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Keena Rothhammer
Keena Rothhammer.jpg
Personal information
Born (1957-02-26) February 26, 1957 (age 67)
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight 146 lb (66 kg)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Freestyle
Club Santa Clara Swim Club
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold 1972 Munich 800 m freestyle
Bronze 1972 Munich 200 m freestyle
World Championships (LC)
Gold 1973 Belgrade 200 m freestyle
Silver 1973 Belgrade 400 m freestyle
Shane Gould, Keena Rothhammer, Novella Calligaris 1972
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.

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

Swimming career

As a teenager, she grew up in Santa Clara, California, 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. 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. The same year, she was named North American Athlete of the Year.

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

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Keena Rothhammer para niños

  • List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
  • List of select Jewish swimmers
  • List of University of Southern California people
  • List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)
  • World record progression 400 metres freestyle
  • World record progression 800 metres freestyle
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