ANTHONY ERVIN AGAIN – HOW OLD IS OLD?
Shared from Olympic Stats
Anthony Ervin won the men’s 50 metre freestyle tonite 16 years after he won the same race at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Anthony Ervin is 35-years-old, which is Methuselah-like for an Olympic swimmer. How does this compare to previous elderly Olympic swimmers, especially successful ones?
Ervin became the 7th oldest Olympic swimming medalist tonite, at 35-079 (years-days), and the 6th oldest man
He became the 4th oldest USA Olympic swimming medalist, after Dara Torres (41-125 in 2008), Jason Lezak (36-260 in 2012), and Edgar Adams (36-151 in 1904).
Ervin became the oldest Olympic swimming gold medalist, surpassing Dara Torres from 2000, when she was 33-162 and 33-155 when she won relay gold medals; and among men, Jason Lezak, who was 32-279 and 32-273 in 2008, also winning in relays.
He is the 4th oldest individual swimming medalist, after Torres from 2008 (50 free), William Robinson (GBR-1908, 200 breaststroke; 38-026), and Edgar Adams (1904 plunge for distance; 36-151).
Ervin is easily the oldest individual swimming gold medalist ever, surpassing Inge de Bruijn (NED-2004, 30-363) among all swimmers, and among the men, going way back to Duke Kahanamoku (USA-1920, 30-009), although Michael Phelps had bettered that earlier in Rio.
Happy Birthday Dr. Denes Kemeny!!
Dr. Denes Kemeny (HUN)
Honor Water Polo (2011)
FOR THE RECORD: 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold; 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold; 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold; 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP S: gold; 2003 FINA WATER POLO WORLD LEAGUE: gold; 2004 FINA WATER POLO WORLD LEAGUE: gold; 1999 FINA WATER POLO WORLD CUP: gold; 1997 EUROPEAN WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold; 1999 EUROPEAN WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIP S: gold; 2000 LEN WATER POLO EUROPEAN LEAGUE: gold.
Born in Budapest 1954, Denes Kemeny began playing water polo at the young age of six. For the next 21 years, he played for six teams making the Hungarian National Team from 1974 to 1986 and competing in over 17 international games for his country. But his competition days were only preparing him for what was to come. In a country where water polo is the national sport, Kemeny would become one of Hungary’s most successful water polo coaches ever.
He graduated college in veterinary medicine, but later with a degree of water polo master trainer, he assumed the head coaching reigns of the National Team of Hungary; a country that had won an Olympic medal at all 12 Olympic Games from 1928 through 1980, but had not won an Olympic medal for the 20 year period from the1980 Moscow Olympics to the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Kemeny changed all that! Within two short years as National Team Coach in 1978, his style, leadership and coaching ability returned.
Hungary to world prominence and water polo world dominance. Everything he touched turned to gold: the 2000 Olympic Sydney Olympic Games defeating Russia with the biggest goal margin in the history of Olympic finals; the 2004 Olympic Athens Games defeating Serbia & Montenegro coming back from a two goal deficit in the final period; and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games defeating a strong, surprise team from the USA.
This marks the first time a country has won three successive Olympic Games since Great Britain in 1908, 1912 and 1920. Kemenycoached teams have won gold medals at World Championships, World League, World Cups, European Championships and the European League. Kemeny has the ability to take young players and turn them into great players.
Happy Birthday to our 2023 Honor Water Polo Player Heather Petri !!!
Heather Petri (USA) 2023 Honor Water Polo Player
Heather Petri is a four-time Olympian, winning one gold (2012), two silver (2000, 2008) and a bronze medal (2004) as part of the USA Women’s National Water Polo Team. She is only one of four women to be a four-time Olympian and one of two, who has won four Olympic medals. Heather is only the sixth woman ever to be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in the sport of water polo, behind teammates Brenda Villa and Maureen O’Toole, Australians Debbie Watson and Bridgette Gusterson, and Karin Kuipers of the Netherlands.
As an Olympian, she helped Team USA win the gold medal in the 2012 London Games, the silver medal in 2000- the first-year women were allowed to compete in water polo in the Olympic Games, then in 2008, Beijing; and finally, the bronze in 2004, in the Athens Games.
Petri was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame in 2018, and prior to that, into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013, the same year she had her cap retired by the Cal women’s water polo program, where she played collegiate water polo from 1997–2001. Petri also was named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team in 2016.
Petri represented the USA at the other events as well, winning three World Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2009, three gold in the FINA Women’s Water Polo World League Super Finals in 2009, 2011 and 2013 and two Pan American gold medals in 2007 and 2011.
Heather also played professional water in Europe for several seasons and she is currently the Women’s water polo coach at her alma mater, Cal.
Come join Heather 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://www.ishof.org/donate/
THE OLDEST OLYMPIANS (two are DIVERS!!!)
JUNE 13, 2023 PAUL TCHIR LEAVE A COMMENT
Shared from our good friend Peter Heatley and OlympicStats
Yesterday on Oldest Olympians, we announced the death of Edna Child, born October 16, 1922, who died in May. At the time of her death, she was the oldest living British Olympian, as well as the oldest living Olympic diver. As we have done in the past, therefore, we wanted to provide an update on who now holds those titles.
The oldest British Olympian is now Jack Whitford, born January 3, 1924, who recently turned 99. Whitford represented Great Britain in the tournament at the 1952 Helsinki Games, where he was 21st with the national team and had a best individual finish of joint-69th in the pommelled horse. He was also chosen to take part in the 1948 London Olympics, but broke his arm prior to the competition and did not take part. His brother, Arthur, was a 10-time national champion, while Jack won three titles. His wife, Pat Evans, was also an Olympic gymnast and lived to be 93.
The oldest living Olympic diver is now Birte Christoffersen-Hanson, born March 28, 1924, who was already the oldest living Olympic medalist in diving, as well as the oldest living Olympian to have won a medal for Denmark. Christoffersen-Hanson represented Denmark as Brite Christoffersen until 1953, including at the 1948 London Olympics, where she won a bronze medal in the platform event. She also took two bronze medals at the 1950 European Championships. From 1954 until her retirement in the 1960s, she represented Sweden as Birte Hanson, appearing twice more at the Olympics (1956 and 1960) and capturing one bronze (1958) and two silver medals (1954) at the European Championships. By career, she worked as a physical education instructor and now resides in Limhamn, Malmö.
Happy Birthday Jennifer Chandler!!
Jennifer Chandler (USA)
Honor Diver (1987)
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1976 gold (springboard); 1980 member U.S. Olympic team; WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1 1978 bronze (springboard); PAN AMERICAN GAMES: 1975 bronze (springboard); AAU NATIONALS: 4 Indoors (1m 1975; 3m 1974, 1976, 1978); 2 Outdoors (1m 1977; 3m 1978); AMERICAN CUP: 1977 bronze (springboard).
Gutsy, articulate, graceful, pretty Jennifer Chandler is studying to hone her skills as an artist with pencil and paint brush. Her water color commentary can be heard on network television, and her aquatic artistry began as a springboard diver when she was nine. A bad back caused her early retirement at 21, an age when most divers are just approaching their physical peaks.
Before her forced career change at 21, she had won the Pan American Games at Mexico City at age 15, gold medaled at the Montreal Olympics at 17 and made the ill-fated Olympic team that did not go to Moscow in 1980. Jennifer left her Birmingham hometown to 13 to follow her coach Carlos DeCuba to Atlanta. She won her first of six nationals the next year in Dallas, Texas. She says of diving and herself, “You only really dive against yourself again and again and again, so outside pressure never bothered me. I wanted to win, and I worked hard for it, but the fame was real difficult to handle. Winning for me came almost too young. It brought a lot of early responsibility. It’s made me a better adult, but it was tough for a while.”
Happy Birthday Debbie Muir!!
Debbie Muir (CAN)
Honor Synchronized / Artistic Swimming Coach (2007)
FOR THE RECORD: 1984, 1988, 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: Synchronized Swimming Coach; 1978, 1982, 1986, 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: Synchronized Swimming Coach; Coach of FOUR OLYMPIANS Winning Three Gold Medals and Three Silver Medals; Coach of SIX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALISTS winning eight gold and two silver medals; Coach of THREE PAN AMERICAN GAMES MEDALISTS winning three gold medals; Coach of ONE COMMONWEALTH GAMES MEDALIST winning one silver medal; CANADIAN NATIONAL TEAM COACH: 1976 – 1991
For a twelve year period from 1978 to 1991, most all of Canada’s international synchronized swimming medalists came from Coach Debbie Muir’s hometown team, the Calgary Aquabelles. She began her coaching career in 1973 as an assistant with the Aquabelles. Within two years she became the head coach and within seven years she was the Canadian National Team Coach. Debbie developed a team of winners who emerged as National, Pan American, Commonwealth, World and Olympic Champions. She is recognized as one of the most winningest coaches in synchronized swimming and in Canadian sport.
At synchronized swimming’s Olympic debut in 1984, her swimmer Carolyn Waldo won the silver medal in the solo event. Waldo returned in 1988 to win the gold medal and she also won the gold medal in the duet event with Aquabelle teammate Michele Cameron. Debbie’s swimmers Kelly Kryczka and Sharon Hambrock won the duet silver medal in the 1984 Games.
Debbie’s first World Champions began to appear at the 1978 Berlin Championships when Helen Vanderberg won the solo event and the duet event with teammate Michele Calkins. Winning ways continued in 1982 Quayaquil with Kryczka and Hambrock winning the duet event. A mostly all-Muir team won the Team event. In 1986 Madrid, Canada was on top again when Muir-coached swimmers won all the events solo (Waldo), duet (Waldo/Cameron) and team.
Muir’s teams won all the solo and duet medals at the 1979 and 1987 FINA Cups. Her swimmers won medals at the 1979 Pan American Games and the 1982 Commonwealth Games. She served as the Canadian National Team Coach from 1978 to 1991. When the off-the-wall under water dolphin kick in backstroke was in its infancy, she used her under water synchro skills to help Mark Tewksbury win the gold medal in the 100m backstroke at the 1992 Olympic Games.
After retiring from the Canadian program, she was a consultant for many teams and coaches in Japan, Sweden, South Korea, England and Egypt. From 1995 to 2000, Debbie coached the Australian National Team in preparation for the Sydney Olympics and led the squad to its best international result at the Games. Debbie returned to Calgary to found her own company, Performance Training and Development, providing senior managers with the necessary skills to help their employees be more effective on the job.
As one of the world’s most celebrated synchronized swimming coaches ever, Debbie Muir coached four swimmers inducted into the prestigious International Swimming Hall of Fame – Carolyn Waldo, Helen Vanderberg, Michele Cameron and Michele Calkins.
Happy Birthday Tiffany Cohen!!
TIFFANY COHEN (USA) 1996 Honor Swimmer
FOR THE RECORD: 1984 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (400m and 800m freestyle); 1982 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: bronze (400m freestyle); 1983 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: gold (400m and 800m freestyle); 14 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 400m, 800m 1000yd, 1500m freestyle.
She swam at a time when Tracy Wickham of Australia held all the world records in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyles and most of them for a period of nine and one-half years. But Tiffany Lisa Cohen (TLC for short) was a competitor, and she raced whomever was next to her. Said her coach Mark Schubert, “Tiffany has that great ability to rise to the occasion when the gun goes off.”
Cohen joined the Mission Viejo Swim Team in 1980 and swam her first U.S. Nationals one year later in Brown Deer, Wisconsin, winning the 400m freestyle, the first of fourteen U.S. National Championships in the 400m, 800m 1000m and 1500m freestyle events.
In only her second complete year of competition, she won the bronze medal in the 400m freestyle behind GDR swimmers Carmela Schmidt and Petra Schneider at the 1982 World Championships in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The following year her international competitions were at the Caracas Pan American Games where she won gold medals in the 400m and 800m freestyles and the Pan Pacific Championships where she again won the 400m and 800m freestyles.
Tiffany likes to be the leader both in and out of the water. She sets a good example and has a good attitude about competing in sport and life. She enjoys helping people and has that burning desire to succeed.
So when the Olympic Games of 1984 came, she was ready to take on the world and particularly East Germany’s Astrid Strauss who narrowly defeated Tiffany earlier in the year at the U.S. Swimming International. But the head to head competition was not to happen as the GDR boycotted the Games. Tiffany swam to an American record by winning the 400m freestyle and an Olympic record by winning the 800m freestyle, only 33 one-hundredths of a second short of Hall of Famer Tracy Wickham’s world record. It was an Olympic performance of which to be proud.
Following the Olympics of Los Angeles, Tiffany continued to compete and win, helping her Mission Viejo team on its way to a record number of national championships. She attended the University of Texas, winning five NCAA National titles for her team and coach Richard Quick. Said Quick of Cohen, “Tiffany has the mark of a champion. Just to swim well isn’t enough. She doesn’t like losing.”
In 1987, Tiffany retired from competitive swimming to battle bulimia, an eating disorder. She has embarked on a campaign to educate the public about the perils of eating disorders. She and her husband Bill are expecting their first child, and she will continue her lecturing career and concentrate on being a full-time mom. That’s Tiffany – focused both in and out of the water.
Happy Birthday Megan Neyer!!
MEGAN NEYER (USA)
Honor Diver
FOR THE RECORD: 1980 OLYMPIC GAMES: boycott; 1982 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (springboard); 1983 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: 4th (platform); USA INTERNATIONAL DIVING MEET: 1980 – bronze (3m springboard), silver (platform), 1981 – gold (3m springboard), silver (platform), 1982, 1986, 1988 – gold (1m springboard); 1981 FINA CUP: silver (3m springboard); 15 US NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 8 indoor (1m, 3m springboard), 7 outdoor (1m, 3m springboard); EIGHT NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: (1m, 3m springboard).
As a relative unknown, this young diver burst into the international spotlight at the 1980 U.S. Olympic Trials when she placed first in both the 3m springboard and 10m platform events, knowing full well that the U.S. team would not compete in Moscow at the boycotted Games. She used one of the world’s hardest lists in women’s diving with a total degree of difficulty at 22.8, matched only by USA’s Chris Seufert and 1980 Olympic Champion, Irina Kalanina of the Soviet Union. She captured the top spot in platform and springboard diving, becoming only the third person in U.S. History and the first person in two decades to accomplish the double win at a U.S. Olympic Trials, following Hall of Fame divers Pat McCormick (1952 & 1956) and Paula Jean Myers Pope (1960).
Raised in Ashland, Kentucky, Megan moved to Mission Viejo, California to continue her diving with Hall of Famer, Coach Ron O’Brien at the Nadadores. Ron helped to guide her through a decade of diving competition that saw her become the best female diver in the world.
Her success has been her consistency of success. Over a ten year period from 1978 to 1988, she won numerous U.S. National Championships, NCAA Championships, a World championship and other major international competitions.
Unable to compete at the Moscow Olympics, Neyer traveled with the U.S. Team for a dual meet with the National Team of China. She won silver in the springboard as well as at the FINA Cup and the FISU Games at Bucharest, Romaine. While a freshman at the University of Florida, she won both the 1m and 3m springboard NCAA Championship, the first of four years, setting an NCAA Record of eight individual diving championships within a four year period. This record still stands today. Because of her enormous springboard successes, Swimming World magazine voted her the 1981 Springboard Female World Diver of the Year.
At the Guayaquil World Championships in 1982, Megan became the best in the world again, winning the gold medal in the 3m springboard. She won the USA International as the only non-Chinese winner in the four combined women’s and men’s events and two points over Canada’s Hall of Famer, Sylvie Bernier. She also won both U.S. National Championships, the Australia Day International Meet and a Mission Viejo vs. Mexico dual meet. Again Swimming World selected her as the Springboard Female World Diver of the Year, 1982.
Blonde hair, 5 foot 2, eyes of blue, Megan Neyer was the envy of everyone. But in 1984, she failed to qualify for the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team. She was crushed and took a rest from diving for a year and one-half. It would be a time to heal an injured shoulder, spend time with her family after the death of her father, and to release the pressure cooker feeling around which she had put herself.
Upon returning, she immediately went right back to winning: two National Championships in 1986 and 1987. Surgery performed on her bad shoulder kept her from making the 1988 Olympic team, but she did win another National Championship in the 1m springboard competition.
Megan Neyer will be remembered as a pillar of consistency throughout her long career. She won a total of 15 U.S. National Championships, and while maintaining a 3.5 grade point average in psychology at the University of Florida, she became the all-time winningest collegiate diver in the history of swimming and diving, both male and female. “I thrive on the individualized nature of diving. I’m a performer and I know that,” said Megan. With her advanced degree in the counseling field, Dr. Megan Neyer is the Director of Performance and Wellness Counseling at the Homer Rice Center for Sports Performance at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
Good Luck to ISHOF Honoree Maarten van der Weijden !!
Honoree: Maarten van der Weijden is doing an 11-cities triathlon. It starts of with the swimming bit: 200km.
It starts on Sunday 18 June and if goes well finishes on Wednesday 21 June. Much will probably be live online and some televised in the Netherlands.
In the last few years – Maarten has raised more that $10 MILLION for cancer charities……he continues
**translated from Dutch
Maarten van der Weijden is looking forward to the eleven-city triathlon: “He trained for three years”
June 6, 07:00 • Two more weeks: then Maarten van der Weijden will return to Fryslân. This time not for the swimming eleven city tour, but for the eleven city triathlon. After the Frisian Stefan van der Pal, Van der Weijden will now also try to not only swim the route, but also cycle and walk. It is the first time that Van der Weijden will also cycle and walk the tour. Twice before he swam the Eleventh Tour. In 2018 he failed to swim the tour, but a year later he did. That’s why Van der Weijden now finds himself ready for the next challenge.
Three times the Eleventh Tour in a week
Van der Weijden knows what it’s like to swim the Alvestêde Tour, but to be able to cycle and walk afterwards is a different story. In his training sessions, he was able to handle the distances, but whether he can do it so flat in succession is still a question. Nevertheless, he sees it as a good thing. “I’ve never done it before,” says Van der Weijden. “But I trained for three years before this, so I think I can handle it.” LEARN MORE 720p selected as playback quality! ! ! ! 00:00 | 01:34 01:34 Speed 0.5x 0.75x Normal 1.25x 1.5x 2.0x Quality 720p 480p 360p Language Subtitle Off ! Blue Billywig Video Player Maarten van der Weijden is looking forward to the 11-city triathlon A few months ago he suffered from a stomach bleed and it got worse. “The stomach bleeding was quite severe, because I even spent a week in the hospital.” But in the meantime he is again top fit. “I’m fortunately recovered and definitely ready for it.”
Sporting together
The fact that Van der Weijden will now also cycle and walk is not the only difference with the previous times. Namely, people can now also play sports with him. “I want to make it as big an event as possible. We want as many people as possible to participate in sports, so that as much donation money as possible can be collected”, says the former Olympic champion. If you are 70 and you lost your partner of 75 to cancer, you could still participate. Maarten van der Weijden The fact that quite a bit of money has already been raised means a lot to Van der Weijden. “I think that’s crazy. I’m going to do sports, but it’s so nice and heart-warming that so many people participate who also collect money in their own environment. Everyone knows someone in their environment who has cancer or has had it. That we if everyone has been able to do something about it and hopefully make a lot of research possible, I’m really happy!”
Don’t run but walk
In each city, a different research into cancer is central, where the money that is raised goes. So people can see what they are exercising for or what exactly they are spending their money on. “We try to make the care a little better in all kinds of ways”, explains Van der Weijden. Unlike Stefan van der Pal, Maarten van der Weijden has decided not to run, but to walk. According to him, there are two reasons for this. “The beauty of walking is that everyone could participate. If you’re 70 and you’ve lost your partner of 75, you could still join. I think that’s the best thing, that we can all go walking together.” The second reason has to do with his physical health. “The cartilage in my knee is no longer so good, so it is not healthy for me to go running. But I can walk.” Maarten van der Weijden practicing at the Aldehou © Martin de Jong Fotografie The tour lasts from 18 to 24 June and so Van der Weijden will not make it without sleep. He finds that difficult, but he does see that there is no other way. “The first time in 2018, when I didn’t make it, I thought sleep was cheating. Only then did I find out during the tour that you can’t do it without sleep. I find it difficult because I ask for help. It only feels good when I give everything myself. But what all that is, I can hardly estimate. I will have to sleep, in order to do that last bit together here in Leeuwarden.”
Finish in Leeuwarden
This time the finish line is in Leeuwarden and he is already looking forward to that. “I think it’s very nice that the finish is here at the Oldehove. I start in the Prinsentuin and the Oldehove is the place where I always change sports. But that I finish in the heart of Leeuwarden, here at the Oldehove, there I really like it.”
Today we remember Sir Peter Heatley on his Birthday
Sir Peter Heatley (GBR)
Honor Contributor (2016)
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: MEMBER FINA TECHNICAL DIVING COMMITTEE: 1966-1988 (Chairman 1984-1988), Honorary Secretary (1972-1984); MEMBER LEN TECHNICAL DIVING COMMITTEE: 1966–1988; CHAIRMAN OF COMMONWEALTH GAMES FEDERATION: 1982-1990; APPOINTED LIFE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES FEDERATION: 1990; 1948 OLYMPIC GAMES: diving competitor, (5th); 1952 OLYMPIC GAMES: diving competitor; 1950 COMMONWEALTH GAMES: gold (10m Platform); 1954 COMMONWEALTH GAMES: silver (3m Springboard); 1958 COMMONWEALTH GAMES: gold (10m platform); 1966 COMMONWEALTH GAMES: Scottish Team Manager; 1974 COMMONWEALTH GAMES: Scottish Team Manager; CHAIRMAN OF THE SCOTTISH SPORTS COUNCIL: 1975-1987.
As a swimmer, he was the Scottish freestyle champion and record holder over several distances between 1942 and 1947 before deciding to concentrate on diving. Self-taught and self-coached, he won gold medals at the 1950, 1954 and 1958 Commonwealth Games on the 10-meter platform and represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games in 1948 in London and in 1952 in Helsinki.
After Peter Heatly’s career as an athlete ended, he decided to give back to the sports he so loved. He would serve the aquatic sports in some capacity for over seventy years at the local, national and international levels as either a manager, official or administrator.
Peter joined the FINA and LEN technical diving committees in 1966, serving as Honorary Secretary of the FINA Committee from 1972 to 1984 and Chairman from 1984 to 1988. He was selected Chairman of the Great Britain Swimming Federation in 1981 and again in 1992. He served as chairman of the National Scottish Learn to Swim Campaign from 1964 to 1974 and went on to become Chairman of the Scottish Sports Council from 1975 to 1987.
Heatly was involved in 17 consecutive Commonwealth Games from 1950 to 2014, becoming Vice -Chairman of the Organizing Committee, when the Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1970, and Chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation from 1982 to 1990 after the first ever balloted election.
As a Chartered Civil Engineer, he produced and delivered papers on the design of swimming pools to professional bodies both in Great Britain and Europe. He also received Honorary Doctorates from three universities for his contributions to the sport.
Peter Heatly was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1971 and in 1990 was installed as a Knight of the Realm by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. He was inducted into the Scottish Hall of Fame in 2002 and into the Scottish Swimming Hall of Fame in 2010.