Lillian Watson

Last updated

Lillian Watson
Personal information
Full nameLillian Debra Watson
Nickname"Pokey"
National teamUnited States
Born (1950-07-11) July 11, 1950 (age 74)
Mineola, New York, U.S.
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight146 lb (66 kg)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Backstroke, freestyle
Club Santa Clara Swim Club
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1964 Tokyo 4x100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1968 Mexico City 200 m backstroke
Pan American Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1967 Winnipeg 100 m freestyle

Lillian Debra Watson (born July 11, 1950), commonly known by her nickname Pokey Watson, and later by her married name Lillian Richardson, is an American former competition swimmer, a two-time Olympic champion, and a former world record-holder in three events.

Contents

As a 14-year-old, she represented the United States at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. [1] Watson won a gold medal as a member of the first-place U.S. team in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay, together with her teammates Sharon Stouder, Donna de Varona and Kathy Ellis. The four American women set a new world of 4:03.8 in the event final. [1] [2] She also swam the backstroke leg for the gold medal-winning U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the women's 4×100-meter medley relay, [1] but did not receive a second medal because only relay swimmers who competed in the event final were eligible under the 1964 rules. Four years later at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, she won a gold medal for her first-place performance in the women's 200-meter backstroke, setting a new Olympic record of 2:24.8. [3]

Watson broke Dawn Fraser's six-year-old world record in the 200-meter freestyle (long course) on August 19, 1966, with a time of 2:10.5, and held the record for one year. She was part of several world record performances in relay events.

Watson was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1984. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laure Manaudou</span> French swimmer (born 1986)

Laure Manaudou is a retired French Olympic, world and European champion swimmer. She has held the world record in freestyle events between 200 and 1500 meter. She is the older sister of Florent Manaudou who is also an Olympic gold medalist swimmer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Coughlin</span> American swimmer (born 1982)

Natalie Anne Coughlin Hall is an American former competition swimmer and twelve-time Olympic medalist. While attending the University of California, Berkeley, she became the first woman ever to swim the 100-meter backstroke in less than one minute. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she became the first U.S. female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympiad, and the first woman ever to win a 100-meter backstroke gold in two consecutive Olympics. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, in her third and final Olympic appearance, she earned a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracy Caulkins</span> American swimmer (born 1963)

Tracy Anne Stockwell, OAM,, née Tracy Anne Caulkins, is an American former competition swimmer, three-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time world champion, and former world record-holder in three events.

Neil Scott Walker is an American former competition swimmer, four-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder in multiple events.

Richard John Carey is an American former competition swimmer, three-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in three events. Carey specialized in the backstroke. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he won three gold medals. He broke nine world records, five individually, and also was a double world champion. He was named as the Swimmer of the Year in 1983 by Swimming World magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melissa Belote</span> American swimmer (born 1956)

Melissa Louise Belote, also known by her current married name Melissa Belote Ripley, is an American former competition swimmer, three-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in two events. She represented the United States at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris von Saltza</span> American swimmer (born 1944)

Susan Christina von Saltza, also known by her married name Christina Olmstead, is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in four events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Hickcox</span> American swimmer (1947–2010)

Charles Buchanan Hickcox was an American competition swimmer, three-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in six events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Russell (swimmer)</span> American swimmer (born 1946)

Douglas Albert Russell is an American former competitive swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in three different events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaye Hall</span> American swimmer (born 1951)

Kaye Marie Hall, later known by her married name Kaye Greff, is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in two events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolyn Schuler</span> American swimmer (1943–2024)

Carolyn Jane Schuler, also known by her married name Carolyn Schuler Jones, was an American competition swimmer, a 1960 Rome Olympic gold medalist in both the 100-meter butterfly and the 4x100-meter medley, and a one-time world record-holder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathy Ferguson</span> American swimmer (born 1948)

Cathy Jean Ferguson, known for a time by her married name Cathy Ferguson Brennan is an American former competition swimmer, who competed for the Los Angeles Athletic Club, was a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and a former world record-holder. She participated at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, where she received the gold medal for winning the women's 100-meter backstroke, and another gold as a member of the first-place U.S. team in the women's 4×100-meter medley relay. After completing a Doctorate from the U.S. International University in San Diego, she worked as a Professor, Coach and Director of Aquatics at California State University, Long Beach for 20 years, was a director of Sports Medicine at Anaheim Memorial Hospital, and served as a CEO for Girl Scouts of Central California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathy Ellis</span> American swimmer (born 1946)

Kathleen Ellis,, also known by her married names Kathy Hood and Kathy Landsgraf is an American former competition swimmer for the Riviera Swim Club, a 1964 Tokyo Olympic champion in the 400-meter freestyle and medley events, and a former world record-holder in three events. Graduating Indiana University in 1968 with a degree in Nursing, she later married, and coached swimming at the Riviera Club replacing her former coach Gene Lee. She also coached at Butler University, where Lee had coached, and later at Wabash College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellie Daniel</span> American swimmer (born 1950)

Eleanor Suzanne Daniel, is an American former competition swimmer, four-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Pedersen (swimmer)</span> American swimmer (born 1953)

Susan "Sue" Jane Pedersen, also known by her married name Susan Pankey, is an American former competition swimmer, four-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder in two events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathy Carr (swimmer)</span> American Olympian swimmer

Catherine L. Carr, also known by her married name Cathy West, is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in two events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Smit</span> American swimmer (born 1987)

Julia Elizabeth Smit is an American competition swimmer, two-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder in two events. She has won a total of nine medals in major international competition, six golds, two silvers, and one bronze spanning the Olympics and Pan American Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cynthia Woodhead</span> American swimmer (born 1964)

Cynthia Lee Woodhead, commonly known by her family nickname "Sippy", is an American former competition swimmer, world champion, Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. She won three gold medals at the 1978 World Championships, when she was only 14 years old, and set seven world records during her career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katinka Hosszú</span> Hungarian swimmer (born 1989)

Katinka Hosszú is a Hungarian former competitive swimmer specialized in individual medley events. She is a three-time Olympic champion and a nine-time long-course world champion. She is the owner of a Budapest-based swim school and swim club called Iron Swim Budapest, and a co-owner and was captain of Team Iron, founding member of the International Swimming League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susie Atwood</span> American swimmer (born 1953)

Susanne Jean Atwood is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder in two events.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, Pokey Watson. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  2. ↑ Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, United States Swimming at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Games. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  3. ↑ Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1968 Ciudad de México Summer Games, Women's 200 metres Backstroke Final. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Lillian "Pokey" Watson (USA)". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2015.


Records
Preceded by Women's 200-meter freestyle
world record-holder (long course)
August 19, 1966 – August 19, 1967		Succeeded by


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.