Happy Birthday Zdravko Jezic!!
Zdravko Jezic (YUG)
Honor Water Polo (2010)
“Pusko” played on three Olympic teams for Yugoslavia winning silver medals in 1952 and 1956. He contributed to the development of the “dynamic game” after restriction of movement was discontinued in 1950, helping to develop the “Yugoslav school” of fast-style water polo. He played in every one of the 113 consecutive national team games from 1950 to 1960 (captain 1958-1960) and in over 400 games for his Club Mladost’s team (captain 1952-1962). Bela Rajki called him one of the outstanding personalities of his time.
On this Date: Race Of the Century – When Three Titans Of the Sport Clashed For History (Video)
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
16 August 2023, 04:37am
Race Of the Century: When Two Stalwarts and a Rising Star Clashed For History (Video)
The 200 freestyle had enough substance at the 2004 Olympics, thanks to a repeat clash between the Netherlands’ Pieter van den Hoogenband and Australia’s Ian Thorpe. But when Michael Phelps entered the fray, too, the race became something special, and one of the most-anticipated events in Olympic history.
How many times has this refrain been uttered by sports fans and experts: Wouldn’t it be great if (fill in the blank) and (fill in the blank) had the chance to battle? Yet, in many instances, the desired matchup is left only to the imagination, timing usually the most significant factor in the blockage of what could be an epic duel.
As the 2004 Olympic Games neared, however, swimming found itself in a fortunate position when three of the biggest names of the era – or history, for that matter – decided the 200 freestyle was going to be on their Athens schedules. The revelation had the sport’s analysts wringing their hands and fans counting down to what undoubtedly would be a day to remember: August 16, 2004.
Pieter Van den Hoogenband – Photo Courtesy: Bill Collins
Two of the pieces for an epic race in Athens were in place long before the Games returned to their birthplace. In Australian Ian Thorpe and Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband, the 200 freestyle two of the greatest performers the event had seen. From 1999-2001, Thorpe and van den Hoogenband combined to set eight world records in the event, Thorpe leading the way with six global standards. The men had also met four years earlier in a splendid showdown at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, so Athens was a Part II of sorts, a second chapter which carried little risk of failing to match up to the first clash.
The event, though, surged even greater in expectations when Michael Phelps – never one to shy away from a challenge – announced that he was going to give the four-lap discipline a go. It would be one of five individual events, and eight overall, for Phelps, who was in pursuit of matching (or eclipsing) the seven gold medals won by Mark Spitz at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.
In his other individual events – the 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, 200 individual medley and 400 individual medley – Phelps was a favorite to walk away with a gold medal. The 200 freestyle was a different story, the sport’s rising star playing the role of underdog in what only added to the intrigue of the event. But for Phelps, and coach Bob Bowman, the opportunity to race against the best was too alluring.
“This is the best opportunity for me to swim in the fastest 200 (freestyle) in history,” Phelps said ahead of Athens. “I love a challenge.”To gain a full appreciation for what unfolded in Athens, it’s necessary to examine the years leading up the Olympiad, particularly what unfolded in Sydney in 2000. At the time, Thorpe and van den Hoogenband were already stars, each etching his own legacy in Olympic lore – and doing so with the help of the other.
Racing in front of a home crowd, which topped out at 17,000 spectators, a 17-year-old Thorpe was sensational in his Olympic debut, winning the 400 freestyle in a world-record time. Since winning his first world title in the event at the age of 15, Thorpe was deemed a future star, so talented that he could go down as the best swimmer the sport had ever seen.
With the 400 freestyle title in his pocket, Thorpe figured to win the 200 freestyle, too. One problem: Van den Hoogenband had a different plan. The bronze medalist in the 200 freestyle at the 1998 World Championships, van den Hoogenband had developed into one of the world’s elite 100 and 200 freestylers. If there was someone who could derail Thorpe and do it on the Aussie’s home turf, it was the Flying Dutchman. That possibility became even more evident when van den Hoogenband sent a statement in the semifinals in Sydney, producing a world record of 1:45.35. Although Thorpe won the other semifinal in 1:45.37, there was no longer any belief that the final would be a coronation for the Aussie.
Ian Thorpe – Photo Courtesy: Adidas
The final in Sydney played out as expected in the early stages, van den Hoogenband surging to the front of the field and forcing Thorpe to run him down over the final lap. But as the swimmers covered the final meters, Thorpe couldn’t overcome his rival and watched van den Hoogenband equal his world record from the semifinals. A stunned Australian crowd could do nothing more than appreciate what “Hoogie” had done: Slay the dragon in his own lair.
“It was amazing to do this,” van den Hoogenband said. “In his home nation, in his home city, in his home pool. It was so eerie. (With) 25 meters left, I didn’t see him creeping up on me. I thought, ‘Man, he’s not going to touch me.’”
Thorpe finished his home Olympiad with five medals, three gold and two silver, while van den Hoogenband added a gold medal and world record in the 100 freestyle to go with bronze medals in the 50 freestyle and 800 freestyle relay.
While Thorpe and van den Hoogenband were constantly in the spotlight, Phelps flew under the radar – the last such time in his career. A month earlier at the United States Olympic Trials, a furious finish by the 15-year-old in the 200 butterfly landed Phelps his first Olympic invitation. His accomplishment made him the youngest male Olympian for the United States in swimming in 68 years.
Although Bowman and higher-ups with USA Swimming knew the future for Phelps had no ceiling, he certainly was not the talk of the American team. Sure, journalist Paul McMullen of the Baltimore Sun followed Phelps’ moves closely, providing superb reporting to those from Phelps’ hometown. But on the bigger stage, Phelps was a role player on a United States team which featured established stars such as Gary Hall Jr., Lenny Krayzelburg, Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres.
Phelps had just one event to contest in Sydney and had no trouble handling the pressure which would floor many other teenagers competing on the biggest stage in athletics. Phelps went through the preliminaries of the 200 fly as the third-fastest qualifier, then moved through the semifinals with the fourth-fastest time. It was becoming clear that Phelps – although maybe not in Sydney – wasn’t going to be denied much longer.
Photo Courtesy: Baltimore Sun
In the final, Phelps used his customary late charge to put himself in medal contention, but the wall crept up a shade too early as he finished fifth in 1:56.50, 33 hundredths shy of the bronze-medal-winning time posted by Australian Justin Norris. In the six races he contested at the Olympic Trials and Olympic Games, Phelps established a personal best in each. One day, it surmised, there would be no stopping a guy who had all the right tools.
“How do you stand this?” legendary coach Mark Schubert asked Bowman in Sydney. “I have never seen anyone his age like him. You look at the Olympic Trials, the most pressure-packed meet in the world, and now the Olympics. He is truly phenomenal.”
Over the next few years, Thorpe and van den Hoogenband continued to excel, with Thorpe besting his foe for world titles in the 200 freestyle in 2001 and 2003. Thorpe was at his best at the 2001 World Championships, where he won six gold medals and set world records in the 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle and 800 freestyle. Van den Hoogenband was a constant force as well, and while he finished short of any world championships, he was a regular presence on the podium.
What changed the most was the profile of Phelps, who in short fashion soared from rising star to one of the world’s elite performers. By 2001, he was a world-record holder and world champion and by the close of the 2003 World Championships, Phelps was an all-around stud, the best the globe had to offer in the 200 butterfly, 200 individual medley and 400 individual medley. He was also right there in the 100 butterfly, trailing only American teammate Ian Crocker for world supremacy.
At those 2003 World Championships, Phelps and Thorpe locked up in the 200 individual medley, hardly a strong event for the Aussie. Ultimately, Phelps prevailed by more than three seconds over Thorpe, the silver medalist. As a result of that head-to-head triumph by Phelps and the overall depth of his program, it was argued that Phelps had moved ahead of Thorpe as the sport’s Poseidon. Still, the freestyle was Thorpe’s domain and Phelps – outside of duty in the 800 freestyle relay – had not ventured into that territory.
Of course, that scenario soon changed.
In the months leading up to the 2004 United States Olympic Trials in Long Beach, California, there was a great deal of speculation concerning Phelps’ program for the Athens Games. Because Phelps and Bowman kept their plans a well-guarded secret, all that was known was that Phelps would embrace a multi-event slate. Eventually, it was revealed that the 200 freestyle would be part of the agenda, thus enhancing the hype concerning the event come Athens.
With Thorpe, van den Hoogenband and Phelps all targeting the event, the 200 freestyle had it all. The world-record holder and two-time defending world champion. The reigning Olympic champion and former world-record holder. The upstart. It was soap opera stuff, played out across three continents.
“I don’t see us as being animals and marking our territory,” Thorpe said. “Not yet. I don’t think there’s anyone’s territory. I enjoy challenging myself rather than it just being about who’s in the race. I think Michael wanted to swim this race not just because I was in it, but you know, I think he wanted another challenge. For athletes, that’s what we’re here to do. I’m glad that I’ve had the opportunity to race against some of the world’s best athletes in my event.”
Ian Thorpe – Photo Courtesy: Swimming World Archive
Looking for a way to add excitement to the event (not that it was needed), the press dubbed the impending showdown between Thorpe, van den Hoogenband and Phelps as the Race of the Century. Really, it was a fitting title considering the credentials of those involved.
Unlike four years earlier, when van den Hoogenband blasted a world record prior to the final, the combatants advanced through the opening two rounds in measured fashion. Van den Hoogenband won the first semifinal while Thorpe finished ahead of Phelps in the second semifinal, with all three men saving their best for when it mattered most.
When the final under the Athens sky unfolded, intrigue was certainly in the air. Thorpe and van den Hoogenband were considered the favorites, but a persistent question was on the lips of those in attendance: Can Phelps make this a three-man battle for gold. The answer proved to be a negative, but it did nothing to take the shine off the Rac of the Century.
At the 50-meter mark, van den Hoogenband was out in front, Thorpe sitting just off the pace in second and Phelps in fourth. As the swimmers hit the midway point, van den Hoogenband had increased his lead over Thorpe, 50.42-51.04, with Phelps now sitting third in 51.70. That’s when Thorpe started to reel in van den Hoogenband.
Unable to play catchup in Sydney four years earlier, Thorpe cut into van den Hoogenband’s lead on the third lap and overtook the Dutchman on the final lap to prevail in 1:44.71, with van den Hoogenband earning the silver medal in 1:45.23. Producing the fastest last-lap split, Phelps touched in an American record of 1:45.32 for the bronze medal.
“It was the final that excited a lot of people,” Thorpe said. “This has been played out on three continents in the leadup to the Olympic Games, so it became a big deal. But I wasn’t focused on that. I really wanted to concentrate on what I was trying to do, make sure I swam the race well. I was able to do that. For me, that’s how I approached my races and I have been able to be successful in the past. I don’t worry about that my competitors are doing.
“I said to (van den Hoogenband), ‘Well, I guess that makes it 1-1 and I’d like to see you again in Beijing,” Thorpe said. “That brings up the question that was asked before, and you know I intend to be swimming it again. Pieter and I are good friends and it is a wonderful experience to be able to challenge yourself in this race, to prepare so hard in it. And you know, that’s what I’ve done, and that’s what Pieter’s done. And Michael’s done exactly the same thing. It’s good to be able to go out there and experience that with people that you know well. People kind of have their fate and their destiny and that was what it was tonight. I’ve worked damn hard for this.”
Photo Courtesy: International Swimming Hall of Fame
With the United States taking the bronze medal in the 400 freestyle relay earlier in the competition and Phelps winning the bronze medal in the 200 freestyle, his pursuit of Spitz’s seven gold medals from Munich was over. Some members of the media called Phelps’ performance in Athens a disappointment, but his eight medals told another story.
By winning both butterfly events and both individual medley disciplines, to go with a pair of relay gold medals, Phelps surpassed Spitz’s overall medal haul. Making the effort more impressive was the fact that Phelps, thanks to the sport’s global growth, faced deeper competition than Spitz and had handled a schedule which included semifinal rounds, something Spitz did not have to negotiate.
“How can I be disappointed?” Phelps asked after the 200 freestyle. “I swam in a field with the two fastest freestylers of all time and I was right there with them. I’m extremely happy with that. It’s a (personal) best time. It’s a new American record. I wanted to race those guys and that’s what I did. It was fun.
“It’s a lot more emotionally draining than anything I have done before and it takes a lot out of you race to race, particularly tonight. When those guys are going so fast it makes it real exciting, but it’s tough. I had an opportunity and I tried to do something that he (Spitz) did, but I didn’t. When I started to swim, I never thought I would have an opportunity to go for seven.”
The summit meeting which took place in Athens figured to be followed up at some point. Instead, it marked the final time Thorpe, van den Hoogenband and Phelps raced against one another. Thorpe initially announced he was taking a break from competition following the 2004 Games, but he never raced internationally again. Ahead of the 2012 Olympics, Thorpe announced a comeback attempt which blew up, with the middle-distance legend far from qualifying for the Australian squad which competed at the London Games.
Van den Hoogenband and Phelps met again in the 200 freestyle at the 2007 World Championships and the outcome was a one-sided affair, with Phelps taking down Thorpe’s five-year-old world record with a time of 1:43.86, and van den Hoogenband settling for the silver medal in another zip code, 1:46.28.
The dominance of Phelps, who won seven gold medals at the 2007 World Champs, could only be appreciated by van den Hoogenband, who announced after the final in Melbourne that he would abandon the 200 freestyle going forward, choosing instead to focus his energy on the 100 freestyle, where he was the two-time defending champion.
“I was swimming OK,” van den Hoogenband said. “But after every turn, he was pushing off and kicking through the water extremely fast. I was like, ‘Let’s see what he’s got left for the last 50.’ Well, he had a lot left. I thought the 200 freestyle record by (Thorpe) would last for 10, maybe 20 years.”
At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where Phelps surpassed Spitz with an iconic 8-for-8 gold-medal performance, Phelps obliterated the opposition in the 200 freestyle, taking his world record down to 1:42.96. That time proved to be more than a second faster than anything Thorpe or van den Hoogenband ever produced. For his part, van den Hoogenband was fifth in the 100 freestyle in Beijing, but became the first man to make the final of the 100 freestyle in four consecutive Olympiads. Aside from his two victories, he was fourth as an 18-year-old in 1996.
All told, the Race of the Century brought together three men who combined for 44 Olympic medals, 28 by Phelps. In a little less than two minutes, Thorpe, van den Hoogenband and Phelps showed the beauty of what can happen when three legends get together. They thrilled a fan base. They brought something to the sport which will never be forgotten.
Kirsty COVENTRY (ZMB) to be inducted as one of five Honor Swimmers as part of ISHOF Class of 2023
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.
Kirsty Coventry (photo: Mike Lewis)
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.
Come join Coventry and this year’s spectacular class of 2023 in Ft. Lauderdale. If you cannot join us, consider making a donation. To make a donation, click here: https://ishof.org/donate/
Purchase your tickets here to the ISHOF Honoree Induction Ceremony (Saturday, September 30, 2023) via Ticketmaster:
Class of 2023 Honorees
Bob Bowman (USA) / Honor Coach
Chris Carver (USA) / Honor Coach
Cesar Cielo (BRA) / Honor Swimmer
Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) / Honor Swimmer
Missy Franklin (USA / Honor Swimmer
Natalia Ischenko (RUS) / Honor Synchronized Swimmer
Kosuke Kitajima (JPN) / Honor Swimmer
Heather Petri (USA) / Honor Water Polo Player
Michael Phelps (USA) / Honor Swimmer
Wu Minxia (CHN / Honor Diver
Sam Ramsamy (RSA) / Honor Contributor
Stephane Lecat (FRA) / Honor Open Water Swimmer
Trischa Zorn (USA) / Honor Paralympic Swimmer
Friday, September 29, 2023
2023 ISHOF Aquatic Awards – Presented by AquaCal(Formerly the Paragon Awards)
2023 ISHOF Specialty Awards
Purchase Friday Night Tickets Here
Friday, September 29th Schedule:
5:00 – Cocktails and hors d’oeuvresOceanview Veranda Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach, 3030 Holiday Drive, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 954.525.40006:00 – Awards Ceremony Caribbean BallroomFort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach8:30 – Dinner on own
ISHOF Aquatic Awards Presented by AquaCal
Swimming: Mike Unger (USA)Diving: Ellie Smart (USA)Water Polo: Mark Koganov (AZB)Synchro: Maria Jose Brunel (ESP)Aquatic Safety: Cullen Jones (USA)Recreational Swimming: Sofia Forte (USA)
ISHOF Specialty Awards
John K. Williams Jr. Award: Gail M. Dummer (USA)Judge Martin Award: Norm Taplin (USA)ISHOF Service Award: Laura Voet (USA)Buck Dawson Author’s Award: Elaine K. Howley (USA)Buck Dawson Author’s Award: Tom Gompf (USA)Al Schoenfield Media Award: John Lohn Virginia Hunt Newman Award: Amanda Gawthrope
Sammy Lee Award: TBA
Duraflex Award: TBA
**All ticket sales are final unless event is canceled**
HOTEL INFORMATION
Host Hotel: Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa
The Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa, (3030, Harbor Drive, Fort Lauderdale, 33316, 954. 525.4000) site of the Friday night awards ceremony is our host hotel. The hotel has given us a special rate of $229 per room night. Please make your reservations through the link below prior to August 29.
(Be sure to say you do not want the resort fee or you will be charged $259)
To make reservations click here: https://book.passkey.com/e/50527236
Upscale retreat with private beach access, two pools, four restaurants, full-service spa and oceanside bar. Location of the Friday evening awards ceremony.
¼ mile south of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
($30 Resort fee – Guests can opt out if not interested in resort amenities)
Additional Hotel Option:
Courtyard Marriott Fort Lauderdale Beach, 440 Seabreeze Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316
(954) 524-8733.
Click Here: Book your group rate for Honoree Ceremony
Special ISHOF Guest Rate of $169 – $189 per night
Honoree Ceremony September 29-30, 2023: Last Day to Book: Friday, August 31, 2023
Happy Birthday Fu Mingxia!!
Fu Mingxia (CHN)
Honor Diver (2005)
FOR THE RECORD: 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (10m platform); 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (10m platform, 3m springboard); 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (3m springboard), silver (3m springboard synchro); 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (10m platform); 1994 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (10m platform); 1993 FINA WORLD DIVING CUP: bronze (3m springboard); 1995 FINA WORLD DIVING CUP: gold (3m springboard), silver (10m platform); 2000 FINA WORLD DIVING CUP: silver (3m springboard); 1990 ASIAN GAMES: bronze (10m platform); 1994 ASIAN GAMES: silver (3m springboard); 1999 WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES: gold (10m platform, 3m springboard); Swimming World’s Best Female Platform Diver: 1990, 1991.
Fu Mingxia completed a remarkable diving career that earned her the title “Queen of Diving.” Over a period of three Olympic Games (1992, 1996, 2000) she earned four gold and one silver medal, more than any other diver in history.
Born in Wuhan of Hubei Province in central China on August 16, 1978, into a working-class family with an elder sister, Mingxia learned to swim at a nearby river under the instruction of her father Fu Yijun. At age five, she started gymnastics at the Winhan Spare-Time Sports School with her sister, but switched two years later to diving and was selected as a member to the Hubei Provencial diving team in 1987. She competed at the Junior National Games in 1989, placing fifth on the platform. The next year she won the event in the Group B event at the meet. She was then selected for intensified training by the national team and became a part of Hall of Fame Coach Xu Yiming’s national training program in Beijing in 1990. Homesick, she cried for the first few months, but during nine-hour-a-day practices, she kept very busy and was trained to empty herself of emotion, particularly fear. She saw her parents once that first year and within one year of intensified training and competing in six international competitions, she won the gold medal at the 1991 Perth World Championships in the 10m platform, becoming the youngest ever diving world champion at age 12.
Of her first time diving off the 10m platform, Mingxia remembers, “It was so high above the water! But we had a rule: a diver must leave the platform from the front, that means you have to dive. A diver can never descend by the stairs at the rear of the platform. So I jumped. I was scared to death. My heart was about to come out of my body. But I did it.” She carried her winning streak of 1991 into 1992 as she took the gold medal in the women’s 10m platform at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. At 13 years 353 days, she became the youngest female platform Olympic diving champion and the second youngest female Olympic diving champion of all time behind 1936 3m springboard gold medalist Marjorie Gestring at 13 years 267 days, a difference of only 186 days.
“I think a female diver can easily reach the peak of her career before 15, she said. But after that, you have to endure many growing pains. For example, to retain the elegance of the sport, one has to keep a slim figure. But your body is developing. You need to eat to provide your body with enough nutrients and stuff. I was really miserable. I felt hungry shortly after I had a meal. I couldn’t explain why I felt hungry so quickly, but that was the case then.”
Between 1992 and her next Olympic competition in 1996, Mingxia’s five feet tall and 90 pound body grew by two inches, but her skill and focus were as sharp as ever. She won the platform event at the 1994 Rome World Championships and was second in the springboard at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games. Then came the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and so did another two gold medals in the women’s springboard and platform, Fu becoming only the fourth women to win both events at the same Olympic Games – Vicki Draves (USA) / 1948, Pat McCormick (USA) / 1952, 1956, and Ingrid Kraemer (GER) / 1960. She also became the 5th female diver to win successive gold medals in the same event, the other four being Dorothy Poynton (USA) 1932, 1936 (platform), Pat McCormick (USA) 1952, 1956 (platform, springboard), Ingrid Kramer (GER) 1960, 1964 (springboard), Gao Min (CHN) 1988, 1992 (springboard).
Following Atlanta and after seven years of 40 hour a week training sessions, the physically and mentally exhausted Fu announced her retirement, enrolling at China’s top Tsinghua University. She was happily enjoying a relaxed university life, pressure-free from diving. But she soon realized she missed diving and started back competing for fun with no intention to continue internationally again. However, as her skills toned, she started thinking of Sydney in 2000. She worked hard and finished second in the Olympic Trials, thereby winning a place on the Olympic Team. After only six months training with 3m springboard synchro partner Guo Jingjing, the duo won the silver medal in the event behind the Russian team of Vera Ilyina and Oulia Pakhalina.
In the 3m springboard event, Mingxia defeated her synchro partner to win her fourth gold medal and thus the first female diver to win gold in three consecutive Olympic Games. With her silver medal in synchro diving, she had won an unprecedented five medals in Olympic competition. Says Mingxia, “It takes a diver only 1.7 seconds to go from the 10m platform to the water surface down below. So I call it a one-second art. It requires you to fully display the beauty of the sport in only a second. It’s very demanding, but I love the challenge.”
On July 15, 2002, Fu Mingxia married the then Hong Kong Financial Secretary Antony Leung Kamchung and gave birth to a baby girl in the Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong earlier this year. They now live in Hong Kong.
This brilliant diver who always seems to have a bright smile on her face, was selected as one of China’s “Ten Outstanding Young People”, out of 1.5 billion people.
Happy Birthday Krisztina Egerszegi!!
Krisztina Egerszegi (HUN)
Honor Swimmer (2001)
FOR THE RECORD: 1988 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (200m backstroke), silver (100m backstroke); 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 400m IM); 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (200m backstroke), bronze (400m IM); TWO WORLD RECORDS: 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke; 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke); 1994 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (200m backstroke); 1989 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (400m IM);1991 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 400m IM); 1993 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 200m butterfly, 400m IM); 1995 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (200m backstroke, 400m IM).
Only one other athlete had ever won an Olympic gold medal in each of three successive Olympic Games (Dawn Fraser of Australia in 1956, 1960, 1964, 100m freestyle) when Krisztina Egerszegi did it in the 200m backstroke in 1988, 1992 and 1996. Not only did she win the Olympic 200m backstroke an unprecedented three times, she also won gold medals in the 100m backstroke and 400m I.M. In addition, she started her string of victories as the youngest swimming Olympic gold medal winner of all time at the age of fourteen.
Krisztina’s international competition began at the top at the 1988 Seoul Olympics where she won the 200m backstroke gold in Olympic Record time of 2:09.29 over Katherin Zimmerman and Cornelia Sirch of the German Democratic Republic. She placed second in the 100m backstroke to Kristin Otto (GDR). For the next six years, she would lose the 200m backstroke race only once. This occurred at the 1989 European Championships in Bonn, when Dagmar Hase (GDR) and Otto out touched her in the 200m and 100m backstrokes respectively. It was the last year that the East German athletes were to swim under the banner of their country.
For the next three European Championships in Athens (1991), Sheffield (1993) and Vienna (1995), Krisztina won every race she entered which included the 100m and 200m backstroke, 200m butterfly and 400m individual medley. She became the master of the new, no-hand touch, the 1991 backstroke turn-rule change which eliminated the requirement of swimmers touching the wall with their hand on every turn. In 1991 at the European Championships, she broke Ina Kleber’s (GDR) 100m backstroke World Record which had been set 7 years earlier in 1984 and Betsy Mitchell’s (USA) 200m backstroke World Record set in 1986. Her 200m backstroke World Record of 2:06.62 set in Athens in 1991 still stands today, 10 years later.
Krisztina became the “Queen” of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics when she was the only female athlete to win three individual events – 100m and 200m backstroke and 400m I.M.. She was only the third swimmer in history behind Debbie Meyer (USA)(1968) and Janet Evans (USA)(1988) to win three individual events at one Olympic Games. Her 200m backstroke time remains an Olympic Record today. Four years later in 1996, at 22 years of age, she returned for another Olympics in Atlanta winning the gold for the third time in the 200m backstroke and a bronze in the 400m individual medley.
Her national team coach, Tamas Szechy, says she was a hard worker. She was Swimming World’s World Female Swimmer of the Year (1991) and European Female Swimmer of the Year (1990, 1991, 1992).
Krisztina never liked to predict her future, but through her competitiveness, tenacity, love for her sport and five Olympic gold medals later, she made her own place in it.
Happy Birthday Brendan Hansen!!
Brendan Hansen (USA)
Honor Swimmer (2021)
FOR THE RECORD: 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4×100m medley), silver (100m breaststroke), bronze (200m breaststroke); 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4×100m medley), 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4×100m medley), bronze (100m breaststroke); 2001 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (200m breaststroke); 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (4×100m medley), silver (100m breaststroke), bronze (200m breaststroke); 2005 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke, 4×100 m medley); 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (100m breaststroke), silver (50m breaststroke); 2004 World Championships (SC): 4 gold (50m breaststroke, 100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke, 4×100m medley)
How many athletes can boast that they were unbeaten in their individual events throughout all four years of college? The Texas Longhorn breaststroker named Brendan Hansen, from Havertown, Pennsylvania, can claim this feat. Hansen entered the University of Texas at Austin, in 2000 to swim for ISHOF Honor Coach, Eddie Reese. By the time he graduated in 2004, he had never lost a breaststroke event during his entire NCAA collegiate career. He was a 16-time All-American and won 13 NCAA Championships, eight individual NCAA titles and five relay crowns. Hansen became the only person in history to win every breaststroke event all four years at the NCAA Championships.
Brendan swam for several teams growing up in the Philadelphia area. His first coach was John McFadden at Foxcatcher Farms, who Brendan credits for his approach to practice and work ethic. Hansen had a unique style of breaststroke, which incorporated a kick that is typically much narrower than most of his competitors.
By the time he reached the University of Texas, Hansen was already a member of the USA National team. In 2000, Hansen just missed making the Olympic team twice in the both the 100 and 200m breaststroke, placing third in both events at Trials.
His first big international win was at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, where he took gold in the 200m breaststroke and set a championship record. Two years later at the 2003 World Championships in Barcelona, Hansen broke his first world record as part of the men’s 4 x 100 medley relay. In his individual events, he took silver in the 100, finishing just behind Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima along with taking a bronze in the 200. Then at the 2004 Olympic Trials in Long Beach, Hansen was unstoppable. He won both the 100 and 200m breaststroke, breaking the world record in each event, and made his first Olympic team.
Hansen went into the Athens Olympics completely prepared, but recalls his races being “sloppy.” Sloppy or not, he won his first Olympic gold medal on the USA’s 400m medley relay. Prior to the relay he won a silver in the 100m breaststroke and a bronze in the 200 breast. Hansen recalls the sheer pride he got when he put on that USA Olympic uniform for the first time. Working so hard to get there and battling back from his third-place finishes in 2000, made it all worthwhile.
Just two months following the Athens games, Hansen was back on US soil and in Indianapolis for the Short Course World Championships. He walked away with four gold medals in the 50, 100 and 200-meter breaststroke and the 400-medley relay. He was part of the world record medley relay, joining Hall of Famers Aaron Peirsol, Ian Crocker and Jason Lezak.
As a member of the 2006 USA National Team, Hansen broke the world record three times in a span of just 26 days in the breaststroke events. His first came at the 2006 US National Championships, where he broke the world record in both the 100m breaststroke (59.13) and 200m breaststroke (2:08.74). Days later, he traveled to Victoria, British Columbia, to compete at the Pan Pacific Championships. There, Hansen beat his own world record again in the 200m breaststroke, in a time of 2:08.50.
By most accounts, 2008 would prove to be another successful Olympic Games for Hansen. He had been elected Captain of the USA team and was part of the gold medal winning relay which allowed Michael Phelps to walk away with his historic eighth gold medal. It was a different story in the 100-meter breaststroke, however, as he placed fourth in the event. At the completion of the Games, he decided he was done with swimming.
Hansen retired after the 2008 games but returned in 2011 and qualified for his third Olympics a year later. At the 2012 London Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the 100m breaststroke, after gaining the last spot in finals and swimming in lane 8. He fought “tooth and nail” as he puts it, to get into the finals of that 100m breaststroke event. To this day, Brendan says, “that is still my favorite medal I have ever won.” He finished up the meet and his career by winning his third Olympic gold medal in the 400m medley relay.
Hansen finished his career with a total of three gold, one silver and two Olympic bronze medals. He is a ten-time world champion, breaking 11 world records in his career.
Happy Birthday Gary Tobian!!
Gary Tobian (USA)
Honor Diver (1978)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1956 silver (platform); 1960 gold (springboard), silver (platform); PAN AMERICAN GAMES: 1959 gold (3m springboard); NATIONAL AAU Diving Titles: 8.
Gary Tobian, a successful Los Angeles business man, owned the tower as U.S. National Champion for six years, but won his international gold medals in both the Olympics and Pan American Games off the springboard. He was the last in a long line of U.S.C. National Collegiate and AAU diving champions medaling in two Olympics, 1956 Melbourne and 1960 Rome.
Happy Birthday Debbie Meyer!!
Debbie Meyer (USA)
Honor Swimmer (1977)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1968 gold (200m, 400m, 800m freestyle); WORLD RECORDS: 15; PAN AMERICAN GAMES: 1967 (2 gold); NATIONAL AAU CHAMPIONSHIPS: 19; AMERICAN RECORDS: 27; “World Swimmer of the Year”: 1967, 1968, 1969; 1968 Sullivan Award winner.
Debbie was the first to win 3 individual golds at one Olympics (1968 Mexico). She won 2 Pan-American golds in 1967. She was the first woman to swim 1500m under 18 minutes and the first to take the 400m under 4:30, the 500 yd. under 5 minutes and the 1650 yd. under 17 minutes. She held 24 American Records. In 1967 she was chosen Tass News Agency’s “Woman Athlete of the Year”. Debbie Meyer , between the ages of 14 and 18, was the world’s greatest female swimmer. In 7 years prior to the 1968 Olympics (she began at the Camden Y and finished as belle cow of the Arden Hills Swim Club) she swam 30,000 miles in 7 years to set training standards no girl before her had achieved; and yet she remained a happy all-American girl in appearance as in performance setting standards. Just for comparison and a little argument in the battle of the sexes, Debbie’s 4:24.5 in the 400m would have beaten Murray Rose in the 1956 Olympics and her 17:19.9 in the 1500m would have been 39 seconds faster than his 1500m time.
Athletes who have made Olympic Swimming history for Japan
Today, 14 August, is Japanese Swimming Day, and with the 2023 Induction of Kusoke Kitajima, ISHOF looks back at the incredible achievements of Japanese Olympians in the pool.
Shared from Olympics.com
Swimming(Photo Credit: 2012 Getty Images)
Swimming has brought many Olympic medals to Japan – 80, in fact – the third-highest total for the nation behind artistic gymnastics (98) and judo (84) – and in terms of gold, swimming ranks fourth with 22.
TSURUTA Yoshiyuki was the first Japanese athlete to ever to win gold in consecutive Olympic Games (Amsterdam 1928 and Los Angeles 1932), while MAEHATA Hideko was the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic gold medal (Berlin 1936).
But how much do you know of these other facts?
Breaststroke is Japan’s strongest event – earning the country 12 gold medals
Twelve of Japan’s 22 gold medals have come from breaststroke. With six gold in the men’s 200m event as well as three each in both the men’s 100m and the women’s 200m, it is without a doubt, Japan’s speciality.
Both Tsuruta and Maehata won their gold medals in the 200m breaststroke. Among the many accomplishments of Japan’s swimmers, KITAJIMA Kosuke’s feat of winning back-to-back golds at consecutive Olympic Games in the men’s 100m and 200m, is undoubtedly a historic milestone for Japan.
Kosuke Kitajima Photo Credit: Getty Images
Another unforgettable achievement was by IWASAKI Kyoko.
Appearing at the Barcelona 1992 Games at the age of 14, Iwasaki put on an incredible burst of speed in the final stages of the women’s 200m breaststroke and made history by becoming the youngest ever swimmer to claim gold. The event remains one of the greatest moments in Japan’s Olympic history.
Japan continues to fare well in the breaststroke as evidenced by KANETO Rie gracing the podium in the women’s 200m event at Rio 2016. At the Tokyo 2020 Games, hopes are high that former 200m breaststroke world record holder, WATANABE Ippei, will be among those battling for gold.
Rie Kaneto Photo Credit: Getty Images
The scintillating rise of Hagino and Seto
While Japan has exhibited stability and strength in the breaststroke in the past decade, their swimmers have also begun to achieve remarkable results in the individual medley events.
At the London 2012 Games, HAGINO Kosuke – a 17-year-old high school student at the time – edged out Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, in the 400m individual medley to snatch the bronze medal. It was the first time a Japanese male swimmer had ever achieved such a feat and eventually established Hagino as a multi-event swimmer. At Rio 2016, he won three medals a gold in the 400m individual medley, silver in the 200m individual medley, and bronze in the men’s 4x200m team medley relay.
Photo Credit: GettyImages-586858958
Meanwhile, Hagino’s long-time friend and rival, SETO Daiya has also made good progress. At Rio 2016, he earned a bronze medal in the 400m individual medley. At the World Swimming Championships in 2019, he claimed gold in both the 200m and 400m individual medleys, which earned him a spot in the same events on Japan’s swimming team for the Tokyo 2020 Games.
With two more titles – in the 400m individual medleys from the same championships in 2013 and 2015 – there is no denying his competitiveness at international events.
Turning our eyes to the women’s category, OHASHI Yui continues to raise hopes. Since TAJIMA Yasuko won silver in the 400m individual medley at the Sydney 2000 Games, Japan has not seen a medal of any colour in this event. Having claimed silver and bronze in the World Swimming Championships in 2017 and 2019, respectively, Ohashi appears to be ready to stake her claim for a podium place at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Japan’s medals in backstroke and butterfly
A swimming style that has brought two gold medals to Japan in the past is backstroke. Both are from the men’s 100m events; one by KIYOKAWA Masaji at Los Angeles 1932 and the other by SUZUKI Daichi at Seoul 1988.
Suzuki had developed the dolphin kick, first used by American Jesse Vassallo, to the point where he was able to proceed roughly 25m underwater, and this kick later became synonymous with backstroke.
Ryosuke Irie
In the men’s category, IRIE Ryosuke, who won bronze in the 100m backstroke and silver in the 200m backstroke at London 2012, still reigns supreme to this day. The backstroke specialist, who will turn 31 in 2021, is striving to make the Tokyo 2020 Games the climax of his career.
For the women’s events both NAKAMURA Reiko and TERAKAWA Aya among others have earned medals at four consecutive Games from Sydney 2000 to London 2012, raising Japan’s international presence in the event.
In the butterfly, Japan has seen only one gold medal – won by AOKI Mayumi in the women’s 100m event at Munich 1972. However, Japanese swimmers have had podium finishes at all editions of the Games since Athens 2004.
In the men’s category, YAMAMOTO Takashi and MATSUDA Takeshi won silver and bronze in the 200m events.
At the Rio 2016 Games, SAKAI Masato won silver in the same event, nearly denying Michael Phelps victory by just 0.04 seconds. Seto, whose main focus is the individual medley, also thrives at butterfly events, and is eyeing a medal at Tokyo 2020.
In the women’s events, HOSHI Natsumi, who won bronze medals at both London 2012 and Rio 2016, has been Japan’s main hope in this event for the past few years.
Masato Sakai Photo Credit: Getty Images
Japan has long struggled in the freestyle
It could be said that the freestyle is not Japan’s strong point in recent years.
Although SHIBATA Ai won gold in the women’s 800m freestyle event at Athens 2004, majority of Japan’s medals in this stroke were won prior to 1960 – however, at Rio 2016, Japan emerged with a bronze medal in the men’s 4x200m relay for the first time since Tokyo 1964.
In addition, several freestylers who have recently proved themselves a match for overseas swimmers have begun to come to the fore. Among these is MATSUMOTO Katsuhiro, who won silver in the men’s 200m freestyle at the 2019 World Championships.
Ai Shibata Photo Credit: Gettty Images
Golden hopes in the relay
Japan has produced results not only in individual events but also in relays.
At London 2012, Japan’s team had three individual medallists: IRIE Ryosuke, KITAJIMA Kosuke and MATSUDA Takeshi, who managed to win silver in the men’s 4x100m medley relay.
The women’s team also won bronze in the same event. At the Tokyo 2020 Games, the 4x100m mixed medley relay, in which a team of four consisting of two men and two women competes, will take place as a new event.
Hopes are high in Japan that the host nation will fare well and dominate the event.
Photo Credit: GettyImages-149813297
Happy Birthday Jan Henne!!
Jan Henne (USA)
Honor Swimmer (1979)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1968 gold (100m freestyle; 400m freestyle relay), silver (200m freestyle), bronze (200m individual medley); U.S. NATIONAL AAU CHAMPIONSHIPS: 9; NATIONAL COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIPS: 4 AMERICAN RECORDS: 8.
In July, 1968, Jan Henne and her coach, George Haines, decided she was to become a freestyler and 3 months later she medaled in 4 events at the Mexico City Olympics. Primarily a breaststroker and water polo player, Henne was an AAU All-American in 1965, 1966, and 1967 with American Records in the 100, 100 and 250 yard breaststroke. A breaststroke finalist in the Nationals starting in 1963 and in the 1964 Olympic Trials, Jan shifted to Santa Clara in the fall of 1967 and was a sensation in the 1968 Indoor Nationals with 4 gold medals in the 100 yard breaststroke and the 3 American Record relays, plus third in the 200 yard breaststroke and 200 yard individual medley. She won 4 events for Arizona State in the 1970 National Collegiates. Her coaches were John Williams at Palo Alto, George Haines at Santa Clara, and Mona Plummer at Arizona State.