1,324 articles
Walter Spence
Walter Percy Spence (1901-1958), Guyanese-born swimmer who competed for Canada at the 1928 and 1932 Olympics, won 1928 relay bronze, set the 100 m breaststroke world record in 1927, and won three straight NCAA 100 free titles.
Wang Changhao
Wang Changhao (王长浩), Chinese swimmer born 2002 in Tianjin, butterfly and relay specialist; Olympic gold 2024 men's 4x100 medley relay, Asian record 3:27.01, Chinese 50 fly record 23.25.
Wang Jianjiahe
Wang Jianjiahe (王简嘉禾, born 2002, Anshan, Liaoning) is a Chinese freestyle swimmer, 2018 Asian Games quadruple gold medalist, former short-course 400 m freestyle world record holder (3:53.97), and Asian record holder in the 1500 m freestyle (15:41.49).
Wang Luna
Wang Luna (王•璐娜), born 1980, Chinese freestyle swimmer who competed at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, won 1997 short-course 4x200 m relay gold, and held the 7:51.92 world record until 1999.
Warren Kealoha
Warren Kealoha (Warren Daniels Kealoha, 1903–1972), Hawaiian swimmer and back-to-back Olympic 100 m backstroke gold medalist (Antwerp 1920, Paris 1924); held the world record six years, setting four marks from 1:14.8 to 1:11.4; not related to Pua Kealoha.
Wayne Moore
Wayne Richard Moore (1931–2015), American freestyle swimmer; 1952 Helsinki Olympic gold medalist in the 4x200 m freestyle relay, Yale world-record holder, and later precision-engineering executive and author.
Wendy Boglioli
Wendy Boglioli (Wendy Lou Lansbach Boglioli, born 1955) is an American swimmer who won 1976 Montreal Olympic gold in the 4x100 m freestyle relay with a world-record 3:44.82 and bronze in the 100 m butterfly.
Wendy Cook Hogg
Wendy Cook-Hogg, also Wendy Hogg, Canadian backstroke swimmer born 1956 in Vancouver; 1972 and 1976 Olympian, 1973 world bronze, 1974 Commonwealth triple gold and 100 m backstroke world record holder.
Wendy Fordyce
Wendy Fordyce, American swimmer of the 1960s from Coral Gables and Miami Springs, Florida; 1967 Pan American Games double gold medalist and 4x100-meter relay world record holder; 1968 US Olympic Trials competitor.
Wendy Quirk
Wendy Quirk (Wendy Patricia Quirk-Johnson), born 1959 in Montréal, Canadian butterfly and freestyle swimmer; 1976 Olympic finalist, triple 1978 Commonwealth gold medallist, 1978 World bronze medallist, barred from Moscow 1980 by Canada's boycott.
Werner Birr
Werner Birr, German freestyle swimmer of the late 1930s; 1938 European champion in the 4x200 m freestyle relay (9:17.6, London) and 1940 German 100 m freestyle champion for SV Berlin; held the 4x100 m freestyle relay world record (4:02.4, Copenhagen, 1938).
Werner Lampe
Werner Lampe (born 1952, Hannover), West German freestyle swimmer; 1972 Olympic bronze 200 m freestyle and silver 4x200 m relay, 1975 world relay champion, later DSV swimming director.
Werner Plath
Werner Plath (1918-1945), German freestyle swimmer of Wiking Berlin and Askania Berlin; 1936 Olympic 4x200m relay fifth, 1938 European relay gold and 400m silver, 4x100m relay world record holder; executed by the SS in 1945.
Whitney Hedgepeth
Whitney Hedgepeth (Whitney Lynn Hedgepeth-Luther, born 1971) is an American swimmer and coach, two-time Olympian, 1996 gold medalist in the 4x100 medley relay, 27-time All-American at Texas, and Longhorn Aquatics Masters head coach.
William Meynard
William Meynard, French freestyle sprint swimmer born 1987 in Marseille (CN Marseille), Olympic 4x100 m relay silver at Rio 2016, world and European relay titles, two-year break then comeback.
William Paulus
William Paulus, Fort Worth, Texas swimmer; 100m butterfly world record holder (53.81), 1980 U.S. Olympian barred by the Moscow boycott, and 11-time All-American who helped Texas win its first NCAA swimming title in 1981.
William Yorzyk
William "Bill" Yorzyk (1933-2020), American swimmer, first Olympic champion in a butterfly event, winning the 200 m butterfly at Melbourne 1956; set 11 world records, became an Air Force anesthesiologist, ISHOF inductee 1971.
Willie Foster
Willie Foster (William Foster, 1890-1963), English swimmer for Great Britain; 1908 Olympic 4x200 m freestyle relay gold in world record 10:55.6, 1912 bronze; youngest male British Olympic gold medalist through 2016.
Willis Sanburn
Willis H. Sanburn (c. 1920–2011), American freestyle swimmer at Yale; lead-off leg on the 3:50.8 world-record 4x100 m relay (1940) and captain of Yale's undefeated 1940–41 team; Deerfield 1937.
Willy Blioch
Willy Blioch (1932-2022) was a French freestyle swimmer of the Racing Club de France, a non-Olympian who set the 4x200 m freestyle relay world record (8:33.0, Marseille 1951) with Boiteux, Jany, and Bernardo, and was credited with the flip turn.
Willy den Ouden
Willy den Ouden was a Dutch freestyle swimmer who won two silvers at the 1932 Olympics, relay gold in 1936, and set 15 world records.
Willy den Turk
Willy van den Turk (Wilhelmina den Turk, 1908–1937), Dutch swimmer; 1927 European 100 m backstroke champion and world record holder (1:22.0) who withdrew from the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics before swimming.
Willy Lützow
Willy Lützow (Wilhelm Bernhard Adolf Emil Lützow), German breaststroke swimmer, born 1892; 1912 Olympic silver in the 200 m breaststroke, 100 m breaststroke world record 1:16.8 in 1914; missing in action 1915 at Tahure, France.
Wiltrud Urselmann
Wiltrud Urselmann (Urselmann-Haverkamp), German breaststroke swimmer born 1942 in Krefeld; 1960 Olympic silver in 200 m breaststroke, 1960 world records at 100 m and 200 m, 1957 German Sportswoman of the Year.
Wu Yanyan
Wu Yanyan (吴艳艳), Chinese swimmer born 1978, 1998 world champion in the 200 m individual medley and world record holder (2:09.72, 1997–2008); banned four years for anabolic steroids before the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Xiuyu Bai
Xiuyu Bai (Bai Xiuyu), Chinese backstroke swimmer of the early 1990s; set a short-course 50m backstroke world record of 27.64 in 1994, won World Cup silvers in Beijing, then received a two-year doping ban in August 1994.
Xu Yanwei
Xu Yanwei (徐妍玮, born 1984 in Shanghai) is a retired Chinese swimmer who won silver in the 4 × 200 meter freestyle relay at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Yan Zibei
Yan Zibei (闫子贝), Chinese breaststroke swimmer born 1995 in Xiangyang, Hubei; Tokyo 2020 mixed medley relay silver medalist, 2020 world record holder in that event, and 2018 Asian Games double relay gold medalist.
Yana Klochkova
Yana Klochkova (Яна Клочкова), Ukrainian swimmer born 1982 in Simferopol, won four Olympic golds and one silver in 2000 and 2004, dominated the 200/400 m individual medley, and set long-standing 400 m IM world records.
Yang Wenyi
Yang Wenyi (杨文意), Chinese swimmer born 1972 in Shanghai; first woman under 25 seconds in 50m freestyle, 1992 Olympic gold in world record 24.79, 1988 silver.