A Female Swimmer

When it comes to swimming, it is important to know that the female swimmer is a critical piece of the long history. These swimmers have proven that they can be as fast and as agile as men while holding their own in the water and have helped to earn the respect of millions across the globe. Thanks to their hard work, drive and dedication, the female swimmer is among the most respected in the sports realm.

In history, there have been some incredible women who have taken the art of swimming to the next level. They have maintained their personal integrity, embraced the grind to achieve incredible results in the water and have been celebrated and awarded for their accomplishments over the years. Take a moment to look over the best of the best and some of my favorites.

Dawn Fraser

In terms of female swimming celebrities, you don’t find anyone much bigger than Dawn. She is celebrated for being the very first woman to swim 100 meters in under a minute. In 1955, she broke freestyle records up to 880 yards and in 1956 she broke a 100 meter freestyle records that was 20 years old. As an eight time Olympic Medal winner (four of which are gold), she has set a record for being one of three swimmers to make Olympic history by taking the gold medal in the same discipline for three consecutive Olympics.

Jennifer Beth Thompson

As the most decorated female American Olympian, she has 12 Olympic medals, of which eight are coveted gold medals. She also achieved the status of USA Swimmer of the Year twice for her work in 1993 and 1998.

Inge de Bruijn

Known for being the most decorated Dutch Olympian, she has a total of eight Olympic medals (4 gold) and between the Olympics and the World Aquatic Championship holds the most titles of any female swimmer with an impressive nine titles. Swimming World has gone on to name her the Female Swimmer of the Year for two consecutive years 2000 and 2001.

Janet Evans

The lady with the most unconventional distance swimming stroke who held the world records for decades swimming distance in the pool. Winner of an impressive 5 Olympic medals, Janet Evans has gone on to become a motivational speaker, swim clinician and an impressive business woman. She is also a published author.

Summer Sanders

Summer is beautiful and she was fast.  Winner of three medals during the 1992 Olympics, Summer is a respected swimmer. Today, she is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for USA Swimming. She now has a family and is competitive in distance running.

Female Swimmer Madame Butterfly:  Mary T. Meagher

Chances are you may know her by her nickname Madame Butterfly. A winner of 3 Gold medals, she took the gold in the 200 m and 100 m butterfly events and the medley relay for women. Prior to her 1984 Olympic victories, she also set records in the 100 m and 200 m butterfly events in 1980, but did not attend the Olympics due to the US Boycott that year.