#30MostSwimfluential: Donna de Varona

Photo Courtesy: YouTube/USOC

Who is Donna de Varona?

Won gold in the 400 IM and 4×100 free relay in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. After the Olympics, at the age of 17, she retired from competitive swimming and entered the male-dominated world of sports broadcasting.
Covered 17 winter and summer Olympic Games and won an Emmy and two Gracies in her pioneering broadcasting career.
Took a leave of absence from her television career and worked a s a consultant to the U.S. Senate to help with the passage of the 1978 Amateur Sports Act, which restructured how Olympic sports are governed in the United States.
Worked with the U.S. Senate to promote and safeguard Title IX of the Equal Education Amendments Act.
Joined Billie Jean King in establishing the The Women’s Sport Foundation in the 1970s. She served as the first President (1979–1984) and subsequently, became the Chairman and Honorary Trustee for the Foundation.
Inducted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an “Honor Swimmer” in 1969.
In 2004, de Varona was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York.

How did she influence the swimming community?

Profoundly. Her name is synonymous with “strong female” and she has inspired generations of women to enter uncharted territories. She blazed a trail with her dominance in the pool and her poise in front of a camera. Her involvement in legislations protecting women from gender discrimination have helped prolong the careers of countless female swimmers. Her advocacy for exercise preceded the country’s fads and undoubtedly changed the lives of those who may have never dived in to a pool for the sake of fitness.

*USA Swimming and Speedo invited the swimming community to help celebrate their 30 years of partnership by voting for the “30 Most Influential People in Swimming Over the Past 30 Years.” Votes were cast through social media with the hashtag #30MostSwimfluential and the final vote came from a panel of 10 judges selected by USA Swimming and Speedo. All 30 nominees have had a powerful impact on the swimming community. Many are recognizable names, but some have remained unsung heroes of the sport. Swimming World will profile each swimfluential person over the course of the week.

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Bill Bell

8 years ago

Can you imagine a Janet Evans or a Katinka Hosszu or even an Elizsbeth Beisel/ Katie Ledecky (!!!) winining an Olympic 400 IM AND swimming a leg on the gold-medal winning 400 FR?

Now THAT’s incredible!

Congrats Double D, you sure does it and then beat the boysatbtheir own game, thanks to Roone.