Shirley Babashoff

Shirley Babashoff, born in 1957, American swimmer, who won a total of eight medals at the Olympic Games in 1972 and 1976. Born in Whittier, California, Babashoff was 15 years old when she swam at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, West Germany. She won a gold medal as a member of the winning 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay team; finished second in the 100-meter freestyle race, behind American Sandra Neilson; finished second in the 200-meter freestyle race, behind Australian Shane Gould; and finished fourth in the 400-meter freestyle race.

At the 1975 swimming world championships in Cali, Colombia, Babashoff won the 200-meter and 400-meter freestyle races. The next year she dominated the United States Olympic trials in Long Beach, California, winning every freestyle event (100-, 200-, 400-, and 800-meter) and the 400-meter individual medley race. Later that year at the 1976 Olympics in Montréal, Québec, Canada, Babashoff again swam well, earning a gold medal in the 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay event. She also finished second in three events: the 200-meter freestyle, behind East German Kornelia Ender; the 400-meter freestyle, behind East German Petra Thümer; and the 800-meter freestyle, behind Thümer again. Babashoff also won a silver medal as a member of the second-place 4 × 100-meter medley relay team, finishing her Olympic career with two gold medals and six silver medals. During her career Babashoff won 17 U.S. national championships in nonrelay events and set numerous world records. She was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1987.