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American freestylers

189 articles

Dick Blick

Dick Blick (Richard Adolph Blick), American swimmer born 1940 in Los Angeles; won gold in the 4x200 m freestyle relay at the 1960 Rome Olympics in world-record time 8:10.2, and won 11 NAIA titles at North Central College.

Dick Cleveland

Richard Fitch "Dick" Cleveland (1929–2002), Hawaiian-born American sprint freestyle swimmer, Ohio State All-American, 1952 Olympian, 1951 Pan Am triple gold medalist, and first swimmer to use heavy weight training.

Dick Hanley

Dick Hanley (Richard Dennis Hanley, 1936–2022), American freestyle swimmer; 1956 Melbourne Olympic silver medalist in the 4x200 m freestyle relay, fifth in the 100 m free, and 200 m freestyle world record holder (2:01.5, 1957).

Don Schollander

Don Schollander (Donald Arthur Schollander, born 1946) is an American swimmer, first to win four golds at one Olympics (Tokyo 1964), five Olympic golds total, 22 world records, 1964 Sullivan Award winner.

Don Sheff

Don Sheff (Donald Alexander Sheff, born 27 June 1931, Brooklyn) is an American former Yale swimmer who swam the heats of the US 4x200 m freestyle relay at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics; 1952 rules denied heats swimmers medals. He held two relay world records and later directed the New York Institute of Photography.

Doug Northway

Doug Northway (Douglas Dale Northway, born 1955) is an American swimmer who won 1,500 m freestyle bronze at Munich 1972 and swam on the US 4x200 m freestyle relay that set the 7:30.33 world record at Montreal 1976.

Drew Kibler

Drew Kibler (Andrew Patrick Kibler), American freestyle swimmer born 2000 in Indianapolis; two-time Olympian (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024) with Olympic relay silver in Paris, short course 4x200 free relay world record 6:44.12, and Texas Longhorns NCAA champion.

Ed Townsend

Ed Townsend (Robert Edward Townsend, Jr., born 1943) is an American freestyle swimmer, four-time NCAA champion at Yale, 1963 world record holder in both freestyle relays, and member of the US first-place 4x200 m freestyle relay at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics; later a New York entertainment lawyer.

Edith Wetzel

Edith "Eadie" Wetzel, American swimmer; held the women's 200 m freestyle long course world record (2:08.8, Lincoln, 2 August 1968) and ranked in world top ten at 400, 800, and 1500 m freestyle; Illinois Swimming Hall of Fame.

Eleanor Garatti Saville

Eleanor Garatti Saville (Eleanor Agnes Garatti-Saville, 1909-1998), American Olympic swimmer; gold in the 4x100 m freestyle relay at Amsterdam 1928 and Los Angeles 1932, silver and bronze in the 100 m freestyle, first woman under 1:10 (1:09.8, 1929).

Erin Phenix

Erin Phenix (Erin Ashley Phenix, later Phenix-Smith), American swimmer born 1981 in Cincinnati, Ohio; won 2000 Sydney Olympic gold in the 4x100 m freestyle relay as a heats swimmer and two 2001 World Championship silvers for the University of Texas.

Ethel Lackie

Ethel Minnie Lackie (Watkins), 1907-1979, American swimmer of Illinois AC Chicago; 1924 Paris Olympic gold in 100 m freestyle (1:12.4) and 4x100 m relay; first woman under 60 s for 100 y and at 1:10.0 for 100 m freestyle.

Ethel McGary

Ethel McGary (Ethel M. McGary, later Engelsen, 1907-1975), American long-distance freestyle swimmer of the Women's Swimming Association; 1928 Olympian in the 400 m freestyle and 1925 world record holder at 880 yards and 1,500 metres.

Euphrasia Donnelly

Euphrasia Louise "Fraze" Donnelly (1905–1963), American freestyle swimmer of the Hoosier Athletic Club; won gold in the 4x100 m freestyle relay at Paris 1924 in world-record 4:58.8 with Ederle, Lackie, and Wehselau; later professional swimmer and Indiana instructor.

Ford Konno

Ford Hiroshi Konno, born in Honolulu in 1933, is an American freestyle swimmer who won two gold and two silver medals at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics.

Frank Dooley

Frank Dooley (Frank Martin Dooley III, 1929–2022) was an American swimmer who swam in the preliminary heat of the US 4x200 m freestyle relay at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

Garrett Weber Gale

Garrett Weber-Gale, American sprint freestyle swimmer born 1985 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin; two 2008 Beijing Olympic relay golds, first American under 48 seconds in the 100m freestyle, Texas Longhorn and 2013 Maccabiah Games flag bearer.

Gary Conelly

Gary Conelly (Gary Robert Conelly), born 1952, American swimmer and coach; 1972 Olympic heats swimmer on US gold-winning 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle relays, ineligible for medals under 1972 rules; 22-year Kentucky head coach.

Gary Hall

Gary Hall: American swimming family. Gary Hall Sr. (born 1951), three-time Olympic medalist swimmer, 10 world records, 1976 US flag bearer, later ophthalmologist; his son Gary Hall Jr. (born 1974) won 10 Olympic medals including back-to-back 50 m freestyle golds.

Geoff Gaberino

Geoff Gaberino (Geoffrey Steven Gaberino, born 1962, Dallas, Texas) is an American former competitive swimmer who won gold in the 4×200 m freestyle relay at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

George Breen

George Breen (1935-2019), American distance freestyle swimmer; four Olympic medals (silver 4x200 relay, three bronze) at Melbourne 1956 and Rome 1960, six world records including first sub-18-minute 1500 m, later Penn coach.

Gunnar Bentz

Gunnar Bentz (Joseph Gunnar Bentz, born 1996) is an American swimmer, two-time Olympian, and Rio 2016 4x200m freestyle relay gold medalist who swam for the University of Georgia.

Helene Madison

Helene Madison (1913-1970), American freestyle swimmer from Seattle, won three gold medals at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics (100m, 400m, 4x100m relay) and held 23 world records; first woman to swim 100 yards freestyle in one minute.

Howard Johnson

Howard Johnson (Howard R. Johnson, 1919-2015), American freestyle swimmer for Yale, three-time NCAA champion (220-yard freestyle 1940, 1941; 100-yard freestyle 1942), captain of Yale's first NCAA championship team, 400-yard freestyle relay world record holder; not the Motown singer or baseball player.

Irene Guest

Irene May Guest (1900-1970), American swimmer of Philadelphia's Meadowbrook Club; at Antwerp 1920 she took 100 m freestyle silver and relay gold in a 5:11.6 world record.

Jack Alexy

Jack Alexy (John Carroll Alexy, born 2003) is an American sprint freestyle swimmer, 6'8", from Morristown, NJ, who swims for Cal. Olympic gold in the 4x100 free relay at Paris 2024; American records 45.05 (25m) and 46.81 (50m) in the 100 free.

Jack Babashoff

Jack Babashoff (Jack Babashoff, Jr.), American sprint freestyle swimmer born 1955 in Whittier, California; 1976 Olympic 100 m freestyle silver medalist and world-record-setting relay swimmer, brother of Shirley Babashoff.

Jack Medica

Jack Chapman Medica (1914-1985), American freestyle swimmer from Seattle; 1936 Berlin Olympic 400m freestyle champion and double silver medalist; set 11 world records and coached Columbia and Penn.

Jane Barkman

Jane Barkman (Jane Louise Barkman Brown), American swimmer born 1951 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania; won gold in the 4x100 m freestyle relay at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics and 200 m freestyle bronze in 1968.

Janet Evans

Janet Evans (born 1971), American distance swimmer; four Olympic golds and one silver (1988-1996), seven world records in the 400, 800, and 1,500 m freestyle that stood about two decades; LA28 Chief Athlete Officer.