Keena Rothhammer
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Keena Ruth Rothhammer | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | February 26, 1957 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | George Haines (Santa Clara SC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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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 to Jewish parents Grant Roy Rothhammer and Dianne Becker Rothhammer in Little Rock, Arkansas, on February 26, 1957. When their daughters exceptional potential as a competitive swimmer became apparent, the Rothhammers left Little Rock for southern California, where there was a greater availability of outstanding youth programs for exceptional age-group swimmers.[1]
Swimming career
[edit]As a teenager, she grew up in Santa Clara, California,[2] and trained with the Santa Clara Swim Club under Hall of Fame Coach George Haines, who was noted for training many U.S. Olympic swimmers during the 1960s and 1970s.
Diverse in her stroke skills, she won the 100-meter backstroke in a close finish at the Santa Clara Invitational in July, 1971.[3]
1972 Olympics
[edit]As a 15-year-old, Rothhammer represented the United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. She became the youngest person to ever win the gold medal in the women's 800-meter freestyle and set a new world record of 8:53.68, while establishing world records in the event on two successive days. She also won the bronze medal in the women's 200-meter freestyle at the 1972 Olympics.[1][4]
At the 1973 World Aquatics Championships, she won the 200-meter freestyle and finished second in the 400-meter freestyle.[5] The same year, she was named North American Athlete of the Year.[1]
At only 16, to highlight her remarkable achievements, Keena had captured an Olympic gold and bronze medal, and held two world records. She had won fifteen U.S. National championships, set ten American records, and won a gold and silver medal at the first World Championships in 1973.[6]
Post swimming careers
[edit]Keena’s retirement from competitive swimming was due in part to serious migraine headaches which started in junior high school. After her retirement, she traveled the country and worked with Special Olympics programs.[6]
Already retired from competitive swimming, she attended the University of Southern California, and majored in broadcast journalism. She eventually went into financial services, and worked as a comptroller at several different companies.[4]
In 1976, she married Scott Weisbly, though they later divorced. She lived with her second husband, John Zorovich, in the San Luis Obispo area. [7]
Honors
[edit]She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1991.[8] She was one of the first inductees into the Arkansas Swimming Hall of Fame.[7]
See also
[edit]
- 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
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Taylor, Paul (2004). Jews and the Olympic Games: The Clash Between Sport and Politics : with a Complete Review of Jewish Olympic Medallists. Sussex Academic Press. ISBN 9781903900871.
- ^ "Shane Gould Sets Medley Mark". The New York Times. April 6, 1973.
- ^ "Aussies Repeat Earlier Wins", The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, California, July 11, 1971, pg. 14
- ^ a b "Olympedia Biography, Keena Rothhammer". olympedia.org. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Keena Rothhammer". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020.
- ^ a b "International Swimming Hall of Fame, Honor Swimmer Keena Rothhammer". isof.org. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
- ^ a b "Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Keena Rothhammer (1957–)". encyclopediaofarkansas.net. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
- ^ "Keena Rothhammer (USA)". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 11, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
External links
[edit]
- Olympedia Biography, Keena Rothhammer
- Keena Rothhammer – Jews in Sports profile
- International Swimming Hall of Fame, Honor Swimmer Keena Rothhammer
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Keena Rothhammer (1957–)
| Men's team |
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- 1957 births
- Living people
- American female freestyle swimmers
- World record setters in swimming
- Jewish American swimmers
- Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in swimming
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming
- Sportspeople from Little Rock, Arkansas
- Swimmers from Arkansas
- Swimmers at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- University of Southern California alumni
- World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
- 20th-century American Jews
- 20th-century American sportswomen
- Jews from Arkansas