Happy 38th Birthday to our 2023 Honoree, Michael Phelps
MICHAEL PHELPS (USA)
FOR THE RECORD: GREATEST ATHLETE/SWIMMER IN THE HISTORY OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES; 28 TOTAL OLYMPIC MEDALS: 23 GOLD, 3 SILVER, 2 BRONZE; 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (200m butterfly, 200m IM, 4 x 100m medley relay, 4 x m freestyle relay, 4 x 200m freestyle relay) silver (100m butterfly); 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (100m butterfly, 200m IM, 4 x 100m medley relay, 4 x 200m freestyle relay) silver (200m butterfly, 4 x 100m freestyle relay); 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 200m freestyle, 200m IM, 400m IM, 4 x 100m medley relay, 4 x 100m freestyle relay, 4 x 200m freestyle relay); 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 200m IM, 400m IM, 4 x 200m freestyle relay,
Michael Phelps is undoubtedly the greatest swimmer to ever live. It is hard to believe that anyone will ever come close to matching what he has accomplished, attending five Olympic Games, winning 28 Olympic medals, 23 of which were gold, the others were three silver and two bronze. Not only is he considered the greatest swimmer to ever live, but he is considered one of the greatest athletes ever, compared to Tiger Woods, LeBron James and Tom Brady.
Come see Michael and the rest of the Class of 2023 be inducted on Saturday, September, 30, 2023, at The Parker Playhouse, 707 NE 8th Street, Fort Lauderdale, 33304.
ISHOF 58th Annual Honoree Induction Ceremonies
Saturday, September, 30, 2023
5:00 PM – Hors d’oeuvres and Cocktails (Special ticket holders only)
6:30 PM – 58th Annual ISHOF Induction Ceremony Begins
Tickets: – Will be available through Ticketmaster beginning in mid-July
International Swimming Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Honorees
Bob Bowman (USA)……………..…….….…..………….…..…Honor Coach
Chris Carver (USA)………..………………..…….……….……Honor Coach
Cesar Cielo (BRA)…………..….…….………………………Honor Swimmer
Kirsty Coventry (ZMB)…………..…….…………….……….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
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 of you will be charge $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 Mirko Vicevic!!
Mirko Vicevic (YUG/MON)
Honor Swimmer (2022)
FOR THE RECORD: 1988 OLYMPIC GAMES: GOLD; 1986 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: GOLD; 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS GOLD; 1989 FINA WORLD CUP: GOLD; 1990 FINA WORLD CUP: GOLD; 1991 FINA WORLD CUP: SILVER; 1990 WORLD CUP “GOODWILL GAMES”: GOLD; 1987 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: SILVER; 1989 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: SILVER; 1991 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: GOLD
The City of Kotor, known also as Cattaro, is a tiny fairytale-like place, tucked away in the heart of southern Europe. It is one of the most beautiful and well preserved towns in Montenegro, formerly Yugolsavia. This beautiful place is where Mirko Vicevic was born in 1968, into an athletic family, with a long tradition of water polo players, beginning with his grandfather, Ferdinand, who played for “Primorac” at the beginning of the 20th century. His father, Pavle, and uncle Slobodan, followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and after they finished their successful careers as players, they became very successful coaches of the same water polo club and national team of Yugoslavia.
Mirko started playing at a very early age and was selected for the Yugoslavian Junior team in 1984. He helped lead the team to podium performances at all major championships prior to joining the senior team in 1986, at age 18. After winning gold at the 1986 World Cup and silver at the 1987 European Championships, he achieved his childhood dream of winning the coveted gold medal at the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988. After that, Yugoslavia was unbeatable, winning every major international tournament.
Just when it looked like nothing could stop the Yugoslavians from securing an unprecedented Olympic three-peat, politics intervened. The Yugoslavian Federation began breaking up and when war broke out between Serbia and Croatia, the International Olympic Committee banned Yugoslavian teams from participating in the 1992 Barcelona Games.
It would be at a last chance, 1995 Olympic Qualification Tournament before Mirko Vicevic would have another chance to play for his country in FINA events- but now Yugoslavia consisted of only the two states of Serbia and Montenegro. After years of economic sanctions, and without players from Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, finished a disappointing eighth place in Atlanta in 1996.
While politics prevented Mirko from playing in FINA events, he flourished in Europe’s professional leagues, leading Savona to the Italian Championships in 1993 and Brexia to the title in 2003. Mirko won the LEN Trophy three times while he was playing with Brexia.
During his career he played for the Yugoslavian National Team in 276 matches not including the 72 matches for the Junior Team and won every major title available from 1986 through 1991.
While still playing professionally, he received his coaching diploma and led Savona to the Italian Junior Championships in 1999. When Montenegro declared its independence in 2006, Mirko returned to Kotor to coach the new nation’s junior team and a new club, “VaterPolo Academija Cattaro ‘’ that has become a powerhouse in European water polo.
Since 2008, Montenegro has consistently fielded one of the top four water polo teams in the world. With a population of a little over 600,000 people, water polo has become a symbol of pride for the new nation, and Mirko Vicevic is regarded as a national treasure.
Throwback Thursday
December, 1935 – The Second Annual Coaches Aquatic Forum, which would eventually become the College Coaches Swim Forum which would last well into the 2000’s.
Happy Birthday Alessandro Campagna!!
Alessandro Campagna (ITA)
Honor Water Polo (2019)
FOR THE RECORD: AS A PLAYER: 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold; 1986 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver; 1994 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold; 1987 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: bronze; 1989 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: bronze; 1993 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold; AS A COACH: 2011 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold; 2014 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: bronze
He was born in Palermo, on the beautiful island of Sicily, but he grew up in Syracuse, where he began learning to swim at the age of six. Sandro, as he is affectionately known, was afraid at first, but the more time he spent in the water, the more confident he became, and he soon came to love it. At the same time, he also loved football and trained seriously in both sports.
At the age of 12, Sandro was introduced to the sport of water polo. For him, it merged the two sports he loved, and the rules of the sport came quickly to him. In the very first game in which he played, he scored three goals and was hooked! He transferred his love of swimming to water polo and never looked back.
In 1976, when Sandro was 13 years old, he watched Italy win the silver medal in water polo at the Montreal Olympic Games. It was then that he decided that one day, he too would stand on the Olympic podium, playing water polo for his country, just like his idol, ISHOF Honoree, Gianni De Magistris.
Five years later, Sandro was playing for Ortigia, in the first division of the Italian League. In a game against Florentine, and their star, Gianni DeMagistris, Sandro scored three goals. Ortigia won the game 5 to 4 and Sandro was invited to join the Settebello. Literally translated, Settebello means “beautiful seven”, an affectionate nickname the Italian water polo team earned after winning the gold medal at the 1948 London Olympic Games.
Just as his career was beginning to take off, Sandro suffered a serious injury that kept him out of the water for a year. When he returned, he helped the Settebello win the silver medal at the 1986 World Championships and Sandro was voted one of the world’s best.
Unfortunately, after finishing a disappointing seventh in Seoul in 1988, the Italian Federation turned to a foreign coach to make their team beautiful again. That coach was ISHOF Honoree, Ratko Rudic. With two Olympic gold medals for Yugoslavia to his name, Rudic brought with him a winning culture based on discipline and hard work.
The results were immediate. Behind the play of Alessandro Campagna, Italy won gold at the 1992 Olympic Games Barcelona…gold at the1993 FINA Cup in Athens… gold at the 1993 European Championships at Sheffield…and finally, the 1994 World Championships in Rome. It was an unprecedented Water polo GRAND SLAM.
Alessandro (Sandro) Campanga was one of the most complete water polo players of all time. In his professional career, he played for two clubs: The first was, Ortigia Siracusa, where he was the captain and the leading player for ten championship seasons, and the second, Roma, where he won the Coppa delle Coppe, also known as the LEN Cup Winner’s Cup and the Len Cup. The winners of the LEN Cup Winner’s Cup went on to face the European Champions in the European Super Cup.
Campagna credits his success to the four coaches he trained under during his career. To his first coach, Romolo Parodi, he credits getting his love of the game. To Gianni Lonzi, for selecting him to the national team as a young player at 18 years old. He believes Fritz Dennerlein completed him tactically, and lastly he believes Ratko Rudic made him go further mentally than he would have on his own.
Upon retirement, after accumulating 409 caps playing for the Settebello, Campagna decided to put his water polo knowledge to use in coaching. As head coach of the Italian National Team, he led Italy to the top of the podium at the 2011 FINA World Championships, they took the silver medal at the 2012 London Games, bronze at 2014 European Championships in Budapest, and bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
In May 2015, he was selected among the 100 Legends of Sport: in Italy for the Italian Walk of Fame CONI at the Foro Italico, in Roma.
On December 30, 1968 FINA officially declares the Swimming Hall of Fame: International.
Happy Birthday Gregory Bonann!!
Gregory J. Bonann (2000)
Executive Producer Baywatch Hawaii, Swimmer
Baywatch Hawai’i”s Creator and Executive Producer, Greg Bonann, was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Despite a number of physical challenges, Bonann was determined at a young age to become an expertswimmer. He soon excelled at the sport and went on to break many records for the swim team at Pacific Palisades High School. As soon as he was old enough, he focused his efforts on qualifying to join the elite team of men and women that make up the Los Angeles County Lifeguards. Bonann’s dream came true in 1970, and he’s been a dedicated lifeguard for over thirty years.
After high school, Bonann never strayed far from home, graduating from Cal. State Long Beach with a B.A. degree in Journalism in 1974 followed by an MBA from UCLA in 1976. From there, Bonann combined his business education with his gift of storytelling and began pursuing a career as a filmmaker.
His first major effort producing and directing award-winning documentaries for PBS took him to Saudi Arabia, North Africa, Alaska and other locations all around the world. His love of sports, especially Olympic competition, eventually led him back to America in the winter of 1980 to produce and direct the official film for the U.S. Olympic Committee in Lake Placid. “FIRE AND ICE” went on to win eight prestigious awards including the coveted Cine Golden Eagle. More importantly, the honors gave him the impetus to produce and direct the official films for the 1984 Winter and Summer Olympic Games in Sarajevo and Los Angeles (FROZEN IN TIME and ELEMENTS OF GOLD) and the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary (CITY OF GOLD). Bonann won countless honors for his work and would have continued to follow the Olympic Games for the rest of his life if it weren’t for the show business break of a lifetime.
In 1988, Bonann created a music video featuring his lifeguard buddies doing what they do best on a hot beach day to the beat of Don Henley’s hit “Boys of Summer.” This “montage” served as the blueprint for what would become “Baywatch” on NBC a year later.
It was during a routine scout to the beach that first season of “Baywatch” when a young boy ran up to Bonann pleading that his brother was drowning 200 yards offshore. Bonann quickly jumped into action and swam with the rip current to where the boy was last seen. He had to make three dives to find the unconscious boy who had been submerged at the murky bottom for over five minutes. Performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while treading water, Bonann was able to save the boy’s life and was awarded the prestigious Medal of Valor for his heroic effort.
Now in his eleventh year as executive producer, Bonann was instrumental in relocating “Baywatch’’ to Hawai’i”s beautiful shores last year, where it plans to stay for many seasons to come. Bonann has personally directed over 70 episodes of “Baywatch” in the last ten years, including most of the action and rescue scenes, as well as 400 of his signature music montages.
The series today remains one of the single-most watched shows in the world, seen on a weekly basis by an estimated 1 billion people internationally. It airs in 140 countries on six continents and in 33 languages. It has also been a staple in rerun syndication as a weekday strip, and, in its eleventh year, is currently the longest running show on television. It remains a flagship show for many stations, still boasting a 95% domestic market-penetration level.
The overwhelming international response to “Baywatch” inspired Greg to use this platform for a good cause. In 1992, Greg Bonann and Tai Collins founded “Camp Baywatch,” a “Baywatch theme-related summer camp” that would give homeless and at-risk youth a chance to experience the beach, fresh-air, and an opportunity to learn how to swim and be safe at beaches and pools. For many of the children, whose lives have been filled with hardships, danger and struggle, Camp Baywatch represents the dawning of hope for a better life.
The vision of educating and inspiring children has expanded recently into Greg Bonann’s latest project – an international Learn to Swim program, dedicated to drawing awareness to the dire need of teaching our children how to be safe in and around the water. The goal of this program is to take drowning off the top of the Center for Disease Control’s list of killers of children. Camp Baywatch Hawaii will bring this educational program across the country to schools, recreation centers, YMCA’s and American Red Cross Centers. “Baywatch,” “Baywatch Hawai’i,” and Camp Baywatch are all the vision and now the reality of Greg Bonann, and will certainly leave a lasting legacy for years to come.
Happy Birthday Sylvie Frechette!!
Sylvie Frechette (CAN)
Honor Synchronized / Artistic Swimmer (2003)
FOR THE RECORD: 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (solo); 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (team); 1986 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (team); 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (solo, figures); 1986, 1990 COMMONWEALTH GAMES: gold (solo, figures); 1987 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: silver (solo); 10 CANADIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (figures, solo, duet, team).
Canada has had a rich history in synchronized swimming. Hall of Famers Peg Seller helped organize initial competitions in the sport starting in the 1920s, and June Taylor became the first national champion in the solo event, including in the United States. Hall of Famer Carolyn Waldo won Olympic gold and silver medals in solo and gold in duet with partner Michele Cameron. Then Sylvie Frechette entered the scene and continued Canada’s winning ways.
At her hometown-team, the Aquatic Club of Montreal (CAMO), Sylvie was destined as a youngster to become Canada’s next Olympic gold medallist.
Under the guidance of her coach, Julie Sauve, Sylvie first competed at the Canadian Junior National Championships in 1979, finishing 19th in duet. Only two years later she was winning gold in solo and duet. By 1983, she was traveling with the Canadian National Team and over the next three years won gold medals in international invitational competitions in Mallorca, Berne, Tokyo, Australia, France and Indianapolis.
In 1986 at the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games, Sylvie won the solo gold medal and was a member of the gold medal winning team at the Madrid World Championships the same year. Over the next three years, Sylvie continued to win more international invitationals.
Then, at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games in New Zealand, Sylvie became the first synchronized swimmer to score perfect 10s from all judges in the solo event. The next year at the World Championships in Perth, she earned the highest combined total marks (201.013) received by a synchronized swimmer in the solo event in World Championship and Olympic competition. The record still stands today.
It was at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games that Sylvie reached the pinnacle of international synchronized swimming by winning the gold medal in the solo event. Her routine was done to the music of composer Vangelis and brought fans to their feet. But Sylvie did not receive her medal on site. It was awarded to USA’s Kristin Babb Sprague. However, due to a scoring controversy, FINA recommended that the International Olympic Committee award a duplicate gold medal to Sylvie which resulted in two solo synchronized swimming gold medallists – Sylvie and Kristin. She received her medal 14 months later in Montreal.
Following the Olympics, Sylvie retired from competition, developing a calendar thick with speaking engagements, a television interview program called Simplement Sylvie and a public relations position with the National Bank of Canada. But it only lasted two years, and in 1994, she re-surfaced to help her Canadian Team win a medal in Atlanta. The format for Atlanta had changed and the solo and duet competitions were replaced by one event – the team competition. After the lay-off, she could still execute her movements clearly and decisively. Her artistic expression and physical strength shined. Team Canada won the silver medal, only one-and-one-half points behind the USA.
All totaled, Sylvie had won 45 major international competitions in solo and figures events. Out of the water, she has been an analyst for the Commonwealth Games, Pan American Games and Sydney Olympic Games for Radio-Canada television station. She is author of Sylvie Frechette, Gold at Last. In 1993, she funded a National Bank of Canada bursary program giving $75,000 per year to young athletes in Canada. She has been a master of ceremonies for the Canadian Olympic Association at Olympic events in Sydney (2000) and Lillehammer (1994). She was invited by Prince Albert to do special shows in Monaco. One of the Olympic pools in Montreal has been named in her honor. She has been awarded the Canadian Olympic Order (1994) and Meritory Service Cross of Canada (1993).
Perhaps her most dramatic post-competition achievement has been in founding the O Show of Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. Performed daily at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, the show is Sylvie’s creation and is considered one of the “greatest shows on earth” performed both on stage and in a swimming pool “tank.” As aquatic designer, coach and performer, her greatest challenge is to transform her finely tuned athletes into finely tuned artists, doing ten shows per week, 49 weeks per year.
USA Women’s Water Polo Claims Fourth Straight World Cup Crown
Photo Courtesy: Catharyn Haynes/USA Water Polo/World Aquatics
The USA women’s water polo team claimed its fourth consecutive World Cup title with a 12-11 win over the Netherlands.
The U.S. led 8-3 but the Netherlands stormed back and nearly had a game-tying goal in the final seconds.
“One thing we talk about as a team is maintaining a gold standard, regardless of how the match is going. That attitude and culture is what made us so successful today, especially in the younger women who played big roles and stepped up in our win today, despite having limited experience at this stage,” U.S. captain Maggie Steffens said. “Today was the tale of two halves. We definitely lost some concentration going into that third quarter. In the first half, we were very focused on our team defense and as the second half began, we started to let up there. You can’t do that against the Netherlands because they have some of the best players and shooters in the world who will capitalize on your mistakes as they did today. For us, it was about refocusing our mentality and effort back to our team defense during the fourth quarter and ultimately gave us the win today.”
It was the fifth World Cup title overall for the USA women’s water polo.
Spain defeated Hungary 18-15 for the bronze medal. Greece edged Italy with the 10-9 winner coming in the last two seconds, and Israel downed New Zealand 12-11 with a last-minute goal for its first victory at this level.
This was a match of two parts with both teams having 8-3 halves. USA was 8-3 ahead early in the second quarter, then the Dutch knuckled down and began their drive, going 8-3 for 11-11 at 1:54. USA started with the first two goals by Steffens, leading 3-1 and then 5-2 at the break. Steffens scored a third as the slower-scoring period reached 7-3 at the long break.
Maddie Musselman began the third on extra and the USA was apparently surfing the victory wave. However, a tip-in goal from Kitty Joustra began the Dutch resurgence and narrowed the margin to two before the USA closed the period at 10-7. Goals were traded at the top of the fourth before three Dutch goals — two from Maartje Keuning — levelled at 1:54. USA calmly went to a timeout and Rachel Fattal provided the conversion at 1:26.
The Netherlands had a timeout at 0:20, nearly lost the ball before regathering and passing around until captain Sabrina van der Sloot fired from wide right into the bottom corner, only for Amanda Longan to smother. It looked like it could have gone in, but the USA retained the ball and took out the gold medal.
Happy Birthday Gail Roper!!
Gail Roper (USA)
Honor Masters Swimmer (2003)
FOR THE RECORD: MASTERS SWIMMING: WORLD RECORDS (42): (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, IM); USMS RECORDS: (166): (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, IM); 1984 MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (50m, 100m, 200m, 400m freestyle, 200m backstroke, 50m, 100m, 200m breaststroke, 50m, 100m, 200m butterfly, 200m, 400m IM); 1985 MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m, 200m, 400m freestyle, 50m, 100m, 200m butterfly, 400m IM); 1986 MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (200m, 800m freestyle, 100m, 200m butterfly, 400m IM); 1988 MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m, 200m butterfly), silver (400m IM); 1952, 1953 US NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 6 short course (100yd, 200yd, 250yd breaststroke, 300yd IM), 5 long course (110yd, 220yd breaststroke 330yd IM relays); 40-44 Age Group: 29 NATIONAL RECORDS; 45-49 Age Group: 7 WORLD RECORDS, 39 NATIONAL RECORDS; 50-54 Age Group: 16 WORLD RECORDS, 54 NATIONAL RECORDS; 55-59 Age Group: 12 WORLD RECORDS, 38 NATIONAL RECORDS; 60-64 Age Group: 1 WORLD RECORD, 2 NATIONAL RECORDS; 65-69 Age Group: 6 WORLD RECORDS, 4 NATIONAL RECORDS; US MASTERS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (130): 74 short course (50yd, 100yd, 200yd butterfly, 200yd backstroke, 100yd, 200yd breaststroke, 50yd, 100yd, 200yd, 500yd, 1650yd freestyle, 100yd, 200yd, 400yd IM), 56 long course (50m, 100m, 200m butterfly, 100m, 200m breaststroke, 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 1500m freestyle, 200m, 400m IM).
She was not a particularly good athlete in school. In fact, the school coaches never considered her when drawing up a team roster, but this strong willed and dedicated girl coached herself to become the best breaststroker in the world both as a younger senior swimmer and later as a master swimmer. She had a number one world ranking in 1953, beating out Hungary’s Hall of Famer Eva Szekely, the 1952 Olympic champion and a number one world ranking in each of her Masters swimming age groups.
Gail Peters Roper, born in 1929 in Trenton, New Jersey, learned to swim on her own by reading books on swimming and then trying it out in the water. She never found a coach serious enough to work with her, but she was the 1948-1951 New Jersey State Champion and a 1948 Eastern Interscholastic Champion. In 1951, at the age of 22, a few years after high school, she moved to Washington, D.C. as a military geology draftsman for the government. It was here that she began swimming with the girls on the Walter Reed Hospital Team relays, winning and setting records in the breaststroke, individual medley and 300yd medley relays with Hall of Famers Mary Freeman and Shelly Mann. In 1952, she became the US National Champion in the 100yd and 200yd breaststroke and the 300yd individual medley in National Record time. Her performances garnered her a spread in various magazines including the April 1952 Life magazine which described her after winning the US National Championships, “in a bathing suit, she looked scrawny and in street clothes, wearing glasses with a pink rim and rhinestones, she looked anything but athletic. But in the water she looked wonderful and became the star of the meet.” She was the swimming nominee for the coveted Sullivan Award that same year.
She coached herself to the 1952 Olympic Trials where she qualified first in the 200m breaststroke on the US Olympic team. All set to take on the world in Helsinki, she pulled a ligament in her ankle just before the competition and was not able to race. She left Finland disappointed, but eager to continue in the water.
The next year at the US AAU National Championships she won the High Point award by winning the 100yd and 250yd breaststroke and 300yd medley relay. Swimming long course, she won the 110yd, 220yd breaststroke, 330yd IM, 330yd medley relay and the 880yd freestyle relay. And again she was the Sullivan Award nominee.
Gail swam until she was 26 years old, beyond the normal age for a competitive female swimmer. It was then time to start a family and live the family life. She stayed away from swimming for 18 years.
It was at the age of 44 that Gail began to swim again, this time on her daughter’s swim team in California. She competed in the first Masters meet ever held in 1970 and from the start began to set national records in all four strokes and the individual medley. From 1974 to 1978, her five years in the women’s 45-49 age group, she held every short course yards record in her age group as well as 14 of the 16 long course records for most of those years. She has set over 42 world records and won 27 gold medals at the first 5 Masters World Championship meets throughout the world. She has won over 130 US Masters National Championships setting 53 records at these meets. All total, she has set 166 US National Records in all of the age groups in which she has participated from the 40-44 to the 65-69 age groups.
In 1986, Gail was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and advised to severely restrict her swimming. Following the doctor’s advice, she finally retired in 1990 and from 1991 through 1994, she was the Masters coach for the very successful University of San Francisco Masters Team.
But you can’t keep a good girl out of the water and in 1994, she decided to return to swimming, instantly setting national and world records in her new 65-69 age group. Sports Illustrated has called her the most dominant swimmer ever. Today, as a mother of 7 and grandmother too, she continues to swim up a storm.
Throwback Thursday: Oh how times have changed…….
Aquatic stars in the cigarette era
1965 ISHOF Honoree Adolph KIefer
https://www.ishof.org/honoree/honoree-adolph-kiefer/
1972 ISHOF Honoree Helen Wainwright
https://www.ishof.org/honoree/honoree-helen-wainwright/
1981 ISHOF Honoree Lenore Kight Wingard
https://www.ishof.org/honoree/honoree-lenore-kight/