John Phillips Naber is an American former competitive swimmer, five-time Olympic medalist and former world record-holder in multiple events.
Jeffrey Norman Rouse is an American former competition swimmer, three-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in three 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.
John James Monckton was an Australian backstroke swimmer who won a silver medal in the 100-metre event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. Although he set multiple world records, he never won an Olympic gold medal.
Kevin John Berry, OAM, was an Australian butterfly swimmer of the 1960s who won the gold medal in the 200-metre butterfly at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He set twelve world records in his career.
Thomas Michael Jager is an American former competition swimmer. He is five-time Olympic gold medalist in relay events, a two-time World Championship individual gold medalist for the 50-meter freestyle, and a former world record-holder in two events. Jager set the 50-meter freestyle world record on six occasions during his career. He held this record for over ten years from August 1989 to June 2000.
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.
Roland Matthes was a German swimmer and the most successful backstroke swimmer of all time. Between April 1967 and August 1974 he won all backstroke competitions he entered. He won four European championships and three world championships in a row, and swam 19 world and 28 European records in various backstroke, butterfly and medley events. He was trained by Marlies Grohe.
David "Dave" Charles Berkoff is an American former competition Hall of Fame swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in two events. Berkoff was a backstroke specialist who won a total of four medals during his career at the Olympic Games in 1988 and 1992. He is best known for breaking the world record for the 100-meter backstroke three times, beginning at the 1988 Olympic trial preliminaries, becoming the first swimmer to go under 55 seconds for the event. He is also remembered for his powerful underwater backstroke start, the eponymous "Berkoff Blastoff" which after a strong push-off from the side of the pool used a horizontal body position with locked arms outstretched overhead and an undulating or wavelike aerodynamic dolphin kick to provide thrust and build speed.
Frank Edward McKinney Jr. was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. He later became a prominent executive in the American banking industry, but died in a mid-air collision of two aircraft.
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.
Charles Buchanan Hickcox was an American competition swimmer, three-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in six events.
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.
Lynn Edythe Burke, also known by her married name Lynn McConville, is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in two events. She competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, where she won the gold medal in women's 100-meter backstroke in a new Olympic record time of 1:09.3. She won a second gold medal by swimming the backstroke leg for the winning U.S. team in the 4×100-meter medley relay, together with teammates Patty Kempner (breaststroke), Carolyn Schuler (butterfly), and Chris von Saltza (freestyle). The U.S. medley relay team set a new world record in the event final of 4:41.1.
Carolyn Jane Schuler is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder.
Cathy Jean Ferguson is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. She competed 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.
Harold Thompson Mann was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and world record-holder. He competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, where he received a gold medal swimming for swimming the lead-off backstroke leg for the winning U.S. team in the 4×100-meter medley relay. Mann and his relay teammates Bill Craig (breaststroke), Fred Schmidt (butterfly) and Steve Clark set a new world record of 3:58.4 – and Mann set an individual world record in the 100-meter backstroke swimming his leg.
Lillian Debra Watson, commonly known by her nickname Pokey Watson, and later by her married name Lillian Richardson, is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in three events.
Robert Earl Bennett is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder.
Satoko Tanaka is a retired Japanese backstroke swimmer. She competed at the 1960 and 1964 Olympics in the 100 m backstroke and 4×100 m medley relay. She won individual bronze in 1960 and finished fourth in both events in 1964. Between 1959 and 1964 she set 10 world records in the 200 m backstroke, but did not have a chance to compete in this discipline. She set five more world records in the 110 yd and 220 yd backstroke. Tanaka held the national records in the 100 m and 200 m backstroke for 12 years. In retirement for many decades she worked as a swimming coach, and competed in the masters category. In 1991 she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
