{"id":443767,"date":"2020-08-12T13:46:25","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T20:46:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=443767"},"modified":"2020-08-12T13:46:25","modified_gmt":"2020-08-12T20:46:25","slug":"swim-poll-of-the-week-46-believe-janet-evans-is-best-retired-female-swimmer-of-all-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swim-poll-of-the-week-46-believe-janet-evans-is-best-retired-female-swimmer-of-all-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Swim Poll of the Week: 46% Believe Janet Evans Is Best Retired Female Swimmer of All-Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Janet Evans topped the swim poll of the week as the top female swimmer of all-time among retired athletes.<\/em><\/p>\n

This is the Swim Poll of the Week for Wednesday August 12, 2020, sponsored by Strechcordz Swim Training Products<\/a>. In our last poll, we wanted to know: Who is the greatest female swimmer of all-time among retired athletes<\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two weeks ago during the pre-scheduled dates of the now-postponed Olympic Games<\/a>, Swimming World<\/em>\u00a0Editors\u00a0Craig Lord\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0John Lohn<\/strong>\u00a0put together an event-by-event\u00a0League of Olympic Swim Legends<\/strong>\u00a0in which we considered the impact of the likes of Shane Gould<\/strong><\/a>, Krisztina Egerszegi<\/strong><\/a>, Katie Ledecky<\/strong>, Janet Evans<\/strong>, Dawn Fraser<\/strong><\/a>, Mary T. Meagher<\/strong><\/a>, Tracy Caulkins<\/strong><\/a> and many other pioneers and pace-setters.<\/p>\n

Based on what did unfold, following the rules and points scores we set for our virtual exercise, our League of Legends overall and stroke virtual podiums for women celebrate the towering achievements of swimmers who stood out in a crowded pantheon of excellence.<\/p>\n

In our event-by-event lists,\u00a0Shane Gould<\/strong>\u00a0made one podium: the 1500m freestyle, courtesy of the more subjective measures \u00a0that had to be applied to the 1500m freestyle for women, given that the event will make its Olympic debut at Tokyo202One. That she did not make the podiums in the 200 and 400m freestyle reflected the bright shooting-star nature of her career.<\/p>\n

Look at swimming history from the wider perspective and Gould\u2019s Munich 1972 campaign amounts to one of the most outstanding and spectacular moments in Olympic history \u2013 all sports: at one Games \u2013 five solo medals, three gold in World-record times, freestyle and medley as a reflection of versatility and skill in her element \u2013 a unique achievement by \u201cdie goldfisch\u201d from Australia that remains a record almost half a century on.<\/p>\n

Krisztina Egerszegi<\/strong>\u00a0has a five-medals record that remains unmatched, too: with one in 1988, three in 1992 and one in 1996, the Hungarian is the only woman ever to claim five solo gold medals. Three of the golds were won over 200m backstroke, granting Egerszegi membership of the Triple Crown club formed by Australian\u00a0Dawn Fraser<\/strong>\u00a0(100m freestyle, 1956, 1960, 1964).<\/p>\n

Janet Evans<\/strong>\u00a0came close, with four golds, 400 and 800m freestyle and that Gouldian nod of versatility in her 400IM victory of 1988.\u00a0Yana Klochkova<\/strong>\u00a0came close, too: double medley gold in 2000 and 2004, plus silver over 800m freestyle in 2000. There there are the queens of the \u2018What If\u2019 sorority of women swimmers harmed by the years of State Plan 14:25, damage exacerbated by a boycott imposed by their own country:\u00a0Tracy Caulkins<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Mary T. Meagher<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 would it have been double gold on medley and \u2018fly at Moscow 1980 in a parallel fairer world of Olympic sport? Probably \u2013 but we will never know.<\/p>\n

We wanted to ask our audience who the best female swimmer of all-time was that has retired from the sport, excluding Ledecky who will be vying for a third straight 800 free gold medal in Tokyo next year.<\/p>\n

We asked for the swim poll and it looks like our audience sided with the American distance swimmer\u2026<\/p>\n