{ "id": "epgs4yxs6w", "slug": "christine-caron", "title": "Christine Caron", "updated": "2026-10-21", "topic_path": [ { "id": "play", "label": "Sports, games, and recreation", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play" }, { "id": "play.individual", "label": "Individual sports and outdoor recreation", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.individual" }, { "id": "play.individual.water", "label": "Water sports", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.individual.water" }, { "id": "play.individual.water.swimming.people", "label": "Swimmers (biographies and medalists)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.individual.water.swimming.people" }, { "id": "play.individual.water.swimming.people.backstroke-swimmers", "label": "Backstroke swimmers", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.individual.water.swimming.people.backstroke-swimmers" }, { "id": "play.individual.water.swimming.people.backstroke-swimmers.french-backstroke-swimmers", "label": "French backstroke swimmers", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.individual.water.swimming.people.backstroke-swimmers.french-backstroke-swimmers" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.play.individual.water.swimming.people", "label": "Western Europe · 1946 to 2000: Swimmers (biographies and medalists)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.play.individual.water.swimming.people", "path": [ { "id": "geo.weu", "label": "Western Europe", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946", "label": "Western Europe · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.play", "label": "Sports, games, and recreation", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.play" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.play.individual", "label": "Individual sports and outdoor recreation", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.play.individual" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.play.individual.water", "label": "Water sports", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.play.individual.water" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.play.individual.water.swimming.people", "label": "Swimmers (biographies and medalists)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.play.individual.water.swimming.people" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Christine \"Kiki\" Caron, born 1948 in Paris, is a French backstroke swimmer who set a 100 m world record in 1964 and won silver at the Tokyo Olympics that year.", "snippet": "Christine \"Kiki\" Caron, born 1948 in Paris, is a French backstroke swimmer who set a 100 m world record in 1964 and won silver at the Tokyo Olympics that year.", "node": "play.individual.water.swimming.people.backstroke-swimmers.french-backstroke-swimmers", "markdown": "# Christine Caron\n\n**Christine \"Kiki\" Caron** (born 1948 in Paris) is a French former competitive swimmer who specialized in backstroke, won the silver medal in the 100 m backstroke at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, and set a world record in that event in June 1964.[1](https://www.equipe-france.fr/natation/christine-caron) • [2](https://www.worldaquatics.com/athletes/1154571/christine-kiki-caron) • [3](https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-christine-kiki-caron/) She became one of the most famous French athletes of the 1960s and was the first woman to carry the French flag at an Olympic opening ceremony.[4](https://www.lemonde.fr/natation/article/2016/09/30/on-a-retrouve-kiki-caron-l-icone-des-bassins_5006270_1616665.html)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Born | 1948, Paris, France[1](https://www.equipe-france.fr/natation/christine-caron) |\n| Olympic medal | Silver, women's 100 m backstroke, Tokyo 1964, in 1:07.90 at age 16[2](https://www.worldaquatics.com/athletes/1154571/christine-kiki-caron) |\n| World record | Broke the world 100 m backstroke record on 14 June 1964 in Paris, taking it from the United States' Dona deVarona[3](https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-christine-kiki-caron/) |\n| European records | Set 100 m and 200 m backstroke European records; first at age 14[3](https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-christine-kiki-caron/) • [4](https://www.lemonde.fr/natation/article/2016/09/30/on-a-retrouve-kiki-caron-l-icone-des-bassins_5006270_1616665.html) |\n| National titles | 14 French National Championships in a 7-year period, in 100 m and 200 m backstroke and butterfly[3](https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-christine-kiki-caron/) |\n| Flag-bearer | First French woman to lead her delegation at an Olympic opening ceremony, Mexico City 1968[4](https://www.lemonde.fr/natation/article/2016/09/30/on-a-retrouve-kiki-caron-l-icone-des-bassins_5006270_1616665.html) |\n| Hall of Fame | Inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1998[5](https://www.dicolympique.fr/caron-christine-1948-france-natation/) |\n\n## Early career and records\n\nCaron grew up in Montrouge, a Paris suburb, and trained under coach Suzanne Berlioux, who she later described as being like a second mother.[4](https://www.lemonde.fr/natation/article/2016/09/30/on-a-retrouve-kiki-caron-l-icone-des-bassins_5006270_1616665.html) • [6](https://www.ffnatation.fr/actualites/actu-grand-public/ne-jamais-baisser-les-bras) At 14 she recorded her first European records in backstroke, her specialty.[4](https://www.lemonde.fr/natation/article/2016/09/30/on-a-retrouve-kiki-caron-l-icone-des-bassins_5006270_1616665.html) Over her career she won 14 French National Championships within a 7-year period and set French national records in both backstroke and butterfly at 100 m and 200 m.[3](https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-christine-kiki-caron/)\n\n**World record.** On 14 June 1964 in Paris, Caron broke the world 100 m backstroke record held by the American Dona deVarona; [Le Monde](https://www.edgepedia.org/le-monde) later gave her time as 1'8\"6.[3](https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-christine-kiki-caron/) • [4](https://www.lemonde.fr/natation/article/2016/09/30/on-a-retrouve-kiki-caron-l-icone-des-bassins_5006270_1616665.html) The Fair Play archive records that in 1964 she set world records at 100 m backstroke in both short-course and long-course pools, and that her first European record came in 1963, with 8 European records at 100 m backstroke and 5 at 200 m backstroke across short-course and long-course pools.[7](https://fairplayamericas.org/archive/articles/award-534-christine-caron-2010/) By the time of the Tokyo Games she had been deprived of the world record on the distance, but she still figured among the favorites.[4](https://www.lemonde.fr/natation/article/2016/09/30/on-a-retrouve-kiki-caron-l-icone-des-bassins_5006270_1616665.html)\n\n## Tokyo 1964\n\nIn the Olympic final in October 1964, Caron finished second behind the American Cathy Ferguson, with Ferguson, Caron, and Ginny Duenkel touching one-two-three within three-tenths of a second of each other; her time of 1:07.90 was 0.2 seconds behind Ferguson's winning 1:07.70.[3](https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-christine-kiki-caron/) • [8](https://resources.fina.org/fina/document/2024/07/27/ea5eac35-14d3-4e18-b68c-cb8aff52f1f3/AQUA_SWIMMING-STATS_Olympic-Games_Full.pdf) The Fair Play account notes that Ferguson had to swim at world-record level to overtake Caron by two tenths of a second.[7](https://fairplayamericas.org/archive/articles/award-534-christine-caron-2010/) There was no women's 200 m backstroke event at those Games.[3](https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-christine-kiki-caron/)\n\nThe race was also a technical landmark: it was the first official use of electronic timing touch pads to determine race results in Olympic competition.[3](https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-christine-kiki-caron/) Caron was the only French swimming medalist at the Games, and on her return a crowd awaited her at Orly airport.[6](https://www.ffnatation.fr/actualites/actu-grand-public/ne-jamais-baisser-les-bras) • [9](https://www.equipedefrance.com/athlete/christine-caron) In the Japanese press and public she became one of the most popular figures of the Olympic village, idolized like a star.[7](https://fairplayamericas.org/archive/articles/award-534-christine-caron-2010/) The French writer Antoine Blondin crowned her \"France's little fiancée\" after the silver medal.[10](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2024/08/05/paris-olympics-leon-marchand-swept-france-off-its-feet_6709640_9.html)\n\n## Post-Tokyo competition\n\nIn 1965 Caron won the 100 m backstroke at the U.S. National Championships, beating the Olympic champion Ferguson; her coach believed that a slight cold had kept her from breaking the world record there.[3](https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-christine-kiki-caron/) • [11](https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1965/08/17/les-championnats-des-etats-unis-ont-revele-une-nouvelle-generation-de-nageurs-cinq-records-du-monde-battus-christine-caron-gagne-le-100-m-dos_3068840_1819218.html) She was the first Frenchwoman to become United States champion, and she also won the 100 m backstroke national championships of Australia and Mexico.[6](https://www.ffnatation.fr/actualites/actu-grand-public/ne-jamais-baisser-les-bras) • [3](https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-christine-kiki-caron/) In 1966 she won the European title at 100 m backstroke.[3](https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-christine-kiki-caron/)\n\n## Mexico City 1968 and retirement\n\nCaron competed at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, where she was eliminated in the heats of the 200 m backstroke and in the semifinals of the 100 m backstroke, and then retired from competition.[2](https://www.worldaquatics.com/athletes/1154571/christine-kiki-caron) • [4](https://www.lemonde.fr/natation/article/2016/09/30/on-a-retrouve-kiki-caron-l-icone-des-bassins_5006270_1616665.html) Her lasting mark from those Games came before she swam a race: she led the French delegation as flag-bearer in the opening ceremony, the first French woman to do so.[4](https://www.lemonde.fr/natation/article/2016/09/30/on-a-retrouve-kiki-caron-l-icone-des-bassins_5006270_1616665.html) • [3](https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-christine-kiki-caron/) She later recalled that the next French woman honored in this way was not chosen until Marie-José Pérec in 1996, followed by Laura Flessel in 2012.[6](https://www.ffnatation.fr/actualites/actu-grand-public/ne-jamais-baisser-les-bras)\n\n## Celebrity and life after swimming\n\n**A 1960s icon.** Nicknamed \"Kiki\" by the sports press, Caron became a star of the French 1960s on the scale of youth idols such as Sheila, Sylvie Vartan, and [Françoise Hardy](https://www.edgepedia.org/francoise-hardy), and she was probably the most photographed of all French athletes.[12](https://sportloiret.fr/2026/01/21/le-long-chemin-des-championnes-olympiques-entre-misogynie-et-mepris/) • [3](https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-christine-kiki-caron/) She was among the first French sportswomen to appear on magazine covers outside a purely sporting context, and she later described herself as France's first \"people\" sportswoman.[6](https://www.ffnatation.fr/actualites/actu-grand-public/ne-jamais-baisser-les-bras) • [9](https://www.equipedefrance.com/athlete/christine-caron)\n\nAfter retiring she recorded a record with songs written by Antoine and Pascal Sevran, appeared in the Italian film *Le lys de mer*, worked in fashion shows and public relations, and competed in rallies including the Atlas Rally, the Dakar, and circuits at Spa and [Le Mans](https://www.edgepedia.org/le-mans).[6](https://www.ffnatation.fr/actualites/actu-grand-public/ne-jamais-baisser-les-bras) From the early 1980s she lent her name to a private-pool concept developed with a Nantes company; pools were baptized \"Christine Caron\", and the association lasted about thirty years until her retirement.[4](https://www.lemonde.fr/natation/article/2016/09/30/on-a-retrouve-kiki-caron-l-icone-des-bassins_5006270_1616665.html) • [6](https://www.ffnatation.fr/actualites/actu-grand-public/ne-jamais-baisser-les-bras) In 2006 she published an autobiography titled *Kiki* with a preface by the singer [Johnny Hallyday](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-hallyday).[5](https://www.dicolympique.fr/caron-christine-1948-france-natation/)\n\n**Recognition.** She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1998[5](https://www.dicolympique.fr/caron-christine-1948-france-natation/) and received a career diploma at the 2010 World Fair Play Awards; the award story highlights that on the Tokyo podium the silver medalist spontaneously took the hand of the gold medalist Ferguson to comfort her as she cried with emotion.[7](https://fairplayamericas.org/archive/articles/award-534-christine-caron-2010/) She has no family relationship with the French swimmer Stephan Caron.[5](https://www.dicolympique.fr/caron-christine-1948-france-natation/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Christine Caron, Équipe-France](https://www.equipe-france.fr/natation/christine-caron)\n2. [Christine Kiki CARON, World Aquatics](https://www.worldaquatics.com/athletes/1154571/christine-kiki-caron)\n3. [Christine \"Kiki\" Caron, International Swimming Hall of Fame](https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-christine-kiki-caron/)\n4. [On a retrouvé « Kiki » Caron, l'icône des bassins, Le Monde (2016)](https://www.lemonde.fr/natation/article/2016/09/30/on-a-retrouve-kiki-caron-l-icone-des-bassins_5006270_1616665.html)\n5. [CARON Christine (1948) France / Natation, DICOLYMPIQUE](https://www.dicolympique.fr/caron-christine-1948-france-natation/)\n6. [« Ne jamais baisser les bras », Fédération Française de Natation](https://www.ffnatation.fr/actualites/actu-grand-public/ne-jamais-baisser-les-bras)\n7. [Christine Caron, World Fair Play Award Archive, Fair Play Americas](https://fairplayamericas.org/archive/articles/award-534-christine-caron-2010/)\n8. [Swimming Medallists and Statistics at the Olympic Games, World Aquatics](https://resources.fina.org/fina/document/2024/07/27/ea5eac35-14d3-4e18-b68c-cb8aff52f1f3/AQUA_SWIMMING-STATS_Olympic-Games_Full.pdf)\n9. [Christine Caron, Équipe de France](https://www.equipedefrance.com/athlete/christine-caron)\n10. [Paris Olympics: Léon Marchand swept France off its feet, Le Monde (2024)](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2024/08/05/paris-olympics-leon-marchand-swept-france-off-its-feet_6709640_9.html)\n11. [Christine Caron gagne le 100 m dos, Le Monde archives (17 August 1965)](https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1965/08/17/les-championnats-des-etats-unis-ont-revele-une-nouvelle-generation-de-nageurs-cinq-records-du-monde-battus-christine-caron-gagne-le-100-m-dos_3068840_1819218.html)\n12. [Le long chemin des championnes olympiques, CDOS du Loiret](https://sportloiret.fr/2026/01/21/le-long-chemin-des-championnes-olympiques-entre-misogynie-et-mepris/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Water sports › Swimmers (biographies and medalists) › Backstroke swimmers › French backstroke swimmers*\n\n*Initially written Oct 21, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/christine-caron", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/christine-caron.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Christine Caron\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/christine-caron. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Christine Caron](https://www.edgepedia.org/christine-caron)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/christine-caron](https://www.edgepedia.org/christine-caron). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Christine Caron\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/christine-caron. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Christine \"Kiki\" Caron, born 1948 in Paris, is a French backstroke swimmer who set a 100 m world record in 1964 and won silver at the Tokyo Olympics that year." }