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Ronald Gora

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Ron Gora
Ronald Gora in 1953
Personal information
Full nameRonald Francis Gora
Nickname(s)"Ron," "Ronnie"
National team United States
Born(1933-07-10)July 10, 1933
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedMarch 11, 2014(2014-03-11) (aged 80)
Durand, Michigan, U.S.[1]
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
College teamUniversity of Michigan
Medal record
Representing the United States
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1951 Buenos Aires 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1951 Buenos Aires 100 m freestyle
Representing Michigan
NCAA
Gold medal – first place 1953 Columbus 400 yard freestyle relay
Gold medal – first place 1954 Syracuse 400 yard freestyle relay

Ronald Francis Gora (July 10, 1933 – March 11, 2014) was an American competition swimmer and Pan American Games champion. Gora was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended Lane Tech High School in Chicago.[1] He remains tied with Tom Jager and Brian Alden for the second most individual high school state championships won by a male in Illinois.

Gora won a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay event at the 1951 Pan American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, alongside Dick Cleveland, Burwell Jones and Bill Heusner. Individually, he also received a Pan American Games silver medal for his second-place finish in the 100-meter freestyle. Gora again represented the United States at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, where he finished eighth in the final of the men's 100-meter freestyle with a time of 58.8 seconds. He attended the University of Michigan, and swam for the Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1952 to 1954. He was a member of Michigan's NCAA national championship teams in the 400-yard freestyle relay in 1953 and 1954.[2][3]

Gora had four sisters. On November 16, 1963, he married Maria Käppeler, they had one daughter and two sons. Gora had 2 daughters and 2 son's from a previous marriage.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Ronald Gora. Sports-Reference.com
  2. ^ MGoBlue.com, Men's Swimming & Diving, Michigan Men's Swimming and Diving All-Time NCAA Champions. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
  3. ^ HickokSports.com, Sports History, NCAA Men's Swimming & Diving Champions Archived 2002-02-23 at the Library of Congress Web Archives. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
  4. ^ Ronald Gora's obituary. legacy.suntimes.com