Olympic Water Polo Player Brenda Villa To Be Inducted Into The International Swimming Hall of Fame

Brenda Villa is the most decorated player in the history of women’s water polo

Brenda Villa is the most decorated player in the history of women’s water polo. Brenda will be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2018 in ceremonies in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on May 19, 2018.

Brenda Villa was born and raised in the City of Commerce, a mostly Latino, blue-collar industrial community of 12,500 residents, located southeast of Los Angeles. While surveys show as many as 70 percent of Latino children cannot swim, Commerce is an outlier. It has one of the finest aquatic facilities in California and over the past 30 years it has developed one of the most prolific and sophisticated youth water polo programs in the United States.  There are no financial barriers to swim in Commerce. Residents can learn to swim and participate on teams almost for free. For Latino’s living in Commerce, swimming is cool!

When Brenda was five years old her parents, immigrants from northern Mexico, took her to the pool so she wouldn’t be afraid of the water like her mother.  After two years on the swim team, they reluctantly allowed to follow her older brother Edgar into the rough and tumble sport of water polo.  This was before the explosion in girls water polo programs and Brenda practiced with and competed mostly against boys. And it didn’t take long for her to realize that she was as good, if not better than most of them.

Playing with and against boys made the Commerce girls teams a powerhouse in Junior Olympic Competition. At the 1994 National Junior Olympics, for example, Brenda played in all three age groups, leading the Commerce girls to the 13 & under title, Bronze in 15 & under division and gold again in 17 & under division.

When she got to Belle Gardens High in the fall of 1994, the school didn’t have a girls team, so she played on the boys team while enduring plenty of snide comments. But the competition improved her game and helped her develop the smarts, instincts and toughness that contributed to her becoming one of the best players in the world, male or female, despite being just 5 feet 4 inches tall. Before she graduated, she led the school to four consecutive CIF Finals, two titles and was named to four First Team All-County, All League and All-American high school lists for boys.

While Brenda enjoyed water polo and excelled in the classroom, her goal from at least the age of 12, was to attended Stanford University on a swimming scholarship.  But that goal changed in the Fall of 1993 when Stanford announced it was starting a women’s water polo team.

“I wanted to go to Stanford for swimming,” she said. “But now I will go for water polo.  I’m a little better in water polo than swimming.”

Following her freshman year in High School, Brenda was selected for the US Junior Women’s National Team. After playing in the 1995 Junior World Championships, where she was selected for the All-World Jr. Team, Women’s National Team Coach Sandy Nitta moved her up to the Senior National Team.  Two years later she was the US team’s leading scorer at the 1997 FINA World Cup.

Photo Courtesy: Reuters Nir Elias;

While Brenda enjoyed wearing the Red-White and Blue and traveling around the world, her top goal was to play water polo for Stanford.  But in the fall of 1997, during her senior year in high school, the International Olympic Committee announced that Women’s water polo would join the 2000 Olympic program. So she re-set her goal higher – it was not just to play for Stanford, but to also to win an Olympic Gold medal for the USA.  She had no idea then that it would take 14 long years to do it.

When Brenda entered Stanford in the fall of 1998, it was as the nation’s most heralded recruit. But to pursue her new goal she had to red-shirt her first two years to prepare for the Olympics – an opportunity that was anything but assured.  For in 1998, the USA women’s team was ranked 8th in the world and there would only be six teams in the inaugural Olympic tournament.

There were two chances for teams to qualify for the 2000 Olympic Games.  When the USA failed to qualify at the FINA World Cup in May of 1999, it came down to a last chance qualification tournament in Palermo, Sicily in April of 2000.  In what was a do or die game against Hungary, it was a goal by Brenda that broke a 5 -5 tie late in the fourth quarter to earn the USA a ticket to Sydney.

Continuing to improve under coach Guy Baker, Team USA approached Sydney as one of the favorites after upsetting Australia at the 2000 UPS Holiday Cup final, behind two goals from Brenda.

In Sydney, Team USA reached the gold medal match and it came down to last minute heroics again.  Trailing by a goal in the final minute, Baker designed a play for 39 year old Hall of Famer Maureen O’Toole to draw an exclusion and then to get the ball into Brenda’s hands.  When Brenda scored with 26 seconds to play, it looked like the game was going to overtime, but it was not to be as Australia scored a game winner at the buzzer.

The remarkable story of the USA first women’s Olympic water polo team is told in Sydney’s Silver Lining, an enjoyable read by Kyle Utsumi.

Finally, in the spring of 2001, Brenda played her first game for Stanford.  During her three years playing for Cardinal, she would twice be named player of the year and led Stanford to its first women’s NCAA title in 2002.

After graduating form Stanford, Brenda played professionally in Europe and coached in the off season as Team USA dominated the world of Women’s water polo. In the first decade of the new millennium, the USA won three world Championships, seven World League Super Finals and numerous other tournaments.  But the Olympic Games remained a disappointment, with a bronze medal in Athens and Silver again in Beijing.

And then came London.  After 17 years on the national team, Brenda, once the youngest player on the team was now the captain.  Only Heather Petri, two years older, remained from Sydney.  One again, behind a new coach, Adam Krikorian, and an infusion of new talent, Team USA entered the 2012 Olympic Games as the favorite – and this time they didn’t disappoint.  Brenda and Team USA finally got the gold with an 8 to 5 victory over Spain.

Considering her size and background, she appears, perhaps, to have been highly unlikely to become the most decorated woman in the history of water polo.  But she has what psychologists, sociologists and others who study such things call the X-Factor – inexplicable qualities combined with physical and mental talent, determination and a love and passion for her endeavor, that not only account for her success but for making those around her better.  For while Brenda had a great shot and always was one play ahead of the rest of the players, she always thought of the team first.

Once, when the great Dr. Sammy Lee was asked what it was that made Greg Louganis such a great diver, he said that if he knew the answer to that question he be a millionaire and he’d train another 100 divers to dive like Greg.  It was a question he just had no answer for.  The same is true with Brenda. There is no easy explanation for understanding her success.

Brenda has received numerous awards and recognition over the course of her incredible career, but none mean more to her than the City of Commerce naming the pool she grew up swimming in the Brenda Villa Aquatic Center.

Today, Brenda and her husband Gino are the proud parents of a baby girl, Gianna. They live in northern California where Brenda continues to share her passion for excellence and love of water polo through coaching, personal appearances and her work with several non-profit foundations.

About The International Swimming Hall of Fame Induction Weekend

Photo Courtesy: ISHOF

The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) Induction Ceremony is shaping up to be a star-studded weekend with multiple events spread out over three days in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Make your plans now to attend the weekend of May 18-20, 2018! ISHOF Members can purchase the Weekend Package and save!

This year’s International Swimming Hall of Fame honorees include Swimmers: Rebecca Adlington (GBR), Amanda Beard (USA), and Libby Trickett (AUS); Water Polo Player: Brenda Villa (USA); Contributor: Andy Burke (USA); Diver: Irina Lashko  (USSR, RUS, AUS) ; Coach: Bill Sweetenham (AUS); Synchronized Swimmer: Miho Takeda (JPN);  Open Water Swimmer: Petar Stoychev (BUL); and Pioneer Synchronized Swimming Contributor: Joy Cushman (USA). Ian Crocker (USA) was a part of the Class of 2017, but was unable to attend the induction due to Hurricane Harvey.  We will be officially celebrating his induction as part of the class of 2018.

The Paragon Awards and ISHOF Awards will be presented of Friday of the same weekend

2018 Paragon Award and ISHOF Award Recipients:

• Frank Busch for Competitive Swimming
• Dr. Ben Rubin for Diving
• Bob Corb for Water Polo
• Jennifer Gray for Synchronized Swimming
• David Bell for Recreational Swimming
• Jill White for Water Safety
• Anthony Ervin and Constantine Markides – Buck Dawson Author Award: “Chasing Water: Elegy of an Olympian”
• Gay DeMario – ISHOF Service Award
• Lana Whitehead – Judge G. Harold Martin Award
• Johnny Johnson – Virginia Hunt Newman Award
• Kathy Bateman – John K. Williams, Jr. International Adapted Aquatics Award
• Bob Ingram – Al Schoenfield Media Award

Additional Events

• • Swim Across America Fundraiser for Cancer Awareness 8-11 AM at the Hall of Fame Pool
  • ISHOF Clinic for Kids produced by Fitter and Faster with Olympian Cammile Adams 11AM to 2 PM Hall of Fame Pool

Synchronized Swimmer Miho Takeda Will Be Inducted Into The International Swimming Hall of Fame

Miho Takeda (Top) and Miya Tachibani (Bottom) Photo Courtesy: Zainal Abd Halim; Reuters

Miho Takeda, who shares with her synchro partner the distinction of being the most decorated Japanese female Olympian, will be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2018 in ceremonies in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on May 19, 2018.

Miho Takeda was born and raised in Kyoto Prefecture, on Honshu, Japan’s largest and most populous island.  She began swimming at the age of 5 in Kyoto and turned to synchronized swimming two years later.  She changed clubs at the age of thirteen to train under Masayo Imura, the national team coach and “Mother of Japanese Synchro.”

At fifteen, Miho was selected to the Japanese Junior National Team that won a bronze medal at the 1991 FINA Junior World Championships.  Two years later she reached the podium in solo, duet and team at 1993 Junior World Championships.

In 1994, she was on Japan’s team that won the bronze medal in the team event at the FINA World Championships. In 1995, Miho graduated from high school, began her studies at the elite Ritsumeikan University and, with the retirement of 1992 Olympic medalist Fumiko Okuno, was paired with Miya Tachibana as a duet team. Together, over the next 8 years, they would win a total of 5 Olympic medals and become Japan’s most decorated female Olympians.

Their first Olympic medal came in Atlanta, where they won bronze in the team event, which was the only synchronized swimming event on the Olympic program that year. Then at two FINA World Cups, and at the 1998 World Championships between Olympics, Takeda and Tachibana won silver medals, just behind the Russians in each event.  At the Olympic Games in Sydney, the Russians won again, while Miho and Miya won silver in both duet and team.

Miho Takeda Photo Courtesy: Siggi Bucher; Reuters

It was a different story at the 2001 FINA World Championships, in Fukuoka, Japan. Performing before an exuberant home crowd, Miho and Miya gave one of the best performances of their lives and received a near perfect score of 98.910. It was enough to claim Japan’s first ever world title in Synchronized Swimming and beat the reigning Olympic champions, Anastasia Ermakova and Anastasia Davydova, score of 98.390.

That was the last time anyone would beat the Russians, who won every major competition after Fukuoka, including the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, But always just a fraction of a point behind were Miho Takeda and Miya Tachibani and the Japanese swimmers.

During their career together, Miho and Miya won one gold medal – Fuuoka 2001 – and seven silver medals at the eight FINA or Olympic competitions held from 1997 to 2004 in duet competitions.  In the team competitions, they won 6 silver medals and one bronze medal, missing the podium only once in the same eight year period. With her induction, Miho Joines Miya (inducted in 2011) as one of the great synchronized swimmers of the modern era.

After retiring, Miho stayed active in synchronized swimming as a television commentator, performer in water shows, and celebrity endorser.  In 2007, she married Eikei Suzuki, a lawyer and politician who was elected governor of Mie Prefecture in 2011. In addition to being a mother since 2012, she is a professor at Mie University, serves as honorary Chair of the Mie UNICEF Association and gives lectures on diet and exercise, on corporate training and writing – and continues to share her love of the water and synchronized swimming with children.

About The International Swimming Hall of Fame Induction Weekend

Photo Courtesy: ISHOF

The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) Induction Ceremony is shaping up to be a star-studded weekend with multiple events spread out over three days in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Make your plans now to attend the weekend of May 18-20, 2018! ISHOF Members can purchase the Weekend Package and save!

This year’s International Swimming Hall of Fame honorees include Swimmers: Rebecca Adlington (GBR), Amanda Beard (USA), and Libby Trickett (AUS); Water Polo Player: Brenda Villa (USA); Contributor: Andy Burke (USA); Diver: Irina Lashko  (USSR, RUS, AUS) ; Coach: Bill Sweetenham (AUS); Synchronized Swimmer: Miho Takeda (JPN);  Open Water Swimmer: Petar Stoychev (BUL); and Pioneer Synchronized Swimming Contributor: Joy Cushman (USA). Ian Crocker (USA) was a part of the Class of 2017, but was unable to attend the induction due to Hurricane Harvey.  We will be officially celebrating his induction as part of the class of 2018.

The Paragon Awards and ISHOF Awards will be presented of Friday of the same weekend

2018 Paragon Award and ISHOF Award Recipients:

• Frank Busch for Competitive Swimming
• Dr. Ben Rubin for Diving
• Bob Corb for Water Polo
• Jennifer Gray for Synchronized Swimming
• David Bell for Recreational Swimming
• Jill White for Water Safety
• Anthony Ervin and Constantine Markides – Buck Dawson Author Award: “Chasing Water: Elegy of an Olympian”
• Gay DeMario – ISHOF Service Award
• Lana Whitehead – Judge G. Harold Martin Award
• Johnny Johnson – Virginia Hunt Newman Award
• Kathy Bateman – John K. Williams, Jr. International Adapted Aquatics Award
• Bob Ingram – Al Schoenfield Media Award

Additional Events

• • Swim Across America Fundraiser for Cancer Awareness 8-11 AM at the Hall of Fame Pool
  • ISHOF Clinic for Kids produced by Fitter and Faster with Olympian Cammile Adams 11AM to 2 PM Hall of Fame Pool

Coach Bill Sweetenham Will Be Inducted into International Swimming Hall of Fame

Bill Sweetenham is an international coaching legend who learned first-hand what it takes to be a winner in life, both in and out of the pool. Coach Sweetenham will be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2018 in ceremonies in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on May 19, 2018.

Meet Coach Sweetenham in person at the ISHOF Induction dinner.   Become and ISHOF Legacy Member and attend the ISHOF Induction Dinner for FREE

Bill Sweetenham grew up in poverty in the country part of Australia, a place called Mount Isa, a mining town out in the boonies. He found refuge from this tough environment and from his father’s strict discipline through participation in sports, especially swimming.

After one serious transgression, the penance demanded by his father was for Bill to teach a fellow miner’s thalidomide child how to swim at the local town pool for free. Bill was 17 and knew nothing about teaching or coaching. But from the moment he started working with the boy, he discovered his passion to become a teacher and coach and became totally committed to be the best he could be.

He started coaching at the Mt. Isa community pool and quickly developed a team that ranked third in the country. Recruited to replace Hall of Famer Laurie Lawrence at Carina, a club in Brisbane, he earned a reputation for being a tough and demanding coach — and for developing three of the greatest distance swimmers in history, Hall of Famers Steve Holland, Tracey Wickham and Michelle Ford.

In 1980 Bill was recruited to work at the newly formed Australian Institute of Sport and was named Head Olympic Coach for the Moscow Games. He was also awarded a Churchill Fellowship, which sent him to the USA for a year to study all aspects of coaching under Hall of Fame Greats Nort Thornton, Don Gambril, George Haines and Doc Counsilman.

In 1983, while on a training trip with the Australian team in West Germany, Bill suffered a catastrophic leg injury in a freak road accident. It resulted in major surgery that continues to present him with challenges and hardships to this day. Dealing with this injury, he believes, taught him to be both a better person and a better coach – and he keeps learning from it.

In 1990, after serving as the head swimming coach at the Australian Institute of Sport for 10 years and being in charge of many of Australian swimming teams at the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and other events since 1978, Bill found a new challenge in an offer to develop swimming in Hong Kong. But four years later, he was back in Australia as National Youth Coach. Favored to replace Don Talbot as National Head Coach after the Sydney Games, he took an offer from British Swimming instead. Britain had been in a downward spiral with its swim program for many years and in Sydney the Brits returned home without a single medal for its swimmers for the first time. They wanted him as their High Performance Director and he was excited by the challenge.

After eight years on the job. Bill transformed British Swimming. Under his leadership and management, Britain’s swimmers won 18 World Championship titles and produced their best ever results in the Commonwealth Games, World Championships and Olympic Games.  He created and implemented an early talent identification and development program that many experts believe is responsible for Britain’s success in the pool today.

Bill Sweetenham stepped down from his role with British Swimming and retired from day-to-day coaching in 2007. During his career he served as head National Team Coach at five Olympic Games, coached 27 medalists at the Olympic Games and World Championships and nine world record holders. He is an accomplished and published author and is internationally recognized consultant for his strategic planning capabilities in high performance sport and business. When not involved in a coaching education program, he is searching the world for more knowledge and experience, and for the next piece of information that will improve athlete and coaching performance.

About The International Swimming Hall of Fame Induction Weekend

Photo Courtesy: ISHOF

The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) Induction Ceremony is shaping up to be a star-studded weekend with multiple events spread out over three days in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Make your plans now to attend the weekend of May 18-20, 2018! ISHOF Members can purchase the Weekend Package and save!

This year’s International Swimming Hall of Fame honorees include Swimmers: Rebecca Adlington (GBR), Amanda Beard (USA), and Libby Trickett (AUS); Water Polo Player: Brenda Villa(USA); Contributor: Andy Burke (USA); Diver: Irina Lashko  (USSR, RUS, AUS) ; Coach: Bill Sweetenham (AUS); Synchronized Swimmer: Miho Takeda (JPN);  Open Water Swimmer: Petar Stoychev (BUL); and Pioneer Synchronized Swimming Contributor: Joy Cushman (USA). Ian Crocker (USA) was a part of the Class of 2017, but was unable to attend the induction due to Hurricane Harvey.  We will be officially celebrating his induction as part of the class of 2018.

The Paragon Awards and ISHOF Awards will be presented of Friday of the same weekend

2018 Paragon Award and ISHOF Award Recipients:

• Frank Busch for Competitive Swimming
• Dr. Ben Rubin for Diving
• Bob Corb for Water Polo
• Jennifer Gray for Synchronized Swimming
• David Bell for Recreational Swimming
• Jill White for Water Safety
• Anthony Ervin and Constantine Markides – Buck Dawson Author Award: “Chasing Water: Elegy of an Olympian”
• Gay DeMario – ISHOF Service Award
• Lana Whitehead – Judge G. Harold Martin Award
• Johnny Johnson – Virginia Hunt Newman Award
• Kathy Bateman – John K. Williams, Jr. International Adapted Aquatics Award
• Bob Ingram – Al Schoenfield Media Award

Additional Events

• Swim Across America Fundraiser for Cancer Awareness 8-11 AM at the Hall of Fame Pool
• ISHOF Clinic for Kids produced by Fitter and Faster with Olympian Cammile Adams 11AM to 2 PM Hall of Fame Pool

Open Water Swimmer Petar Stoychev To Enter International Swimming Hall of Fame

Photo of Bulgaria's Stoychev swimming in men's 25 km open water race at World Aquatic Championships in Montreal.

The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) is proud to announced that Open Water Swimmer, Petar Stoychev, from Bulgaria is the second of 10 aquatic athletes selected for the ISHOF Class of 2018.

As in past years, the ISHOF will make a series of announcements until all members of the class are named. The 54th Annual ISHOF Induction Weekend will be held in Fort Lauderdale, May 18 – 20, 2018.

Petar Stoychev is unique among all the world’s open water swimmers. Stoychev’s versatility in open water swimming is unprecedented. A superman in the water, he has been able to cross great channels and swim in extreme conditions with water temperatures ranging from 35 to 90 degrees. He was the first swimmer to cross the English Channel in under seventy minutes.

Born on October 24, 1976 in Momchilgrad, Bulgaria, Stoychev started to practice swimming at the age of six in the town of Smolyan, under the guidance of his first coaches Evelina and Ognyan Georgiev. This little boy from the Rhodope Mountains could hardly have dreamed then that he would compete in four Olympic Games and become one of the greatest open water swimmers in history.

Stoychev made his first international success in 1992, when the 16 year old swimmer placed fourth in the 400-meter freestyle at the European Junior Championships. After that, in the same year, he made his open water debut at the annual Ohrid Swimming Marathon in Macedonia, where he placed second. This was when Stoychev realized that his strength was in longer distances and challenging conditions in the open water. At the 1995 European Open Water Championships in Austria, Stoychev managed to place sixth at the 5 kilometer swimming event and 12th in the 25 kilometer. Then, he slowly gave up swimming in the warm and luxurious pools and started to swim in the open waters of marathon swimming, organized by the International Swimming Federation (FINA).

Stoychev enters the ISHOF with more than 60 international marathon victories to his credit. Remarkably, he has won international championships in waters that have ranged in temperature from 2°C (35.6°F) to 32°C (89.6°F). He won the FINA World Cup/World Series titles eleven consecutive years, from 2001 – 2011. He also won the Traversée Internationale du Lac Memphrémagog in Magog, Canada (34 km), Lac Saint-Jean in Roberval, Canada (32 km) and the Ohrid Lake, Macedonia Swimming Marathon (30-km) each 11 consecutive times. In 2007, he became the first to swim the English Channel in under seven hours, with a time of 6:57.5.

Photo Courtesy: Carlos Barria

In addition to his numerous achievements in marathon swimming, Stoychev has participated in four Olympic Games. Twice as a pool swimmer (2000 & 2004) before the open water event joined the Olympic program and in 2008 & 2012, where he finished 6th and 9th respectively in the 10K Olympic races which were shorter than his preferred 25K and longer distances. In Beijing, in 2008, Stoychev was Bulgaria’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony. Petar Stoychev is not only an open water swimmer whose versatility is unprecedented, but he takes an active role popularizing swimming in Bulgaria and around the world. He frequently meets with children and supports the UNICEF initiatives in the campaign against child obesity. He has also served in Bulgaria’s Ministry of Sport and on the FINA Athlete’s Commission. 

About The International Swimming Hall of Fame Induction Weekend

Photo Courtesy: ISHOF

The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) Induction Ceremony is shaping up to be a star-studded weekend with multiple events spread out over three days in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Make your plans now to attend the weekend of May 18-20, 2018!  ISHOF Members can purchase the Weekend Package and Save!

This year’s International Swimming Hall of Fame honorees include Swimmers: Rebecca Adlington (GBR), Amanda Beard (USA), and Libby Trickett (AUS); Water Polo Player: Brenda Villa(USA); Contributor: Andy Burke (USA); Diver: Irina Lashko  (USSR, RUS, AUS) ; Coach: Bill Sweetenham (AUS); Synchronized Swimmer: Miho Takeda (JPN);  Open Water Swimmer: Petar Stoychev (BUL); and Pioneer Synchronized Swimming Contributor: Joy Cushman (USA). Ian Crocker (USA) was a part of the Class of 2017, but was unable to attend the induction due to Hurricane Harvey.  We will be officially celebrating his induction as part of the class of 2018.

The Paragon Awards and ISHOF Awards will be presented of Friday of the same weekend

2018 Paragon Award and ISHOF Award Recipients:

• Frank Busch for Competitive Swimming
• Dr. Ben Rubin for Diving
• Bob Corb for Water Polo
• Jennifer Gray for Synchronized Swimming
• David Bell for Recreational Swimming
• Jill White for Water Safety
• Anthony Ervin and Constantine Markides – Buck Dawson Author Award: “Chasing Water: Elegy of an Olympian”
• Gay DeMario – ISHOF Service Award
• Lana Whitehead – Judge G. Harold Martin Award
• Johnny Johnson – Virginia Hunt Newman Award
• Kathy Bateman – John K. Williams, Jr. International Adapted Aquatics Award
• Bob Ingram – Al Schoenfield Media Award

Additional Events

• Swim Across America Fundraiser for Cancer Awareness 8-11 AM at the Hall of Fame Pool
• ISHOF Clinic for Kids produced by Fitter and Faster with Olympian Cammile Adams 11AM -2 PM Hall of Fame Pool

Diver Irina Lashko Returns to Fort Lauderdale to Enter International Swimming Hall of Fame

Irina Lashko is the only athlete to represent four different flags in four Olympic Games: Soviet Union (1988), Unified Team (1992), Russia (1996) and Australia (2004).

The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) officially announced that Irina Lashko as the first of ten (10) Honorees who constitute the ISHOF Class of 2018. Lashko, a three-time Olympic medalist, is no stranger to Fort Lauderdale, as she dove there at the USA International Meet many times during her storied career. As in past years, the ISHOF will make a series of announcements until all members of the Class are named. The 54th Annual ISHOF Induction Weekend will be held in Fort Lauderdale, May 18-20, 2018.

Irina Evgenievna Lashko was born on January 25, 1973 in Samara, Russia. Known as Kuybyshev during the Soviet era, Samara is situated in the southeastern part of European Russia at the confluence of the Volga and Samara Rivers. Irina discovered the sport of diving at the age of five and entered the Sverdlovsk Sports School at the age of ten. Four years later, she represented the Soviet Union at the 1987 FINA Diving World Cup and surprised everyone by winning the silver medal in the 3-meter springboard event behind Hall of Famer Gao Min of China.

The next year, 15 year old Lashko narrowly missed the podium in the same event at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. In 1989, Irina won her first international gold medal when she upset Gao Min at the USA International Meet in Orlando, Florida.

Lashko started out as a child prodigy who won 12 national titles in her native Russia. 2004 Photo Courtesy: Reuters

Leading up to 1992 Olympic Games, Gao and Lashko were the two best women’s 1m and 3-meter divers in the world but Gao was unbeatable in Barcelona while Lashko took the silver medal in the 3-meter event. In 1993, Lashko won two silver medals at the FINA Cup in Beijing. but was out of competition in 1994 to have a baby girl named Alina. She returned in 1995 to win the World Cup 1-meter title. At the Olympic Games of Atlanta the next year, it was silver again. This time behind Fu Minxia, another future Hall of Famer.

In 1998, shortly after winning gold medals in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events at the FINA World Cup, she married Australian businessman Carol Fulner in Melbourne. They had met years earlier at a diving event in Australia, but their relationship created problems for her with the Russian Federation. Not receiving the financial support she felt she deserved, she petitioned the Federation to allow her to compete for her new adopted country at the 2000 Sydney Games.

Unfortunately, her request was denied and the Games went on without one of the best divers in the world. But in Athens, in 2004, she teamed up with Chantelle Newbury to win a bronze medal in the 3-meter springboard synchronized event for Australia. This accomplishment made her the first woman in diving history to win medals in three Olympic Games and the only to represent four different flags in four Olympic Games: Soviet Union (1988), Unified Team (1992), Russia (1996) and Australia (2004).

Irina Lashko had the misfortune of diving during an era dominated by the People’s Republic of China. Yet during her career, she managed to record victories over three Hall of Famers, Gao Min, Fu Minxia and Guo Jingjing and no doubt helped push them to greatness and now joins them as one of the greatest divers of all time.

International Swimming Hall of Fame Announces Induction Class of 2018 and Annual Awards

The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) Induction Ceremony is shaping up to be a star-studded weekend with multiple events spread out over three days in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Make your plans now to attend the weekend of May 18-20, 2018!  ISHOF Members can purchase the Weekend Package and Save!

This year’s International Swimming Hall of Fame honorees include Swimmers: Rebecca Adlington (GBR), Amanda Beard (USA), and Libby Trickett (AUS); Water Polo Player: Brenda Villa(USA); Contributor: Andy Burke (USA); Diver: Irina Lashko  (USSR, RUS, AUS) ; Coach: Bill Sweetenham (AUS); Synchronized Swimmer: Miho Takeda (JPN);  Open Water Swimmer: Petar Stoychev (BUL); and Pioneer Synchronized Swimming Contributor: Joy Cushman (USA). Ian Crocker (USA) Honor Swimmer and Laura Wilkinson (USA) Honor Diver were part of the Class of 2017, but were unable to attend the induction due to Hurricane Harvey will be honored.  We will be officially celebrating their induction as part of the class of 2018.

Reserve Your Hotel Rooms and Purchase Your Tickets Today!

The Weekend Lineup

Friday, May 18th – Paragon & ISHOF Awards Night

5:30 Cocktails, 6:30 PM ISHOF and Paragon Awards at ISHOF Museum

• 2018 Paragon Award Recipients:

  • Frank Busch for Competitive Swimming
  • Dr. Ben Rubin for Diving
  • Bob Corb for Water Polo
  • Jennifer Gray for Synchronized Swimming
  • David Bell for Recreational Swimming
  • Jill White for Water Safety

• 2018 ISHOF Award Recipients:

  • Anthony Ervin & Constantine Markides (co-recipient) – Buck Dawson Author Award: “Chasing Water: Elegy of an Olympian”
  • Gay DeMario – ISHOF Service Award
  • Lana Whitehead – Judge G. Harold Martin Award
  • Johnny Johnson – Virginia Hunt Newman Award
  • Kathy Bateman – John K. Williams, Jr. International Adapted Aquatics Award
  • Bob Ingram – Al Schoenfield Media Award

Saturday, May 19th – Induction Day Schedule

• Multiple Events Throughout The Day

  • Luncheon from 11:30-12:30 PM ISHOF Banquet Hall
  • ISHOF Clinic for Kids produced by Fitter and Faster with Olympian Cammile Adams 11-2 PM At Hall of Fame Pool
  • Autograph Session at the Hall of Fame Pool
  • Possible NISCA High School Coaches Clinic – (To Be Announced)
  • Possible CSCAA High School Recruiting Seminar – (To Be Announced)

• Official 54th Annual International Swimming Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

VIP Reception 6:00 PM, Induction Ceremony 7:00 –10:00 PM at Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa

Honor Swimmers

Rebecca Adlington (GBR)

Amanda Beard (USA)

Libby Trickett (AUS)

Honor Water Polo Player

Brenda Villa (USA)

Honor Diver

Irina Lashko (USSR, RUS, AUS)

Honor Synchronized Swimmer

Miho Takeda (JPN)

Joy Cushman – Pioneer Contributor (USA) 

Honor Open Water Swimmer

Petar Stoychev (BUL)

Honor Coach

Bill Sweetenham (AUS)

Honor Contributor

Andy Burke (USA)

Special Recognition Inductees

Ian Crocker (USA) Honor Swimmer and Laura Wilkinson (USA) Honor Diver were part of the Class of 2017, but were unable to attend the induction due to Hurricane Harvey.  We will be officially celebrating their induction as part of the class of 2018.

Sunday, May 20th – Celebration Day

• Swim Across America Fundraiser for Cancer Awareness 8-11 AM at the Hall of Fame Pool
• Farewell Brunch 10:30 – Noon at Hall of Fame Banquet Hall
• ISHOF Clinic for Kids produced by Fitter and Faster with Olympian Cammile Adams 11AM -2 PM Hall of Fame Pool

WEEKEND TICKET INFORMATION

• MAY 18-20 Complete Weekend Package (Includes Paragon/ISHOF Awards Night, Luncheon, and Induction Ceremony)

  ISHOF Members $305      ISHOF Non-Members $400  BEST PRICE!!

• MAY 18 ISHOF and Paragon Awards Night (Hors D’oeuvres and Free Bar) 5:30 PM

  ISHOF Members $75        ISHOF Non-Members $100

• MAY 19 Luncheon

  ISHOF Members $35        ISHOF Non-Members $50 per person

• MAY 19-20 ISHOF Swim Clinic Produced By Fitter and Faster

  (Register Here)

• MAY 19 INDUCTION CEREMONY AND DINNER 6:00 PM

  ISHOF Members $225
  ISHOF Non-Members $275
  10 Person Table $2,500

• May 20 Swim Across America 8:00-11:00 AM

  (Learn More)

• MAY 20 Farewell BRUNCH 10:30 AM

  ISHOF $20 Donation

HOTEL INFORMATION

• Host Hotel: Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa

  Four and a half star upscale retreat with private beach access, two pools, four restaurants, full service spa and Oceanside bar. Location
  of the Saturday evening induction ceremony. ¼ mile south of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
  • 3030 Holiday Drive, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954) 525-4000;
  • Special ISHOF Guest Rate of $224 per night Book your group rate for International Swimming Hall of Fame
  • NOTE: RESORT FEE IS INCLUDED in the $224 rate

• Courtyard by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Beach

  • 440 Seabreeze Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954) 524-8733;
  • Special ISHOF Guest Rate of $159 per night
  • Please call 954 524-8733 and mention Swimming Hall of Fame Honoree Ceremony for the special Rate of $159.

For more hotel or ticket Information contact Meg Keller-Marvin meg@ishof.org / 570-594-4367

Don Harper, 1956 Olympic Medalist in Diving, Passes Away

Don Harper, an Olympic silver medalist in three-meter springboard diving at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, has passed away. He was 85 years old.

Harper was a native of Redwood City, Calif., and he dove and also participated in trampoline

competition during his time at Ohio State, winning national titles in both sports. In addition to his prolific collegiate career and his Olympic success, Harper won five U.S. National titles and took a silver medal at the 1959 Pan American Games.

Later in life, he continued to work at Ohio State and taught diving around the world.

Read Harper’s full profile from the International Swimming Hall of Fame below:

FOR THE RECORD: 1956 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (3m springboard); 1959 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: silver (10m platform); FIVE U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1955, 1959 (outdoor 3m springboard), 1956, 1958 (indoor 3m springboard), 1957 (indoor 1m springboard); THREE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1956, 1958 (3m springboard), 1958 (1m springboard), SEVEN NATIONAL A.A.U. CHAMPIONSHIPS 1955, 1959 (outdoor 3m springboard), 1956, 1958 (indoor 3m springboard), 1959, 1960 (indoor 1m springboard), 1961 (10m platform).

As the record books show, only Mexico’s Joaquin Capilla and Juan Botella could match the divers of the USA during the 1950s. Many of those U.S. divers competed for Hall of Fame Coach Mike Peppe at Ohio State University Teams. At one time in the 1950s, the Ohio State University had 17 National Champion divers. Team competition was fierce and always brought out the best in each athlete. No exception to this rule was Don Harper, National AAU and NCAA Champion 11 times in springboard diving and trampoline. Springboard diving and trampoline complimented one another and trampoline was an NCAA sport during the 1950s. In 1956 and 1958, Harper became the only athlete in NCAA history to win national championships in two different sports in the same season.

Don enrolled at Ohio State in 1953 and during his tenure received Bachelor, Master and Doctorate degrees in the field of physical education, health and physiology. He was an excellent student and a motor genius when it came to applying mechanical techniques to his diving and acrobatic trampoline routines.  He was one of the first divers to apply a mechanical approach to his dives. As the national trampoline champion, he would strap a video camera to his chest while performing spins and somersaults. He would then apply what he saw on the film to his dives on the board, creating a mental picture and imitating the move.

In 1955, at the Pan American Games in Mexico City, he won the gold medal on the trampoline, unofficially becoming the first World Champion since this was the first international competition in trampoline.  Earlier in the year he had already won 4 major diving contests in Japan, on both the springboard and platform, at meets in Tokyo and Osaka. The following year, 1956, Don had victories at the Big-10, NCAA and AAU Championships in 3m springboard competition. He qualified first at the 1956 U.S. Olympic Trials. Traveling with a strong American contingent to the Olympics at Melbourne, he was narrowly out-scored by teammate Bob Clotworthy, receiving the silver medal in 3m springboard competition.

Don continued diving for another five years, winning at least one major national championship each of those years. He won another USA vs. Japan Duel Meet in 1959 and silvered on the 10m platform in the Chicago Pan American Games that same year.

As a retired diver, he was a positive influence on the development of other divers and traveled throughout the world, at the invitation of international diving federations, to conduct clinics and tours. Dr. Harper remained at Ohio State University as a professor of physiology, sharing his qualities as an elite athlete.