USMS Spring Championships: Jenny Thompson, Laura Val, Maurine Kornfeld Claim Double Wins on Final Day
Jenny Thompson. Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
by DAN D’ADDONA — SWIMMING WORLD MANAGING EDITOR
30 April 2023, 05:03pm
The United States Masters Swimming (USMS) Spring Championships concluded on Sunday from Irvine, California.
It was a meet full of victories, records, and most importantly, a record-setting list of competitors – more than 2,500.
The final session included the 400 IM, 50 free, 200 butterfly, mixed 200 medley relay, 100 backstroke, 200 free and 50 breast – all in short-course yards.
Maurine Kornfeld broke the 100-104 record in the 50 free, getting to the wall in 1:27.45. Kornfeld also went a 3:30.70 in the 100 backstroke to win.
Twelve-time Olympic medalist Jenny Thompson won the 50-54 age group in the 50 free, going a 23.75 to break the age group record. Thompson also won the 100 backstroke in her age group at 58.87 in another record.
Meanwhile, former NCAA record holder Ally Howe won the 25-29 age group in the 100 backstroke in a 52.69 – the same event she set the NCAA record in at Stanford. It was an age group record and her 25.25 split in the backstroke broke the 50 backstroke record.
Laura Val, who has claimed more than 100 masters world records, won the 70-74 age group in the 100 backstroke (1:08.05). She also won the 200 free (2:12.26) in an age group record.
Some familiar faces earned wins, starting with the first event of the day. Former U.S. national teamer Becca Mann claimed victory in the 25-29 400 IM (4:30.19). She then turned in a second-place finish in the 200 fly.
Former Cal star Felicia Lee won the 30-34 age group in the 100 backstroke (55.59).
Gabrielle Rose own the 45-49 age group in the 50 breaststroke (28.54), continuing her strong performance this week.
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In the men’s meet, Vladimir Morozov won the 30-34 age group in the 50 freestyle (19.53).
In the 40-44 age group Mario Marshall (21.18) edged teammate Anthony Ervin (21.40) in the 50 free.
Rick Colella added another USMS win and record to his collection to close his stellar meet. He was first to the wall in the 200 butterfly for the 70-74 age group (2:17.30).
Former Stanford star Grant Shoults won the 25-29 age group in the 200 free (1:36.96).
John Stafford, father of NFL quarterback Matthew Stafford, won his second event of the meet with a 2:16.03 swim in the 200 free in the 75-79 age group.
Former Swimming World staffer Jeff Commings won the 45-49 age group in the 100 backstroke (54.00).
USMS Records Set on Sunday, April 30
Maurine Kornfeld, Rose Bowl Masters: Women’s 100-104 50 freestyle (1:27.45)
Jenny Thompson, Palmetto Masters: Women’s 50-54 50 freestyle (23.75)
Zachary Fong, New York Athletic Club: Men’s 25-29 200 butterfly (1:44.67)
Rick Colella, Puget Sound Masters: Men’s 70-74 200 butterfly (2:17.30)
Arizona Masters Swim Club: Mixed 75+ 200 medley relay (2:43.23)
Ally Howe, New York Athletic Club: Women’s 25-29 50 backstroke (25.25)
Peter Moore, Novaquatics Masters: Men’s 50-54 50 backstroke (24.43)
Ally Howe, New York Athletic Club: Women’s 25-29 100 backstroke (52.69)
Jenny Thompson, Palmetto Masters: Women’s 50-54 100 backstroke (58.87)
Jenna Campbell, Colorado Masters Swimming: Women’s 25-29 200 freestyle (1:47.88)
Laura Val, Tamalpais Aquatic Masters: Women’s 70-74 200 freestyle (2:12.26)
Gabrielle Rose, Santa Barbara Masters: Women’s 45-49 50 breaststroke (28.54)
Note: All records are subject to change pending verification.
Caeleb Dressel Set for Return to Competition at Next Week’s Atlanta Classic; First Meet in 11 Months
Caeleb Dressel — Photo Courtesy: Andrea Staccioli / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
by DAVID RIEDER – SENIOR WRITER
01 May 2023, 04:28pm
Caeleb Dressel Set for Return to Competition at Next Week’s Atlanta Classic; First Meet in 11 Months
For the first time since his withdrawal midway through last year’s World Championships, Caeleb Dressel is entered in a swim meet. Dressel is scheduled to race at the Atlanta Classic, which will take place May 12-14 at the McAuley Aquatic Pavilion in Atlanta. Swim Atlanta head coach Chris Davis confirmed to Swimming World that Dressel is entered, and with meet entries due Monday at 11:59 p.m., a psych sheet is likely forthcoming.
Dressel pulled out of Worlds after the 100 freestyle prelims with undisclosed health concerns, and 24 hours later, USA Swimming announced he was out for the meet. In a statement, USA Swimming said, “After conferring with Caeleb, his coaches and the medical staff, a decision has been made to withdraw him from the FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Our priority is and will always be the health of our athletes and we will continue give Caeleb the assistance he needs to recover quickly.”
The 26-year-old, who swam for the University of Florida from 2014 through 2018 and still lives and trains in Gainesville, has been mostly quiet in the months since, but he posted about his status in early September on Instagram. In that post, he revealed that he had not competed since World Championships, and he hinted that the reasons for his hiatus were related to mental health. He said, “I know I can have swimming and happiness. I had them both at one point in my life and I’m working on it. If you need a break, take one.”
Prior to departing Budapest, Dressel won gold medals in the 400 free relay and 50 butterfly. At last year’s Olympics, he captured five gold medals, with individual wins in the 100 free, 100 fly and 50 free accompanying two relay victories. It’s unclear if he will attempt to qualify for his fourth consecutive World Championships this year, with the U.S. selection meet set for late June in Indianapolis.
Happy Birthday Jill Savery !
Jill Savery (USA)
Honor Synchronized / Artistic Swimmer (2008)
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (team); 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: gold (team); 1994 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: gold (team); 1991, 1993, 1995 FINA WORLD CUP: gold (team); 1991 ROME OPEN: gold (team); 1992, 1993 SWISS OPEN: gold (team): 1995 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: gold (team); 1994 FRENCH OPEN: gold (team); 1993 CHINA OPEN: silver (solo); 1991 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (team); U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (team – 1991, 1992), silver (team – 1993, 1994, 1995), bronze (duet – 1991, 1992, 1994 and solo – 1993, 1994); 1990 American Cup (Jr.): gold (solo); USOC Athletes Advisory Council; 1998 Nagano Olympic Games: Athlete’s Liaison; 1994 National College Championships: gold (solo, duet, trio);
She grew up in Concord, California, as an all-around athlete in gymnastics, swimming, diving, baseball and ballet. But, by the age of 10, she decided where to put her energy – synchronized swimming. Hall of Fame Coach Gail Emery become her mentor and by the time she was 16, she was the Junior World Team Champion and the soon-to-follow American Cup Four – solo, duet and team champion.
Jill Savery
As her skills became more refined, her successes became more impressive. Between 1991 and 1995, she won gold medals in the team event at every major international competition – the Rome Open, the Swiss Open, the French Open, the Pan Pacific Games and the World Cup Competitions but, Jill Savery’s career highlight came at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games when she won synchronized swimming’s first ever gold medal in the team event in Olympic Games history. Her 10 years on the U.S. National team, many as Team Captain, helped to elevate the U.S. synchronized swimming dominance in the team event during that era. Jill became a two time World Championship gold medalist, an eight-time world champion and the only U.S. swimmer to compete in all of the international team events.
Jill was an individual high point champion at the NCAA National Championships for Cal – Berkeley. She served on the USOC Athletes Advisory Board and was the athletes liaison at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Games.
WORLD RECORD FLASHBACK: MARY T. MEAGHER AND A STANDARD DECADES AHEAD OF ITS TIME
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
28 April 2023, 04:34am
World Record Flashback: Mary T. Meagher and a Standard Decades Ahead of Its Time
In this edition of World Record Flashback, we examine the historic 1981 world record of Mary T. Meagher in the 200-meter butterfly. When Madame Butterfly clocked 2:05.96 at the United States National Championships, she produced a standard that was years – even decades – ahead of its time.
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More than 40 years have passed since, in relative quiet, a 16-year-old Mary T. Meagher delivered one of the greatest performances in the sport’s history. To make that statement is not hyperbole, as is often the case when specific moments are considered against time. No, in this case – and the facts serve as proof – historical defiance is the only way to properly classify what Meagher produced in the 200-meter butterfly at the 1981 United States National Championships in Brown Deer, Wisconsin.
As Meagher climbed the blocks on August 13, the possibility of a world record certainly existed. After all, Meagher was the current record holder, having set four standards in the event between 1979 and 1980. Yet, when she surged through the water in 2:05.96, her competition battered, eyes could hardly fathom what the scoreboard offered. A sub-2:06 mark? Seriously? It wasn’t even 14 years earlier in which a man – some guy by the name of Mark Spitz – first breached the 2:06 barrier.
Three days later, Meagher broke the world record in the 100 butterfly, in the process becoming the first woman to go sub-59 AND sub-58 in the event, thanks to a swim of 57.93. Both standards endured for more than 18 years, but it is the record in the 200 butterfly which has best stood the test of time, its transcendence evident in the fact that it would have placed fourth at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. To reiterate, what Meagher managed in 1981 remains world class today.
“I was joyful, happy, all those words,” she once told Swimming World about her 200 butterfly record. “At that point, I was still taking my success for granted. I didn’t know I would never swim that fast again.”
On the road to that day in Wisconsin, Meagher experienced both joy and heartache in the sport. As a rising teenage phenom, she long seemed destined for greatness. She made her international breakthrough at the 1979 Pan American Games, where she won gold in the 200 butterfly and set her first world record, behind an effort of 2:09.77. The showing was supposed to be the precursor to the next summer’s Olympic Games in Moscow, where Meagher would be among the most-heralded athletes.
But instead of shining on the biggest stage, Meagher became a victim of politics, one of hundreds of American hopefuls robbed of their impending Olympic glory. In response to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, President Jimmy Carter announced the United States would boycott the Moscow Games. The decision left Meagher obviously stung, used as a political pawn.
At the Olympics, East Germany’s Caren Metschuck won gold in the 100 butterfly with a time that was a second slower than Meagher from a few months earlier. The gap was even more extraordinary in the 200 fly, as East German Ines Geissler won gold in Moscow in 2:10.44, more than four seconds slower than what Meagher clocked nine days later in Irvine, California. Had Meagher been in Moscow, gold would have been a certainty, her races primarily duels against the clock.
“I was feeling sorry for myself,” Meagher said of the boycott. “On the one hand, I feel so lucky, so blessed, that God chose me to have that surreal experience of winning and traveling the world. But the timing (of the boycott) wasn’t ideal. According to the times, I would have won in 1980.”
The boycott had varying impacts on the athletes who were affected. Some retired. Others had reached their prime. A handful were mentally devastated and opted for retirement. For Meagher, she was young enough to forge ahead and turn in the best performances of her career, most notably that spectacular world record in the 200 butterfly.
More, Meagher was in position to eventually receive her Olympic opportunity. Although her finest days were in the past by the time the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles rolled around, Meagher impressively captured titles at a home Games in the 100 butterfly and 200 butterfly, along with gold as a member of the American 400 medley relay. She even stayed in the sport long enough to add a bronze medal in the 200 fly at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
“I guess I’ll always envision them as a kind of heaven, sort of a dream world,” Meagher said of the 1984 Games. “Only this dream world was real.”
It took until 2000 for Meagher’s world record to go down, at the hands of Australian Susie O’Neill and her time of 2:05.81 at the Aussie Olympic Trials. Really, it was appropriate that O’Neill broke the record, as she had the mark in her sights for several years and is considered one of the greats in the history of the 200 butterfly. She, too, was given the nickname of Madame Butterfly.
Given its 18-year status as the world record, Meagher’s 2:05 marker stands out on its own. Still, some additional perspective reveals just how remarkable the performance was. The record was posted without any of the technological supports of the current age. No tech suit. No goggles. A pool not in touch with present-day standards for speed. Meagher’s world-record time not only would have qualified for every Olympic final through the current day, it would have medaled at every Olympics through the 2008 Games.
Despite a lack of exposure to the aforementioned advantages of the modern athlete, Meagher’s career-best outing would have scared the podium at the most-recent Olympics. In Tokyo, China’s Zhang Yufei was the runaway champion, a time of 2:03.86 comfortably beating silver medalist Regan Smith (2:05.30) and bronze medalist Hali Flickinger (2:05.65). The fact that Meagher’s world record of 1981 would have been in contention for hardware is a testament to the swim’s ahead-of-its-time nature.
In the other 200-meter distances, the existing world records of Meagher’s era would have been well out of touch. The 200 breaststroke would have been a bottom-five time in preliminaries in Tokyo while the 200 backstroke standard would not have advanced out of heats. Meanwhile, the 200 freestyle would have been 16th in prelims, narrowly advancing to the semifinals.
When digesting what Meagher accomplished, an initial reaction is awe. Nonetheless, Meagher once suggested she could have been faster.
“I always felt I could do a 2:04,” she once said. “When I did 2:05, I wasn’t pushed at all, and the last 25 meters felt real easy. At the finish, I thought, ‘I’m not tired, I could’ve kept on going.’”
Her legacy has.
Happy Birthday Alain Bernard
Alain Bernard (FRA)
Honor Swimmer (2017)
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (100m freestyle), silver (4x100m freestyle), bronze (50m freestyle); 2012 London: gold (4×100m freestyle); 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): bronze (4×100m freestyle); 2009 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): silver (100m freestyle), bronze (4×100m freestyle); 2011 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): silver (4×100m freestyle), bronze (50m freestyle); 2010 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold 4×100m freestyle; 2006 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): bronze (4×100m freestyle); 2008 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): gold (100m freestyle, 50m freestyle); 2010 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (100m freestyle), silver (4×100m freestyle); 2012 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (4×100m freestyle), silver (100m freestyle); 2004 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): gold (4×50m freestyle); 2005 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): silver (4×50m freestyle); 2006 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): silver (4×50m freestyle), bronze (100m freestyle); 2007 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): gold (100m freestyle), silver (4x50m freestyle), bronze (50m freestyle); 2008 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): gold (4×50m freestyle); FOUR WORLD RECORDS: 50m freestyle (LC), 100m freestyle (LC & SC), 200m freestyle relay.
Born in Aubagne, Bouches-du-Rhône, France, Alain Bernard trained at a local club until the age of 16, when he switched to Club Marseille to train under coach Denis Auguin. He made slow but steady progress until 2007, a break-out year in which he set the French record in the 100m freestyle and later claimed his first European Championship title in the same event. Then, at the European Championships in March 2008, he set his first world records, winning the 50m and 100m freestyle. A month later he qualified for the Beijing Olympic Games in both events.
Alain’s experience in Beijing began with bitter disappointment, when the USA took the gold medal from the favored French team in the 4x100m freestyle relay. In addition, he also lost his world record to Eamon Sullivan who led off Australia’s relay with a phenomenal swim.
Alain reclaimed his record two days later in his 100m freestyle semi-final swim, before losing it again to Sullivan in his semi. In the final, however, it was Alain Bernard who won the gold medal, and with his victory, he became France’s first male Olympic gold medalist since Jean Boiteaux, who won the 400m freestyle at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games.
The next day he won a bronze medal in the 50m freestyle event and left Beijing with three medals, each of a different metal.
The next year, Alain ushered in the shiny suit era by becoming the first swimmer to break the 47 second barrier in the 100m freestyle, breaking Sullivan’s record with a time of 46.94 seconds. Unfortunately, the suit he wore was not approved by FINA and his record was unrecognized.
Leading up to the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Alain continued to be among the world’s top sprinters and although he missed qualifying in individual events, he was a member of the French 4x100m freestyle relay that finally won the gold, after knocking on the door of greatness for most of his career. Upon returning to France at the age of 29, he announced his retirement as his country’s most decorated Olympic swimmer, owning a total of four medals (two gold, one silver and one bronze) from two Olympic Games, Beijing and London.
Today he continues to share his love of swimming in his role as ambassador and technical advisor for the French AquaSphere brand of swim equipment.
ISHOF Announces Spectacular Class of 2023; Michael Phelps and Bob Bowman Among Honorees
The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) is proud to announce its prestigious Class of 2023. This year, ISHOF will induct 13 honorees from eight countries: five swimmers, two coaches, one diver, one water polo player, one synchronized swimmer, one open water swimmer, one contributor and its first Paralympian. The induction event will be held Saturday, September 30, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
This year’s International Swimming Hall of Fame honorees include:
HONOR SWIMMERS: Michael Phelps (USA), Kosuke Kitajima (JPN), Cesar Cielo (BRA), Missy Franklin (USA) and Kristy Coventry (ZIM); HONOR DIVER: Wu Minxia (CHN); HONOR SYNCHRONIZED (ARTISTIC) SWIMMER: Natalia Ischenko (RUS); HONOR WATER POLO: Heather Petri (USA); HONOR OPEN WATER SWIMMER: Stèphane LeCat (FRA); HONOR COACH: Bob Bowman (USA) and Chris Carver (USA); HONOR CONTRIBUTORS: Sam Ramsamy (RSA) and PARALYMPIAN: Trischa Zorn (USA).
Michael Phelps (USA) is the greatest swimmer to ever grace the pool. It would be hard to imagine that anyone will ever come close to accomplishing even half of what he managed in his Olympic career. During his swimming career, Michael swam in five Olympic Games (2000-2016), won a total of 28 Olympic medals, 23 of which were gold, three silver and two bronze. The beauty of Michael’s career was that he was so versatile. He could swim any stroke. Michael set 39 world records in his record-breaking career. He will go down in history as one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) is the most decorated Olympian from the continent of Africa. And not just in swimming, in ALL sports. She and Kristina Egerszegi are tied for having won the most individual Olympic medals in women’s swimming. She has competed in five Olympic Games, from 2000-2016, and she won all but one of Zimbabwe’s Olympic medals. In total, she won two gold, four silver and one bronze Olympic medals, all individual. She is a four-time world champion, and five-time world-record holder. She is a 22-time medalist at her native All-Africa Games, 14 of which were gold. And to show her versatility, the events ran from the 50 to 800m freestyle, to the breaststroke events, IM and her signature backstroke events. Like Phelps, she could swim it all.
Photo by Peter Bick
Kosuke Kitajima (JPN) is a Japanese swimmer who broke seven world records in his career, specializing in the breaststroke. In his first Olympic Games in 2004, he captured gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke and a bronze, swimming the breaststroke leg of the 4 x 100 medley relay representing his homeland. During the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, he pulled off a repeat of the 2004 Games, winning the gold medal in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke, while also breaking the world record in the 100, in a time of 58.91. By winning back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2008, Kitajima became the first and only swimmer to win the breaststroke events at back-to-back Olympic Games. He and his team again won the bronze in 2008 in the medley relay. In 2012, Kitajima and the relay team bettered it in London by winning silver. In the end, Kitajima won four gold, one silver and two bronze medals in Olympic competition.
Missy Franklin (USA) became America’s darling at her Olympic debut in London at the 2012 Summer Games at the age of 17. She is a two-time Olympian, and five-time Olympic gold medalist, who specialized in the backstroke events. She is a four-time world record holder, two in the 200-meter backstroke, both long and short course, and also in the 4×100-meter medley relay, also in the long and short course. Missy brought home a total of five Olympic medals for the USA, four of which were gold. In 2012, she swept the women’s backstroke events, capturing gold in both the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke. She also won two more gold in London in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay and the 4 x 100 medley relay. At those Games, she and her teammates won bronze in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay. In Missy’s second Games, she left Rio with another gold medal to add to her resume in the 4 x 200 freestyle relay. In total, she has won 28 medals in international competition: 17 gold, six silver, and five bronze, combining her participation at the Olympic Games, the FINA World Championships, both long and short course, and the Pan Pacific Championships. Her 11 gold medals at the World Championships set a record in women’s swimming until an up and comer, named Katie Ledecky broke it in 2017.
Photo by Speedo
Cesar Cielo (BRA) was a Brazilian swimmer who specialized in the sprint events. He is considered the most successful Brazilian swimmer in history, having won three Olympic medals: Gold in the 50-meter freestyle in 2008, as well as a bronze in the 100 freestyle and a second bronze in 2012 in London in the 50m freestyle. Cielo is also a six-time world champion and broke two world records. His 50-freestyle world record of 20.91 has lasted an astounding 15 years, broken Dec. 18, 2009. His second world record (46.91 in the 100 freestyle) endured almost as long and was just broken last summer (August 13, 2022). Cielo’s gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games in the 50m freestyle is Brazil’s only Olympic gold medal in swimming to date. Cielo was the first man to swim under 47 seconds in the 100-meter freestyle and the first man under 41 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle. He was also a six-time national champion at Auburn University.
Honor Diver
Wu Minxia (CHN) is a diver from China, specializing in the 1- and 3-meter springboard events, as well as the 3-meter synchronized events. She represented China at every Asian Games, FINA World Championships and Olympic Games beginning in 2001 through 2016. She is an eight-time world champion, and a five-time Olympic and Asian Champion, making her one of the most decorated divers in Chinese history. In the 3-meter synchro event, she was originally partnered with Guo Jingjing in 2001, where she won her first world title. She would go on to win on three more occasions with Jingjing. After Jingjing retired, Wu partnered with He Zi and continued winning. At the 2012 Olympic Games, Wu won the gold in the synchro event, becoming the first woman to win gold in a diving event in three consecutive Olympic Games. No one has won more gold medals in the 3-meter synchronized springboard diving event than Wu Minxia.
Honor Water Polo Player
Heather Petri (USA) stands tall right alongside Brenda Villa as one of the most decorated women’s water polo players of all time. She has four Olympic medals, one gold (2012), two silver (2008, 2000) and one bronze (2004). She has three World Championships titles (2009, 2007, 2003) and one silver medal (2005). She scored four goals on the way to a gold medal and an Olympic berth at the 2011 Pan American Games. She won gold as well in the two other Pan Am Games that she competed in (2003, 2007). She scored the USA’s gold medals win over Canada at the 2003 Pan Am’s to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games. She was part of the first Olympic Games to offer water polo in 2000, and she and her USA teammates took silver.
Honor Synchronized Swimmer (Artistic Swimming)
Natalia Ischenko (RUS) was the first Russian to win solo, duet, and the team event at a single World Championships. She was honored by FINA as the Synchronized Swimmer of the Year 2010-2012. She is a five-time Olympic Champion, and 19-time world champion. In 2008, at her first Olympic Games in Beijing, she won gold in the team event. In 2012, in London at her second Games, she took gold in Team and Duet and in her third and final Games, she again took gold in Team and Duet. Her 19 World Championships wins began in 2005 and her career ended in Kazan in 2015. She also has two silver medals, one from 2005 from a solo event and the other from 2007 from the solo free routine. She retired in April of 2017 and since then, Natalia has served as Vice Minister of Sports Kaliningrad Oblast.
Honor Open Water Swimmer
Stéphane Lecat (FRA) was the premier professional marathon swimmer in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was the FINA World Cup Series Champion in 1997, 1999 and 2000. He won the bronze medal in the 25k at the 2011 FINA World Championships. He competed at the European Championships in the 25k event three times, winning a medal each time. In 2000 he won gold, in 1997 he took silver, and in 1995 it was bronze. At the Mediterranean Championships in 1997, he won gold in the 15k event. He swam the English Channel in 2003 in a time of 8 hours and 19 minutes, and he was a 10-time national champion. He was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2018. In addition, that same year, he was awarded the Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award by ISHOF for his contribution to the administration of the French Open Water National Swimming Team/Program in 2018, and he was awarded “Glory of Sport” by the French Olympic Committee in 2022.
Honor Coaches:
Bob Bowman (USA) is best known as the coach of 23-time Olympic gold medalist, U.S. Swimmer, Michael Phelps. He is currently the head coach at Arizona State University, whose men’s team just won the Pac-12 Conference championship for the first time in history. He was the 2016 U.S. Men’s Head Olympic Swimming Coach in Rio. Bowman has served as an assistant Olympic Coach in 2004, 2008 and 2012. He was just recently named the U.S. Men’s Head Coach for the 2023 World Aquatics (formerly FINA) Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. He served as head coach at the University of Michigan, and prior to that, he spent a significant part of his career at North Baltimore Aquatic Club, where he began coaching five-time Olympian and 28-time Olympic medalist, Michael Phelps, who began swimming with Bob as an age group swimmer. Bowman is the author of best-selling book, The Golden Rules: 10 Steps to World Class Excellence in Your Life and Work (2016).
Chris Carver (USA) is a ground-breaking synchronized swimming choreographer and coach of the world renown Santa Clara Aquamaids. As the co-head coach of the U.S. National Team, the team won every gold medal in elite international competition between the 1991 Pan Am Games and 1996 Olympic Games. With four of her club swimmers on the 1996 Olympic team, Carver choreographed the USA Team to win the Olympics’ first gold in the team event, earning the first perfect 100 score in Olympic history. Seven of the nine members of the 2000 US Olympic Team were Carver’s own swimmers, as were eight of the nine in 2004, including Alison Bartosik and Anna Kozlova, who won bronze medals in duet. She has produced more than 50% of the USA’s Synchronized Swimming Olympians since 1984. In an era when the USA was Sychro’s world leader, Carver was named Coach of the Year by U.S. Synchronized Swimming 14 consecutive times and her Santa Clara Aquamaids have won 14 U.S. National Team championships since 1985.
Honor Contributor
Sambasivan RAMSAMY (RSA) was the founding member of the South African Council for Sport, established in 1973. In 1976, he became Chairperson of the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee (Sanroc). In 1976, Ramsamy petitioned countries to formalize a boycott of South African Sports, which culminated in the Gleneagles Agreement of 1977. During the transition to democracy, he encouraged international support for the black sports body, the National Olympic Committee of South Africa and became its head in 1991. He led the first non-racial South African team to the Olympic Games in 1992 Barcelona. Ramsamy has spent most of his adult life fighting for the eradication of the color bar in sport and toward creating unity in the sporting arena where selection for teams is based on merit and where athletes of all races are given an equal chance to participate. Ramsamy was first elected to the FINA Bureau as a member in 1996. He is currently FINA’s first Vice President, since May 2021, after serving many years as Second Vice-President (2017-2021), Vice President (2004-2017), and Bureau Member (1996-2004). He has more than 60 years’ experience in sport and was himself an athlete in several sports including football and swimming.
Honor Paralympian
Trischa Zorn (USA) is an American Paralympic swimmer who has been blind from birth. She is the most successful athlete in the history of the Paralympic Games. She swims all events and the first Paralympic Games she competed in was in 1980, Arnhem, where she brought home seven gold medals. She has competed in seven Paralympic Games, winning a total of 55 medals, 41 of them gold. At the 1996 Games in Atlanta, she won more medals than any other athlete: two gold, three silver and three bronze. She also topped the individual medal table at the 1992 Paralympic Games with 10 gold medals and two silver. She held world records in eight events in her disability category (50m backstroke, 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 200m IM, 400m IM, 200m breaststroke, 4 x 50m medley relay, 4 x 50 free relay). Zorn was inducted into the International Paralympian Hall of Fame in 2012.
Look for more information coming soon and visitwww.ishof.org and www.swimmingworld.com regularly to keep up with all the news.
Hotel and ticket Information coming soon….
contact: Meg Keller-Marvin
Honoree & Olympian Liaisonmeg@ishof-org
570.594.4367International Swimming Hall of Fame
One Hall of Fame DriveFt. Lauderdale, FL 33316
High Diving World Cup
Click here for all the information you need for the World Aquatics High Diving World Cup in Fort Lauderdale, May 26-27, Practice Days: May 24-25, 2023 at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center
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Tickets, Map and About the Event ~ Purchase tickets here right from link below
https://usadiving.ticketspice.com/2023-world-aquatics-high-diving-world-cup-fort-lauderdale
Guess who stopped by ISHOF for a visit ??? Masters Hall of Famer’s Felix Grossman and John Denninger…..
United States Masters Diving is in Fort Lauderdale to host its annual National Championships. Honorees John Denninger and Felix Grossman are in town to compete, so they stopped by the Museum to have a look at their Honorees Boards and say hello!
Felix Grossman
John Denninger
The U.S. Masters Nationals run at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center through the weekend. Good luck to all participants!
#ishof #masters #diving #fortlauderdale #museum #nationalchampionships #usa #newaquaticcenter #honorees #ishofhonorees #beach #pool #27metertower #theted #triptoflorida
ISHOF Board Member and Honoree Dara Torres Shines as usual in South Florida/Las Olas Lifestyle…..
Dara Torres, ISHOF Board Member and Honoree, recently did a cover shoot and article for a local South Florida Magazine, Las Olas Lifestyle featuring ISHOF and the Hall of Fame Aquatic Center. Enjoy the article and great photos!
Since Dara Torres joined the ISHOF Board in 2021, she has continued to help in any way she can. Now a resident of Fort Lauderdale, she is able to be more active than ever.
Torres has been to five Olympic Games, winning twelve medals, four gold, four silver and four bronze.
Dara was inducted into ISHOF in 2016. She would have gone in years earlier, but she keep make comebacks! :} And killing it we might add!
Read Dara’s Honoree write up here:
Dara Torres (USA)
Honor Swimmer (2016)
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: 1984 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4×100 m freestyle); 1988 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (4×100 m medley), bronze (4×100 m freestyle); 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4×100 m freestyle); 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4×100 m freestyle, 4×100 m medley), bronze (50 m freestyle, 100 m freestyle, 100 m butterfly); 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (50 m freestyle, 4×100 m freestyle, 4×100 m medley); 1986WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): silver (4×100 m freestyle); 1987 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100 m freestyle, 4×100 m freestyle, 4×100 m medley); 1983 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: gold (4×100 m freestyle); SIX WORLD RECORDS: three individual (50m free), three relays (4x100m free, 4x100m medley)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=kCLaQWQ-9bU%3Ffeature%3Doembed
Dara Grace Torres grew up in Beverly Hills, California, where she learned to swim in her family’s backyard pool. At the age of seven, she followed her brothers to swim practice at the local YMCA. During her junior year of high school, Torres moved to Mission Viejo, CA, to train with Hall of Fame Coach Mark Schubert, and in 1983 she broke the world record in the 50-meter freestyle. The next year, while not yet a senior in high school, she won her first Olympic gold medal as a member of the USA’s 4×100 freestyle relay team.
Swimming for Randy Reece at the University of Florida, Torres earned 28 NCAA All-American swimming awards and at the 1988 Olympic Games, she won two silver medals swimming on relays. She finished her collegiate athletic career playing volleyball and took two years off before returning to win her second Olympic relay gold medal in Barcelona, Spain during the summer of 1992.
After 1992, Torres lived what appeared to be a glamorous life. She moved to New York City, worked in television, and as a Wilhelmina model she became the first athlete model in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Then in the spring of 1999, despite not having trained in a pool for seven years, she decided to give the Olympics one more try.
Training with coach Richard Quick in Palo Alto and Santa Clara, Dara made the Olympic team for the fourth time, at the age of 33. She returned home with five medals, more than any other member of the team, including three in individual events, and retired.
In 2005, while pregnant with her first child, Dara began swimming three or four times a week at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex, to keep fit. After giving birth to her daughter, Tessa Grace, in April 2006, she entered two Masters meets and posted times that emboldened her to try another comeback. She asked Coral Springs coach Michael Lohberg if he would coach her, and a little over a year later, she won the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. Three days later, she broke the American record in the 50-meter freestyle for the tenth time – an amazing 24 years after setting it for the very first time. In 2008, Dara qualified for her fifth Olympic team and at the 2008 Beijing Games, she became the oldest swimmer to compete in the Olympics. Dara returned home with three silver medals, including the heartbreaking 50-meter freestyle race where she missed the gold by 1/100th of a second.
In 2009, Dara won the ESPY award for “Best Comeback,” was named one of the “Top Female Athletes of the Decade” by Sports Illustrated magazine and became a best selling author with the release of her inspirational memoir, Age is Just a Number.
Dara continued swimming after recovering from reconstructive knee surgery and with the encouragement of coach Lohberg, she set her sights on making a record sixth U.S. Olympic swim team. When she just missed making the London Olympics by nine-hundredths of a second in the 50-meter freestyle at the 2012 US Swimming Olympic Trials, she announced her retirement with a smile on her face and her six-year old daughter Tessa in her arms.
Olympian, television personality, fitness guru, Queen of the Comeback, best-selling author and mother. Dara Torres is many things to many people, but above all, she is an inspiration.
International Marathon Class of 2023 Inductions and Awards only two weeks away ~ New York City May 6th, 2023
Tickets sold out..check later for 2024 Ceremony – 125 expected
All attendees must show proof of ID and COVID vaccination (and booster when applicable)
Local hotels > Click here
Car Parking > Click here
Fordham University / Manhattan Campus
113 West 60th Street (corner of Columbus Avenue) New York, NY 10023.
Registration/happy hour 5:30-6:30
Call to dinner 6:45, Salad 7:00, Dessert 7:45, Program 8:00.
Dress code: Business casual or better: men in dress shirt, jacket, slacks (not jeans) and dress shoes – ladies always know! See pictures from this previous ceremony
Saturday morning 10am (Brighton Beach) swim – see below: up to 10 km swim with CIBBOWS (historic water temperatures – 13C/56F) – full details later
Inductees and Award Winners:
Diane Struble: Honor Swimmer
Brenda Fisher, BEM: Honor Swimmer
Kevin Murphy: Poseidon Award
Australian Long Distance Swimming Federation: Honor Organizatio
Rita Kovács: Honor Swimmer
Jaime Lomelín Gavaldón: Honor Swimmer
Sally Anne Minty-Gravett, MBE: Irving Davids and Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Awa
Colleen Blair, MBE: Honor Swimmer
David Yudovin: The Dale Petranech Award
Keywords > https://www.imshof.org/
International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame IMSHOF Open water swimmer Long distance swim Honor Honoree Inductee Induction ceremony award 10k FINA association federation webb Ederle Sarah Thomas English Channel
Saturday Morning Swim
Please join NYC’s group of joyful year-round swimmers at Brighton Beach on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at 10 am. This is a public beach that is used year-round. The official beach season will not have started yet, and as such there will be no lifeguards. We trust you to use your own discretion and adjust your swim accordingly.
For up-to-date conditions, please reference https://shallweswim.today/. We are a bare-bones group. Don’t bring valuables (or passports) on the beach–there are no lockers. Everybody helps keep an eye on everyone else’s stuff. There are no showers or indoor spaces – we change on the beach. Locals will bring what they can to assist those who are lacking in their kit (warm water, extra towels, pastries ~ the most important recovery method, etc.). We look forward to seeing you there.
We gather at Grimaldo’s chair (see directions below).
Here is a basic distance chart for those who want to plan ahead:
Swim Distances
For an interactive map check out Google Maps. You can also see a single 3mi swim loop (Grimaldo’s Chair to the “White” Building (it’s now red), then to the Coney Island Pier, then back to Grimaldo’s Chair) with this Gmap Pedometer Course. Here are some swim distances, parallel to the shoreline approximately 100 yards out, past the jetties.
FromToYardsMeters
Grimaldo’s ChairSmall rocks (West of Grimaldo)416382
Grimaldo’s ChairLarge rocks (West of Grimaldo)619566
Grimaldo’s Chair“White” Building (Now Red)824753
Grimaldo’s ChairCyclone1,4801,287
Grimaldo’s ChairConey Island Pier1,9561,789
White BuildingConey Island Pier2,7792,541
Coney Island PierSeagate1,7031,557
West 22nd St.Next set of rocks (either direction)200183
West 22nd St.Coney Island Pier503460
Ex-White Building (Now Red)Seagate4,4824,098
Rocks (East of Grimaldo)Small Rocks (West of Grimaldo)776710
Rocks (East of Grimaldo)Large Rocks (West of Grimaldo)959877
Ex-White Building (Now Red)Large Rocks (West of Grimaldo)1,4431,319
Grimaldo’s Chair is easily accessible by public transportation.
By subway (get on train by 8:45 am latest) from Manhattan and Brooklyn
Take Q train to Brighton Beach stop
For Grimaldo’s Chair, exit station onto Brighton Beach Ave and take 6th St to boardwalk
Walk south on boardwalk past Cafe Volna to the concrete gazebo
Swimmers meet behind Grimaldo’s chair, which is located on the beach beyond the gazebo
By car from Manhattan and Brooklyn
Take Exit 2-Battery Tunnel toward I-78 & Brooklyn
Merge onto I-478 East
I-478 East becomes Brooklyn Queens Expressway
Merge onto Belt Parkway E via exit on left
Take Exit 8 to Coney Island Avenue
Go Straight to Shore Parkway
Turn right into Brighton 6th Street
Turn Left onto Brighton Beach Avenue
Parking
If you plan to drive in, street parking and a municipal lot (Brighton 4th St & Brightwater Ct) are available. The Municipal parking lot is free on Sundays.