Debbie Meyer
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| Olympic medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Competitor for  United States |
|||
| Women's Swimming | |||
| Gold | Mexico City 1968 | 200m Freestyle | |
| Gold | Mexico City 1968 | 400m Freestyle | |
| Gold | Mexico City 1968 | 800m Freestyle | |
Deborah ("Debbie") Elizabeth Meyer (born August 14, 1952 in Annapolis, Maryland) is an American former swimmer who won the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle swimming events in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. At 16 years old, she became the first swimmer to win three individual gold medals in one Olympics.
Meyer set world records in 200m, 400m and 800m in the Olympics trials. Her winning times at the Olympics were 2:10.5 for 200m, 4:31.8 for 400m and 9:24.0 for 800m, all of them new Olympic records. A sufferer from asthma, she also broke twenty world records, which landed her in the Olympic Hall of Fame, broke 24 United States records and won 19 Amateur Athletic Union championships.
In 1969 she was named Associated Press Athlete of the Year. In 1972 she retired from competition. She owns the Debbie Meyer Swim School.
On July 5, 2004 she is scheduled to be inducted into the United States National High School Hall of Fame. In memory of her Olympic achievement she uses the custom car licence plate 3GOLD68.
| Olympic champions in women's 200 m freestyle |
|---|
| 1968: Debbie Meyer | 1972: Shane Gould | 1976: Kornelia Ender | 1980: Barbara Krause | 1984: Mary Waite | 1988: Heike Friedrich | 1992: Nicole Haislett | 1996: Claudia Poll | 2000: Susie O'Neill | 2004: Camelia Potec |
| Olympic champions in women's 400 m freestyle |
|---|
| 1924: Martha Norelius | 1928: Martha Norelius | 1932: Helene Madison | 1936: Rie Mastenbroek | 1948: Ann Curtis | 1952: Valeria Gyenge | 1956: Lorraine Crapp | 1960: Christina von Saltza | 1964: Virginia Duenkel | 1968: Debbie Meyer | 1972: Shane Gould | 1976: Petra Thuemer | 1980: Ines Diers | 1984: Tiffany Cohen | 1988: Janet Evans | 1992: Dagmar Hase | 1996: Michelle Smith | 2000: Brooke Bennett | 2004: Laure Manaudou |
| Olympic champions in women's 800 m freestyle |
|---|
| 1968: Debbie Meyer | 1972: Keena Rothhammer | 1976: Petra Thuemer | 1980: Michelle Ford | 1984: Tiffany Cohen | 1988: Janet Evans | 1992: Janet Evans | 1996: Brooke Bennett | 2000: Brooke Bennett | 2004: Ai Shibata |
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