Lillian Watson
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Lillian Debra Watson | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | "Pokey" | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | July 11, 1950 Mineola, New York, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 146 lb (66 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Backstroke, freestyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Santa Clara Swim Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Lillian Debra Watson (born July 11, 1950), commonly known by her nickname Pokey Watson, and later by her married name Lillian Richardson, is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in three events.
As a 14-year-old, she represented the United States at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.[1] Watson won a gold medal as a member of the first-place U.S. team in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay, together with her teammates Sharon Stouder, Donna de Varona and Kathy Ellis. The four American women set a new world of 4:03.8 in the event final.[1][2] She also swam the backstroke leg for the gold medal-winning U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the women's 4×100-meter medley relay,[1] but did not receive a second medal because only relay swimmers who competed in the event final were eligible under the 1964 rules. Four years later at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, she won a gold medal for her first-place performance in the women's 200-meter backstroke, setting a new Olympic record of 2:24.8.[3]
Watson broke Dawn Fraser's six-year-old world record in the 200-meter freestyle (long course) on August 19, 1966, with a time of 2:10.5, and held the record for one year. She was part of several world record performances in relay events.
Watson was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1984.[4]
See also
[edit]- List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
- List of University of California, Los Angeles people
- World record progression 200 metres freestyle
- World record progression 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay
- World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, Pokey Watson. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ^ Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, United States Swimming at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Games. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ^ Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1968 Ciudad de México Summer Games, Women's 200 metres Backstroke Final. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ^ "Lillian "Pokey" Watson (USA)". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
External links
[edit]- Lillian "Pokey" Watson (USA) – Honor Swimmer profile at International Swimming Hall of Fame at the Wayback Machine (archived 2015-04-02)
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- 1950 births
- Living people
- American female backstroke swimmers
- American female freestyle swimmers
- World record setters in swimming
- People from Mineola, New York
- Sportspeople from Nassau County, New York
- Swimmers at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Swimmers at the 1968 Summer Olympics
- University of California, Los Angeles alumni
- Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming
- Swimmers at the 1967 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 1967 Pan American Games
- Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in swimming
- 20th-century American sportswomen