most humorous moment of those Games, the three longtime rivals held hands as they climbed the medal podium together.
In his career, le Clos has won four individual world titles, winning the 100 fly in 2013 and 2015 and the 200 fly in 2013 and 2017. He has captured three further butterfly medals at the World Championships, and at Short Course Worlds, he has won a whopping 12 golds, spanning the three butterfly distances plus the 200 free, and 20 total medals. At the Commonwealth Games, the total is seven gold and 18 total medals.
For all those accomplishments, which have made le Clos one of the best swimmers ever from Africa, his signature moment remains that golden swim in the London final, when he earned just the third-ever Olympic swimming gold for a South African male, joining the 400 free relay team in 2004 and breaststroker Cameron van der Burgh two days earlier.
In that moment, le Clos was not intimidated racing the greatest swimmer in history, and that’s how he shocked the world.
Today we remember ISHOF Honoree, and the 1993 City of Fort Lauderdale’s Man of the Year, Jack Nelson on his birthday!!
Jack Nelson (USA)
Honor Coach (1994)
Every swimmer in the world seems to know this flamboyant and friendly coach whose energy and smile so motivates his athletes. Few know that he didn’t start his own swimming career until he was 21, just drafted in to the Air Force and looking for a fun way to get out of washing dishes and peeling potatoes. There never was a more unlikely swimmer, yet within three years, Jack swam the 100 and 200 meter butterfly in world record times and was on the U.S. Olympic team headed for Australia. He has been swimming or coaching swimmers ever since.
Jack Nelson was a football player, short but built like a tank, sort of a Don Nottingham type “human cannonball.” At the Melbourne Olympic Village in 1956, everybody asked how this wrestler (or weight lifter) got into the swimming compound, but once competition started they knew, as he muscled his way to a fourth place finish in the new power stroke called butterfly.
Nelson was hooked on the sport that has made him a household name among swimmers the world over. He is the only man in swimming ever to hold the distinction of placing in the finals at the Olympics and then going on to serve as an Olympic head coach (1976 women’s Montreal team). No one should forget the 24 women on the 1976 Olympic team who were at that time the breakers of four world records and nine American records. In 1976, Nelson was also named National High School Coach of the Year. He won a total of 30 combined boys and girls State Championships during his tenure at three Florida high schools: Ransom, Pine Crest and Fort Lauderdale.
As a swimmer, Jack learned his basics from several great coaches including Buddy Baarcke, Tom Lamar, Phil Moriarty, Charles Silvia and the Casey brothers, Willis and Ralph; but, like so many great coaches, Jack’s coaching is something he comes by instinctively with hands-on personal attention, hard work and great enthusiasm. His philosophy, “Access to success is through the mind” has inspired numerous Olympians and hundreds of All Americans. He wrapped up 40 years of coaching by winning six national team titles, men’s/women’s or combined. “Not everybody is going to win a gold medal, but everyone who tries is a winner,” says Coach Nelson.
Among the great athletes he has coached are: Joel Thomas, 1992 Olympic gold medalist; Seth van Neerden, American record holder 100 meter breast 1991-1994; Todd Pace, 1991 Pan Am gold medalist; Laurie Lehner, world record holder in the 50 meter free and the fastest 100 meter butterfly in 1980; Bonnie Brown, 1975 Pan Am gold medalist; Ann Marshall, 1972 Olympian and world record breaker in the 200 meter free; Andy Coan, considered by many, to be the world’s all time greatest high school swimmer and world record holder in the 100 meter freestyle; Dave Edgar, world record holder and 1972 Olympic gold medalist; Shirley Stobbs, 1960 Olympic gold medalist, Marilyn Corson, 1968 Olympic bronze medalist; Thom McAneney, who was his first American record holder. Among additional great Nelson swimmers are: Paige Zemina, Margie Moffit, Artur Wojdat, David Fox, Todd Torres and Brian Alderman.
His swimmers certainly agree that “Jack has the ability to say whatever makes you feel better about yourself. He is a super motivator, and if he could, he’d get up on the blocks and swim the race for you.” Nelson’s office is a photo testimony to all the swimmers he has believed in and who have believed in him – the ultimate test of a coach.
Jack is a member of four other Halls of Fame: Florida, North Carolina, Fort Lauderdale and the University of Miami. He graduated from Miami in 1960 and served as head swimming coach there from 1986-1990.
His most recent honor is the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Man of the Year for 1993. This award came from his “home” town. Nationally, his peers named him president of the American Swim Coaches Association 1974-1976.
1993 was his 40th year in coaching, but if you think that puts him close to retirement, Jack Nelson will jump up and down and say, “What do you mean, retire? I didn’t start swimming until I was 21!”
ISHOF staff visits 2023 Honoree Sam Ramsamy in Durban, South Africa
Last month, ISHOF staff members Meg Keller-Marvin and Laurie Marchwinski visited 2023 ISHOF Honor Contributor, and World Aquatics first Vice President Sam Ramsamy, at his home in Durban, South Africa.
The girls were on a vacation in South Africa, sightseeing in Cape Town and Durban, spending a week on safari and visiting various other areas. For those who are interested, Meg and Laurie did the safari that ISHOF had been offering for bid/purchase for over five years now during the ISHOF Honoree Ceremony Silent Auction. The 6-day safari is located at the Zulu Nyala Game Lodge and Private Reserve in Hluhluwe, South Africa. It was a fabulous experience. Other ISHOF-er’s have also done the safari at Zulu Nyala, including Honorees Tom Gompf and Debbie Meyer, just in September. The Reserve is located three hours north and west of Durban.
If you have ever thought of taking a safari, we can highly recommend Zulu Nyala. It was the trip of a lifetime. Everything about it from A to Z was amazing. Each year at the Honoree Ceremony’s Silent Auction, we offer a two and four person safari to Zulu Nyala. It includes a six night stay, three meals a day, and two drives a day out in the bush (two hours each). If you want more information on the safari or Zulu Nyala, feel free to reach out Meg or Laurie or visit www.ZuluNyala.com and plan to bid next year!
After the safari, we went to Durban and met up with 2023, ISHOF Honoree Sam Ramsamy and his wife Helga, who took us out for a delicious Italian dinner in the Umhulunga Rocks area of Durban. We spent the evening chatting and laughing and learning more about Sam and his wife Helga. Sam and Helga lived in London for a number of years, among other places. One of the more interesting pieves of information, we learned about Helga, was that when she met Sam, she was a basketball player from East Germany. Once she and Sam married, she was able to leave the country.
Helga has travelled the world with Sam, whether it was with FINA, now World Aquatics, the Olympic Movement, fighting for the rights of athletes and people in South Africa. They have lived quite the busy and exciting life. We were fortunate to have spent the evening with them.