Athletes Who Opened Doorways for Future Swimmers…out and in of the Pool
In honor of Black Historical past Month, we check out a few of the most influential black swimmers to ever grace the pool. Comply with by means of time as these swimmers go from the trailblazers who broke limitations to a few of at this time’s most promising athletes.
First…a Observe on Why Illustration Issues
Constructed on the again of segregation, racism, and worry, there’s a basic inequality inside swimming. To at the present time, black youngsters from the ages of 5 to nineteen are practically six occasions extra more likely to drown than white youngsters of comparable ages.
That is a part of why constructive illustration in movie and different media is so profound.
“When you have by no means seen the 2007 film Delight, you must,” mentioned WeAquatics operation supervisor Sidney Horton. “Take into account watching it from the angle of a younger black swimmer who has by no means seen themself of their sport represented within the media.”
Be taught extra in regards to the real-life story behind the inspirational movie.
14 Black Swimmers Who Impressed and Triumphed
1. Pauline Jackson
Supply: Newspapers.com
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- Marathon swimmer within the Twenties
Notable Accomplishments:
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- Open-water swimmer who broke limitations throughout two fronts: race and gender.
- Established a profitable skilled swimming profession all through the Twenties.
- Tried the Catalina Channel (1927), broadly thought-about one of the vital difficult swimming marathons.
2. Charles “Charlie the Tuna” Chapman
Picture supply: usaswimming.org
Notable Accomplishments:
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- Grew to become the primary African American swimmer to efficiently cross the English Channel (1981).
- Earned a world report (1988) for swimming across the island of Manhattan in underneath 9 and a half hours.
- Carried out butterfly swims round Alcatraz Island and from Alcatraz to Aquatic Park.
3. Enith Brigitha
Picture supply: usaswimming.org
Notable Accomplishments:
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- First African lady (she was Curacao born) to compete within the Olympic Video games.
- First black lady to win an Olympic swimming medal.
- Two-time Olympic competitor (Munich in 1972 and Montreal in 1976).
- Gained two Olympic bronze medals.
- All through her profession, held 5 world information.
- Was inducted into the Worldwide Swimming Corridor of Fame in 2015.
4. Fred Evans
Picture supply: usaswimming.org
Notable Accomplishments:
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- First African American swimmer to win a collegiate swimming championship (100-yard breaststroke in 1975).
- Three-time nationwide champion (NCAA Division II) within the 100-yard breaststroke.
- Nationwide report holder in 100-yard breaststroke from 1975 to 1977.
5. Chris Silva
Picture supply: usaswimming.org
Notable Accomplishments:
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- All-American swim sprinter at UCLA (1982 to 1984).
- First African American to qualify for the US Olympic swim workforce (1984).
- First African American to carry a US swim report.
6. Anthony Nesty
Picture supply: usaswimming.org
Notable Accomplishments:
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- Took an Olympic gold medal within the 100-meter butterfly (1988), edging out favourite Matt Biondi by .01 seconds.
- Grew to become the primary black male athlete to safe a person Olympic medal.
- Obtained sixteen All-American honors as a College of Florida swimmer.
- Named assistant coach for the US males’s Olympic swim workforce.
7. Maritza Correia McClendon
Picture supply: swimswam.com
Notable Accomplishments:
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- Three-time world champion.
- Two-time Pan-American champion.
- First African American feminine to compete on the US Olympic swim workforce and medal.
- First African American to safe each an American swim report and world swim report.
- Earned an Olympic silver medal (2004).
8. Cullen Jones
Picture supply: swimswam.com
Notable Accomplishments:
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- A part of the American workforce that holds the world report for the 4 x 100-meter freestyle.
- Gained one Olympic gold (2008), in addition to two Olympic silver medals and one other gold (2012).
9. Alia Atkinson
Picture supply: jamaica.loopnews.com
Notable Accomplishments:
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- Jamaican-born five-time Olympian.
- Loved a profession that spanned nineteen years (2003 to 2021).
- Holder of two short-course world information in breaststroke.
10. Natalie Hinds
Picture supply: swimmingworldmagazine.com
Notable Accomplishments:
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- SEC freshman of the 12 months (2013).
- Twenty-time All-American.
- Hinds, Simone Manuel, and Lia Neal (three black swimmers) famously swept the 2015 Girls’s Division I NCAA Championship in a single occasion.
- Took one bronze medal on the 2020 Olympic video games.
11. Lia Neal
Picture Supply: swimmingworldmagazine.com
Notable Accomplishments:
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- Debuted on the 2012 summer season Olympics, taking one bronze medal.
- Earned an Olympic silver medal in 2016.
- Eight-time Pac-12 champion.
- 9-time NCAA champion.
12. Simone Manuel
Picture supply: simonemanuel.co
Notable Accomplishments:
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- Debuted on the 2016 Olympics, taking residence two gold medals and two silver medals.
- Earned one Olympic bronze (2020).
- Holds three world swimming information.
- Six-time particular person NCAA champion.
- Acknowledged in her senior 12 months as the perfect US feminine swimmer, in addition to finest total feminine collegiate athlete.
13. Alice Dearing
Picture Supply: wsportsalliance.com
Notable Accomplishments:
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- Specialist in open-water occasions.
- Certified to characterize Nice Britain on the Olympic video games (2020).
- Solely the third black swimmer to characterize Nice Britain competitively.
14. Reece Whitley
Picture supply: swimswam.com
Notable Accomplishments:
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- Named SportsKid of the 12 months in 2015 (Sports activities Illustrated).
- Earned the title of Pac-12 males’s swimming freshman of the 12 months (2019).
- Broke his first age-group nationwide report in 2012.
Can’t Get Sufficient Swimming Historical past?
When you’re excited about studying much more about important figures on the planet of swimming, make sure that to take a look at this roundup of the twelve most influential swimmers of all time.
Is Your Little one’s Identify the Subsequent on This Record?
Is your youngster the subsequent swimmer to set a world report? Win Olympic gold? Attain unprecedented heights within the pool?
Each future trailblazer begins someplace. Possibly your youngster’s journey begins at a WeAquatics pool!
Try our out there DMV swim classes at this time.
