Keena Rothhammer

Last updated
Keena Rothhammer
Keena Rothhammer.jpg
Personal information
Full nameKeena Ruth Rothhammer
National teamUnited States
Born (1957-02-26) February 26, 1957 (age 67)
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight146 lb (66 kg)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Freestyle
Club Santa Clara Swim Club
Medal record
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1972 Munich 800 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1972 Munich 200 m freestyle
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1973 Belgrade 200 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1973 Belgrade 400 m freestyle
Rothhammer (right) at 1972 Olympics Shane Gould, Keena Rothhammer, Novella Calligaris 1972.jpg
Rothhammer (right) at 1972 Olympics

Keena Ruth Rothhammer (born February 26, 1957) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in two events.

Contents

Rothhammer was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and is Jewish. [1]

Swimming career

As a teenager, she grew up in Santa Clara, California, [2] and trained with the Santa Clara Swim Club in Santa Clara under the coach George Haines, who was noted for leading U.S. Olympic swimmers during the 1960s and 1970s.

As a 15-year-old, Rothhammer represented the United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. She won the gold medal in the women's 800-meter freestyle and set a new world record in the event twice, on successive days. [1] She also won the bronze medal in the women's 200-meter freestyle at the 1972 Olympics. At the 1973 World Aquatics Championships, she won the 200-meter freestyle and finished second in the 400-meter freestyle. [3] The same year, she was named North American Athlete of the Year. [1]

She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1991. [4]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Taylor, Paul (2004). Jews and the Olympic Games: The Clash Between Sport and Politics : with a Complete Review of Jewish Olympic Medallists. Sussex Academic Press. ISBN   9781903900871.
  2. "Shane Gould Sets Medley Mark". The New York Times. 6 April 1973.
  3. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Keena Rothhammer". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
  4. "Keena Rothhammer (USA)". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 11, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
Records
Preceded by Women's 400-meter freestyle
world record-holder (long course)

August 22, 1973 – June 28, 1974
Succeeded by
Preceded by Women's 800-meter freestyle
world record-holder (long course)

September 3, 1972 – September 9, 1973
Succeeded by