Category: Uncategorized

ISHOF to Host 61st Annual Honoree Induction Ceremonies, Saturday, May 16, 2026 ~ back in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

ISHOF is thrilled to announce that it will be hosting its 61st Annual Honoree Induction Ceremony back in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA on Saturday, May 16, 2026. The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) is proud to announce its truly international Class of 2026, which will induct 11 Honorees from seven countries. 

This year’s ISHOF Honorees include: three HONOR SWIMMERS: Nathan Adrian (USA), László Cseh (HUN), and Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED); one OPEN WATER SWIMMER: Ferry Weertman (NED);  one DIVER: Tania Cagnotto (ITA);  one WATER POLO PLAYER: Simone Fountain (AUS); one ARTISTIC SWIMMER: Heather Simmons-Carrasco (USA); one MASTERS SWIMMER: Richard Burns (USA); one COACH: Jane Figueiredo (ZIM);  one CONTRIBUTOR: Stephen A. “Sid” Cassidy (USA);  and one PARALYMPIAN: Beatrice Hess (FRA);

HONOR SWIMMERS:

Nathan Adrian (USA) is a three-time Olympian, and five-time Olympic gold medalist who specializes in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle events.  He has won thirty-two medals in major international competitions, twenty gold, seven silver, and five bronze in such competitions as the Olympic Games, the FINA World Championships, and the Pan Pac Championships. A graduate of Cal Berkeley, Adrian is an 11-time individual NCAA Champion, competing for the Bears and was part of the 2010 men’s team championship.

László Cseh (HUN) is a five-time Olympian and six-time Olympic medalist who is so talented, he competed in every stroke and nearly every event in world aquatic competition. He has won 74 medals in international competition, 38 gold, 19 silver and 17 bronze, representing Olympic Games, World and European Championships and one edition of the World Universiade Games. In addition to being a 33-time European Champion, he has set five world records, in the IM, his signature event.

Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) is a triple Olympic champion, winning the gold medal in the 4 x 100-freestyle relay at the 2008 Olympic Games, and then in London, in 2012, she took gold in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle, as well as a silver in the 400 free relay event. She set most of her world records primarily in the short course (SCM) 50m freestyle and on various Dutch relays, though she still ranks amongst the fastest ever.  She has won an astounding 178 FINA/World Aquatics medals in international competition during her career, 70 gold, 62 silver and 46 bronze.

HONOR OPEN WATER SWIMMER:

Ferry Weertman (NED) is a two-time Olympian, winning the gold medal in the 10km open water swimming event at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.  He claimed his World title in the 10k FINA World Championships in Budapest (Lake Balaton), Hungary in 2017, after taking silver in 2015 in Kazan.  Weertman became the first man to win both the Olympic and World titles in Open Water Swimming.  He is a two-time FINA Open Water Swimmer of the Year (2016 & 2018).

HONOR DIVER:

Tania Cagnotto (ITA) competed in five Olympic Games, eight World Championships, eight World Cups, 31 World Series and 54 FINA Diving Grand Prix’s.  Her performance was progressive, getting better each year beginning in 1999, gaining results in the European Junior Championships, and reaching the top in 2016 at the Rio Olympic Games with a silver and a bronze medal in the springboard events.  Her 3-meter synchronized team was the best in Europe with eight synchro 3-meter gold medals together with teammate Francesca Dallapè and second in the world only to the Chinese teams.

HONOR WATER POLO PLAYER:

Simone Fountain (AUS) was lucky to prolong her career long enough to participate in the inaugural women’s Olympic Games for water polo in Sydney, winning gold at a time when she was regarded as one of the pre-eminent center forwards of her era. Her assist to Yvette Higgins in Sydney 2000 to score the winning goal 1.3 seconds from time against the United States of America (4-3) is legendary in Australian sport. It was the women’s first Olympic tournament.

HONOR ARTISTIC SWIMMER

Heather Simmons-Carrasco (USA) was a vital member of the first Olympic gold medal awarded for the team event in synchronized swimming.  Follow those Atlanta Games, a majority of the USA team stayed together and were undefeated in international team competition. Prior to 1996, Heather and team USA won a total of seven gold medals in major international competitions, including the Olympics, FINA World Championships and FINA World Cups.  Heather began and ended her 18-year artistic swimming career under the auspices of Chris Carver and the Santa Clara Aquamaids. Her USA team golds also included the Pan American Games, French Open, Swiss Open and the Pan Pacs. With the Aquamaids, Heather also won four USA National Team championships as well as the team event at the French and Mallorca Opens.

HONOR MASTERS SWIMMER:

Richard Burns (USA) will be the first Masters Swimmer to be inducted into ISHOF in ten years.  He has competed in 11 age groups, 30-34 through 80-84, which he is currently competing in. He has broken an amazing 97 world records as of December 2024, and those are only his individual WR.  Rich has competed in six different FINA/World Aquatics Masters World Championships, winning 13 gold, eight silver and two bronze medals, again all individual events. There’s more to add when  we start considering his relays.  As of December 2023, Burns had added a mind boggling 3,215 FINA Masters World points.  Rich was inducted into the Masters International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2010. At the time he had amassed 37 FINA World Records. Since then, he has added 60 additional World Records to his count.    

 

HONOR COACH:

Jane Figueiredo (ZIM/RUS/GBR) was most recently awardedthe 2024 IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award, “awarded to a coach who has gone above and beyond in assisting their athletes both on the sporting and the personal side, supporting them through their Olympic journeys”.  She was chosen from more than 110 candidatures, nominated by Olympians, International Federations, National Olympic Committees (NOCs), members of the IOC Athletes’ and IOC Athletes’ Entourage commissions, and IOC Members.  Jane has coached 13 Olympic medalists, and in World Championship competition, her divers have over 15 medals.  She has been named World Aquatics Diving Coach of the Year, and she is a five-time NCAA Women’s Coach of the Year.  

HONOR CONTRIBUTOR:

Stephen A. “Sid” Cassidy (USA) has probably done more for the sport of open water swimming than anyone else.  He has served is all aspects of the sport: as an athlete, coach, and race director, but Sid’s greatest influence in the sport has been achieved as the result of his work as chairman of the FINA/WA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee, where he had oversight of the FINA 10 km Marathon Swimming World Cup circuit, the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix series and the FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships. Under his leadership, marathon swimming was added to the Olympic program at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics. He was the official starter of the first Olympic 10 km Marathon Swim at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and has helped standardize and professionalize the judging and staging of marathon swims around the world.

HONOR PARALYMPIAN:

BEATRICE HESS (FRA) is a five-time Paralympian, winning a total of 25 medals, 20 of them gold. She has cerebral palsy and competed in the S5 disability classification.  In addition, she has seven (7) world titles and 18 European titles and is the most decorated French Paralympic swimmer.  Hess shot to stardom on her Paralympic debut at the New York 1984 Paralympic Games, earning four gold medals in as many events. From there, she was unstoppable, topping the podium 16 more times before closing the curtain on her career after Athens 2004. Hess was the flag bearer at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

In addition, ISHOF will be officially inducting two Honorees from last year’s class of 2025 that were not able to be with us in Singapore: Coach Gregg Troy (USA), and Swimmers Ryan Lochte (USA)  

Ryan Lochte (USA) is a 12-time Olympic medalist, making him the THIRD-most decorated swimmer in Olympic history, measured by total number of medals, behind only Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky.  Lochte’s seven individual Olympic medals rank second in history in men’s swimming, tied for second among all Olympic swimmers.

Gregg Troy (USA) is a three-time Olympic Coach for the USA, 1996, 2008 and 2012.  He has coached many Olympians and Olympic gold medalists including Ryan Lochte, Caleb Dressel and Elizabeth Beisel to name a just few.  He was the Head Coach of the Bolles School, 1977-1997, and the University of Florida Gators from 1998-2018, winning the Women’s NCAA’s in 2010.

Ticket and Hotel information will be forthcoming; We hope to have it by the beginning of February.  Keep checking at ISHOF.org and or any of our social media platforms. 

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: International Swimming Hall of Fame

Instagram: ishof_museum

Twitter:  @ISHOF

Linkedin:  International Swimming Hall of Fame

For more information, reach out to Meg Keller-Marvin at meg@ishof.org or 570.594.4367.

Developers Corner: A New Year’s Update

As the New Year gets underway, the ISHOF redevelopment project is going to start ramping up and changes are going to become more evident with each passing month.

Last month, the Capital Group, along with Hensel Phelps and the City of Fort Lauderdale, celebrated the topping off ceremony for the City of Lauderdale’s Ocean Rescue Headquarters Facility, marking an important milestone in the ISHOF redevelopment project, Phase one. The event was attended by approximately 50 VIP’s, Board Members, City Officials and invited guests. City officials thanked ISHOF and Capital Group for their work on this project, helping the Ocean Rescue, who has been displaced since 2019. This project is a real highlight for the district.  

Now that the Ocean Rescue Building is underway, Phase Two will be the next step in the construction process and will highlight the new Hall of Fame Museum, and the Fort Lauderdale Aquarium. All the below photos are from Phase Two which is the West Building, including the Hall of Fame and the Fort Lauderdale Aquarium.

Developers Corner

We will begin to provide more details in the Developers Corner as the year goes on, but to start out, we just wanted to show some renderings in the early stages. We are very excited about what the future looks like for ISHOF and we think you will be too. Stay connected to ISHOF through the ISHOF newsletter and via our social media. If you have any questions about the project, please feel free to email us at: meg@ishof.org, we will try to answer you in our newsletter articles.

A Very Special THANK YOU to Our Supporters that Donated to ISHOF for our End of Year Giving Campaign~ Especially our FIRST TIME DONORS

On behalf of the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors and all of us at the International Swimming Hall of Fame, we would like to extend a great BIG THANK YOU to everyone that took a moment and donated to ISHOF either for GIVING TUESDAY or for our YEAR END GIVING Campaign.  We raised more money than we anticipated and saw a lot of FIRST TIME DONORS ~ so THANK YOU!!! We cannot do this without your support! Happy New Year!

Abrahams, Richard

Anderson, Elizabeth

Asher, Jane

Atwood, Susie

Beardsley, Craig

Bernier, Sylvie

Berry, Anne

Blavatnik, Alex

Bucha, Sandra

Burns, Richard

Butcher, Rob

Cagnotto, Franco Giorgio

Cassidy, Stephen A. “Sid”

Comfort, Frank

Darnell, Stephen

DeFilippi, Michelle

Dooley, Mike

Dover, Stephen

Dunbar, Barbara

Eggert, Gregory

Ferguson, James

Goodwin, Tony

Gompf, Thomas E.

Hackett, Grant

Hunter, Craig

Kent, Bill

King, Micki

Lezak, Jason

Lezak, Linda

Lincoln, Isabel

Marvin, Stu

Matteson, Jeffrey A. (In Honor of Dara Torres)

McConica, Dr. Jim

McFarland, Steve

Mitcham, Matthew

Mitchell, Terri

Moe Humphreys, Karen

Payne, Gary

Pinciroli, Cristina

The Pedro Pinciroli Family

Plant, Mary T. Meagher

Potter, Cynthia and Lasser, Peter

Powers, Patrick

Pursley, Dennis

Read, Michael

Richards, Dan and Chris (In Honor of Coach Jack Nelson)

Sanders, Summer

Schmidt, Jurgen

Schubert, Mark

Skinner, Jonty

Specht, Bill

Steadman Martin, Nancy

Stein, Sam (In Honor of Bill Lippman, Jr.)

Stock, Tom & Ann

Stoychev, Peter

Thomas, Jay

Thompson, Jenny

Touchton, Helen

Von Saltza Olmstead, Chris

Wilson, Craig

Yudovin, Beth

We still need support, so if you have NOT donated, but would like to, please click here on this link and feel free to share it with any aquatic friends! This is YOUR HALL OF FAME! http://Donate here: https://internationalswimminghalloffame-bloom.kindful.com

A special THANK YOU to all those ONE IN THOUSAND monthly donors who have been donating every month since at least 2023 and 2024.

Abbott, Dana

Burke-Huyette, Michele

Cassidy, Stephen A. “Sid”

Cleveland, Marcia

Day, Nadine KM

Edwards, R. Morgan

Fagan, John

Gagnon, Caitlin

Geoghegan, Jack

Gompf, Tom

Grilli, Tracy & David

Hardy, John

Israels, Denise

Kroeger, Ken

Leonard, John

Lundquist, Steve and Beth

McAllister, Ian

McElroy, Arvel and Linda

Murray, Craig

Osborn, Ashlee

Powers, Patrick

Ryan, Valerie

Rude-Wilson, Janice

Steele, Bob

Vasallo, Jesse

Wigo, Bruce

White, Jill

After the Applause ~ Micki King (USA) 1978 Honor Diver

After the Applause

In our new series, “After the Applause”, each month, we will highlight an ISHOF Honoree and let you know what they have been up to recently.  We begin the new year with an old friend of ISHOF, Micki King, 1972 Olympic Gold medalist in Diving on the 3-meter Springboard and retired Colonel of the United States Air Force.

Micki King (USA) ~ 1978 Honor Diver

For the first month of the Year, January 2026, in our New Series, “After the Applause” we highlight 1978 Honor Diver Micki King.  Micki is a longtime friend of ISHOF and her ties to us go back as far as we can remember.  She attended the University of Michigan and dove for Honoree Dick Kimball, back when women were not allowed to compete in college. (Kimball kept her out of sight and coached her alongside the men when no one was watching);  ISHOF founding Executive Director, Buck Dawson was a Michigan man, and his father-in-law was famed Michigan swim coach, Matt Mann, so Buck and Micki met in the early days of the Hall of Fame, and even before. Then, in 1969, ISHOF started an “International Diving Meet that brought together the greatest divers from around the world and became an event that FINA would eventually take over.  Micki came to Fort Lauderdale every May to dive in that meet, as well as during her college years where she would train during the College Coaches Swim Forum, held at the Hall of Fame Pool.

After Micki’s Olympic diving career ended, she was inducted into ISHOF in 1978, but she always came back to ISHOF and visited. Whether it was for an Honoree Induction Ceremony, the diving meet weekend or another event,  Micki says, she just considers ISHOF home.

For the last two years, Micki has been working tirelessly with author Elaine K. Howley on her biography, “Break of A Lifetime”.  The amount of work these two women put into this endeavor is certainly reflected in the story. 

The book is fun, it’s inspiring, it’s historical, including the adoption of Title IX and what went into making it happen, it’s about behind the scenes at the Olympics, the USOC, and helping athletes get their voices heard! It includes Presidents, Princes, movie stars, famous athletes, and more!

Every young female athlete should have to read this book, so they understand what women before them, women like MICKI KING went through, so that they could enjoy equal rights that they have today.  They take much of what they now experience for granted and don’t know the sort of things Micki King and women like her had to fight for. A MUST READ!

“Break of A Lifetime” was released in December on Amazon. We have added the link below to click on for you to purchase a copy for yourself.  “I have known Micki for 50 years and I thought I knew Micki. I learned so many interesting and fascinating things from this book, I couldn’t put it down”. Her story isn’t just about diving, it’s about persistence, principle, and paving the way for others to achieve their fullest potential. 

You can purchase Micki’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Break-Lifetime-Micki-King/dp/

READ Micki King’s bio from her 1978 Induction

FOR THE RECORD:  OLYMPIC GAMES: 1968 4th (springboard); 1972 gold (springboard); NATIONAL AAU Diving Titles: 9; NATIONAL AAU Water Polo Titles: 2; CANADIAN NATIONAL TITLES: 2 (1m springboard), 2 (3m springboard); WOMEN’S NATIONAL COLLEGIATE Title (DGWS): 1First woman to compete in the Military International Sports Council Games (CISM); Diver of the year: 1965, 1969, 1972 (springboard); 1969 (platform); First woman coach at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

1968, at the Mexico Olympic Games, Micki King led all women divers with two dives to go.  Her Olympic gold medal was all but, in the bag, when on dive number 9, a reverse 1 1/2 somersault, she hit the board and broke her arm.  She completed her last dive and finished fourth.  There followed months in a cast, a year of recovery, three more years of getting back in top form, and trying again in 1972.  This time she won.  An Air Force officer and the Air Academy’s first woman coach, Micki missed winning the first woman’s Superstars on the last event when she skimmed and toppled a hurdle for a five second penalty.  She won a National Collegiate swimming title at Michigan and was twice the winning goalie for Ann Arbor at the Women’s National AAU Water Polo Nationals.  An excellent speaker, Micki was also advance person for the Air Force Football Team.

Happy New Year to all our Friends Around the World ~

From all of us at the International Swimming Hall of Fame, we thank you for you support and we wish you a very happy and prosperous new year. We look forward to seeing you soon in Fort Lauderdale.

PLEASE FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: International Swimming Hall of Fame

Instagram: ishof_museum

Twitter:  @ISHOF

Linkedin:  International Swimming Hall of Fame

Sports Illustrated Honors Michael Phelps With Muhammad Ali Legacy Award; Recognizes Olympic Legend’s Work in Mental Health Space

by John Lohn – Editor-in-Chief

29 December 2025

Sports Illustrated Honors Michael Phelps With Muhammad Ali Legacy Award

Nearly a decade after last competing on the international stage, Michael Phelps continues to make an impact. As an athlete, he provided inspiration to up-and-coming swimmers. These days, the Olympic legend is a leading advocate for mental health awareness, and Phelps has been recognized by Sports Illustrated for his advocacy and willingness to share his story with the world.

On Monday, Sports Illustrated announced that Phelps has been named SI’s Muhammad Ali Legacy Award winner. The Sports Illustrated award is designed “to honor a current or former athlete who embodies the ideals of sportsmanship, leadership and philanthropy as vehicles for changing the world.” Longtime Sports Illustrated scribe Tim Layden, a legend in the sports journalism field, wrote the feature on Phelps’ for the Muhammad Ali Award.

FULL SPORTS ILLUSTRATED ARTICLE

It was Layden who wrote the feature story on Phelps in late 2015 that shed light on Phelps’ challenges, including his mental health. In the years since, Phelps has tirelessly worked as an adovcate for the mental health space, traveling the world to tell his story in the hope of helping others. More, it has been a goal of Phelps’ to make mental health part of the daily discussion, and not a stigmatized issue.

“We grow up in a society that does not speak totally stigma-free,” psychiatrist Christine Yu Moutier, chief medical officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, told Layden for his latest feature on Phelps. “But that culture is changing, and Michael Phelps has been a part of that change. We are social creatures. We are unconsciously watching and mimicking those around us. Using your own lived experience story in the mental health and suicide prevention space in the way that Michael has is an enormous force for good. He has been part of a movement of fantastic change.”

In being named the 2025 Muhammad Ali Legacy Award winner, Phelps joined previous honorees such as Colin Kaepernick, Allyson Felix and LeBron James.

What Was the Year? An Event-By-Event Look at the Last Time the USA Won Olympic Gold (Men’s Edition)

by John Lohn – Editor-in-Chief

24 December 2025

What Was the Year? An Event-By-Event Look at the Last Time the USA Won Olympic Gold (Men’s Edition)

No country has won as many gold medals at the Olympic Games as the United States. The American arsenal has always been stacked, from the early days of Johnny Weissmuller to the greatness of Mark Spitz to the legendary performances of Michael Phelps. Most recently, Bobby Finke was crowned an Olympic champion, as the distance star repeated as the gold medalist in the 1500-meter freestyle at the 2024 Games in Paris.

Women’s Article

50 Freestyle

Last Gold Medal: 2020Winner: Caeleb DresselNote: The gold medal for Caeleb Dressel in the freestyle was complemented  by titles in the 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly.

100 Freestyle

Last Gold Medal: 2020Winner: Caeleb DresselNote: The 100 freestyle has produced 14 American champions since the event debuted at the 1896 Games in Athens.

200 Freestyle

Last Gold Medal: 2008Winner: Michael PhelpsNote: The title from Michael Phelps accounted for a percentage of his eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

400 Freestyle

Last Gold Medal: 1984Winner: George DiCarloNote: The 400 freestyle has not produced an American champion in 41 years, the longest stretch of any event.

800 Freestyle

Last Gold Medal: 2020Winner: Bobby FinkeNote: The 800 freestyle did not debut as a men’s Olympic event until the 2020 Games in Tokyo, where Bobby Finke won the inaugural gold medal.

1500 Freestyle

Last Gold Medal: 2024Winner: Bobby FinkeNote: When Bobby Finke won the first of back-to-back golds in the event in 2020, it snapped an eight-Games streak without an American titlist.

100 Backstroke

Last Gold Medal: 2016Winner: Ryan MurphyNote: The gold medal won by Ryan Murphy extended the United States’ winning streak to six Games.

200 Backstroke

Last Gold Medal: 2016Winner: Ryan MurphyNote: As was the case in the 100 backstroke, the United States won the 200 backstroke at every Olympics from 1996 to 2016.

100 Breaststroke

Last Gold Medal: 1992Winner: Nelson DiebelNote: It has been eight Olympics since the United States sent an athlete to the top of the podium.

200 Breaststroke

Last Gold Medal: 1992Winner: Mike BarrowmanNote: The victory by Mike Barrowman at the Games in Barcelona was delivered in dominant fashion, as he topped the field by more than a second.

100 Butterfly

Last Gold Medal: 2020Winner: Caeleb DresselNote: The still-standing world record of 49.45 in the 100 butterfly was produced by Caeleb Dressel during his Tokyo Games victory.

200 Butterfly

Last Gold Medal: 2016Winner: Michael PhelpsNote: When Michael Phelps won this event in Rio de Janeiro, it marked a reclaiming of the throne, as he prevailed in the event in 2004 and 2008, before finishing just behind Chad le Clos in 2012.

200 Individual Medley

Last Gold Medal: 2016Winner: Michael PhelpsNote: The title by Michael Phelps in the 200 IM in Rio de Janeiro made him the first swimmer to win the same event at four consecutive Games.

400 Individual Medley

Last Gold Medal: 2020Winner: Chase KaliszNote: American men have won the 400 IM on nine occasions.

Happy Birthday George “Dad” Center!!

Country: USA

Honoree Type: Pioneer Coach

FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC COACH: 1920; USA AMERICAN TEAM COACH: 1927; Outrigger Canoe Club Coach 1914-1932; Coach of seven Olympians.

The islands of Hawaii turned out the top swimmers in the world from 1910 through the mid-1950s.  At the time L. de B. Handley was building the WSA swim program in New York, George David “Dad” Center was building the Outrigger Canoe Club swim program in Honolulu.

Center developed swimming greats Duke Kahanamoku, James Lovett, Olga Clar, and the Crabbe brothers, Buddy and Buster.  Kahanamoku and Buster Crabbe without a doubt were his most successful swimmers and went on to win Olympic gold medals and set World Records.

Known affectionately to his athletes as “Dad”, Center was born in 1886 in Kipahulu, Maui to the son of a sugar plantation manager.  He participated in all sports, but was most active in swimming, surfing and canoeing.

Dad coached the Outrigger swimming teams when the Duke went to the Olympics and returned a champion.  Dad’s other love was canoeing and he was the first coach to use canoeing as a conditioning sport for swimming, since the same muscles are used for both sports.

As club captain, Dad was in complete charge of all athletic programs and served as the “guiding spirit” who encouraged all young members to participate. His leadership roles lead him to the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, serving as coach of the U.S. team.  Along with Kahanamoku and Mariechen Wehselau, Hawaiian swimmers included Pua and Warren Kealoha, Stubby Krueger, Helen Moses, and Joseph Gilman.  His USA team won all the men’s and women’s events except one.  Dad later coached the U.S. National team which competed against Japan.

He retired in 1932, but continued to inspire young athletes to compete to the best of their ability.  Dad died in 1962 at the age of 75.  He was loved by all who knew him as an exceedingly thoughtful, kind, and gentle person who lived with a heart of gold.

The information on this page was written the year of their induction

A Half-Century Apart, Katie Ledecky and Casey Converse Are Now Linked By Distance Breakthroughs

by John Lohn – Editor-in-Chief

17 December 2025

A Half-Century Apart, Katie Ledecky and Casey Converse Are Now Linked By Their Distance Greatness

The Site: Cleveland, Ohio. The Meet: The 1977 NCAA Championships. The Event: The 1650-yard freestyle.

On March 26, 1977, Casey Converse made history in the pool. Less than a year removed from representing the United States at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Converse became the first athlete to break the 15-minute barrier in the 1650 freestyle. Behind a time of 14:57.30, the University of Alabama standout cut an incredible nine seconds from the previous NCAA/American record, the 15:06.76 managed by Tim Shaw a year earlier.

Why the trip back in time? Well, over the weekend, Katie Ledecky joined Converse as a sub-15:00 performer in the mile. Racing at her namesake meet, the Katie Ledecky Invitational, the 28-year-old American distance legend touched the wall in 14:59.62 to break her own American record of 15:01.41, set in 2023. Ledecky now sits 24-plus seconds faster than the No. 2 woman in history, Erica Sullivan (15:23.81).

Although the science is not exact, the gap between men’s and women’s event records generally sits in the 50-year range. For example, the recently retired Ariarne Titmus owns the world record in the women’s 200-meter freestyle, thanks to her sensational 1:52.23 clocking at the 2024 Australian Olympic Trials. Titmus produced that time 52 years after Mark Spitz went 1:52.78 in the event at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

It took 48 years for Ledecky to match Converse’s barrier-breaking performance, and she accomplished the feat in stylish fashion. Ledecky has long been an inspiration to rising swimmers, and approximately 1500 youngsters were expected to compete at the Ledecky Invitational, which was held at the University of Maryland. When Ledecky cracked the 15-minute barrier on Sunday, she was loudly cheered and provided a moment for those in attendance to remember.

Photo Courtesy: Alabama Athletics

Although separated by a half-century, Ledecky and Converse (who passed away in 2024) now share a common accomplishment – the first of their genders to go sub-15:00 in the 1650 freestyle. Both will be remembered for joining a special club, much like Jim Montgomery (100 freestyle) and Natalie Coughlin (100 backstroke) are lauded for being the first athletes of their genders to go under a minute in their specialty events in the long-course pool.

When Converse was at his peak in the 1970s, he engaged in several epic races, including the final of the 400-meter freestyle at the 1976 United States Olympic Trials. In that event, Converse finished third, behind Brian Goodell and Shaw, to earn a spot at the 1976 Games in Montreal. That final also featured stars John Naber, Bruce Furniss, Mike Bruner, Bobby Hackett and Doug Northway. It was a clash of titans.

Throughout her career, Ledecky has demonstrated what is possible in the women’s distance-freestyle events. Although she initially enjoyed a massive gap over her competition, Ledecky lit a fire under her foes, pushing the likes of Summer McIntosh and Lani Pallister to clock in the 8:05 range in the 800 freestyle. As was the case for Converse at the 1976 Trials, Ledecky dueled with a spectacular field at the 2025 World Championships, winning gold in the 800 freestyle. She was followed to the wall by Pallister and McIntosh.

Following his career in the pool, Converse transitioned to the deck and became a successful coach, notably at the Air Force Academy. As for Ledecky, she’s still getting faster on the path to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Whatever the future holds, she and Converse are now linked. They might be separated by 50 years, but they’ll forever be recalled for taking the 1650 freestyle into new territory

©2026 All Rights Reserved
Facebook Instagram Twitter Youtube Linkedin-in