Anthony Nesty
Encyclopedia
Anthony Conrad Nesty is a former Suriname
se international swimmer who was an Olympic
gold medal
ist in the 100-metre butterfly event in 1988.
in 1967, the youngest of five children in his family. Nesty's family migrated to Suriname when he was nine months old, and he started swimming at the age of 5. Nesty trained and competed in Suriname and the Caribbean through the beginning of his teenage years. After placing twenty-first in the 100-meter butterfly at the 1984 Summer Olympics
in Los Angeles
, Nesty entered the Bolles School
in Jacksonville, Florida
, a renowned program for training and preparation of elite, world-class swimmers. While training under Bolles coach Gregg Troy
, Nesty broke the prep school 100-yard butterfly record held by Pablo Morales
. Breaking Morales's record was the beginning of numerous other successes for Nesty. In 1987, he won the gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly and the bronze medal in the 200-meter butterfly at the Pan American Games
in Indianapolis, Indiana
. These victories established the foundation that would lead to his success at the Seoul Olympics.
, winning a gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly and a bronze medal in the 200-meter butterfly.
At the 1988 Summer Olympics
in Seoul, Korea, Nesty edged American
favorite Matt Biondi
by one one-hundredth of a second to win the 100-meter butterfly
; he finished the event in 53.00 seconds and Biondi in 53.01. Nesty is the only Olympic medal winner from Suriname
and after winning his Olympic gold medal, he was unbeaten in the 100-meter butterfly event for three years. Nesty was the second black athlete to win an Olympic medal in swimming following Enith Brigitha
at the 1976 Summer Olympics
in Montreal, Quebec.
Nesty's victory in Seoul was a momentous social and political event for Afro-Caribbeans. The Suriname government commemorated his gold-medal performance on a stamp and on gold and silver coins. A 25-guilders bank note portraying the illustration of a butterfly swimmer was printed in his honor. Surinam Airways
named one of its planes after Nesty, and the indoor stadium in Paramaribo
was renamed for him.
Nesty won gold medals in the 100-meter butterfly at the Goodwill Games
in 1990 and the FINA World Championships in 1991. At the 1991 Pan-American Games in Havana, Cuba, he again won a gold medal in 100-meter butterfly and a silver in the 200-meter butterfly. He attempted to defend his 1988 Olympic gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly at the 1992 Summer Olympics
in Barcelona
, but finished with a third-place bronze.
to attend the University of Florida
in Gainesville, Florida
, where he enjoyed a successful NCAA swimming career with the Florida Gators swimming and diving team under coach Randy Reese
and coach Skip Foster from 1989 to 1992. During his four years competing for the Gators, he won three consecutive NCAA Championships in the 100-yard butterfly (1990–1992), one in the 200-yard butterfly (1990), and one as a member of the school's 400-yard medley relay team (1991), and received sixteen All-American honors. Nesty also won eleven Southeastern Conference
(SEC) titles—five in individual races and six as a member of Gators relay teams.
Nesty graduated from the University of Florida with his bachelor's degree
in 1994.
(ISHOF) as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1998, and the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2002.
Currently, he is the associate head coach for the Florida Gators men's swimming team.
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
se international swimmer who was an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
ist in the 100-metre butterfly event in 1988.
Early years
Anthony Nesty was born in Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
in 1967, the youngest of five children in his family. Nesty's family migrated to Suriname when he was nine months old, and he started swimming at the age of 5. Nesty trained and competed in Suriname and the Caribbean through the beginning of his teenage years. After placing twenty-first in the 100-meter butterfly at the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Nesty entered the Bolles School
Bolles School
The Bolles School is a private college preparatory day and boarding school in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. It has a lower school , a middle school, and a high school, spread across four campuses around the Jacksonville area, and enrolls about 1,800 students a year. The school was founded in 1933 as...
in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, a renowned program for training and preparation of elite, world-class swimmers. While training under Bolles coach Gregg Troy
Gregg Troy
Gregg Troy is an American college and Olympic swimming coach. He is the current head coach of the Florida Gators swimming and diving teams of the University of Florida; the Florida Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Southeastern Conference . ...
, Nesty broke the prep school 100-yard butterfly record held by Pablo Morales
Pablo Morales
Pablo Morales is an American former swimmer. He attended Bellarmine College Preparatory, in San Jose, California under the supervision of Larry Rogers...
. Breaking Morales's record was the beginning of numerous other successes for Nesty. In 1987, he won the gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly and the bronze medal in the 200-meter butterfly at the Pan American Games
Pan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. These victories established the foundation that would lead to his success at the Seoul Olympics.
International swimming career
Nesty returned to international competition at the 1987 Pan-American Games in Indianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, winning a gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly and a bronze medal in the 200-meter butterfly.
At the 1988 Summer Olympics
Swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics took place in Seoul, South Korea. The swimming competition, held from September 18 to September 25, was notable for the seven medals, including five golds, won by Matt Biondi, the six golds won by Kristin Otto, and the three individual golds won by Janet Evans...
in Seoul, Korea, Nesty edged American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
favorite Matt Biondi
Matt Biondi
Matthew Nicholas Biondi is a three-time U.S. Olympic swimmer in the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Summer Olympics, winning a total of 11 medals...
by one one-hundredth of a second to win the 100-meter butterfly
Swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metre butterfly
The men's 100 butterfly at the 1988 Summer Olympics, was contested on September 20 and September 21 .-Records:The existing World and Olympic records at the time of the event were:-A Final:-B Final:-Preliminary heats:...
; he finished the event in 53.00 seconds and Biondi in 53.01. Nesty is the only Olympic medal winner from Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
and after winning his Olympic gold medal, he was unbeaten in the 100-meter butterfly event for three years. Nesty was the second black athlete to win an Olympic medal in swimming following Enith Brigitha
Enith Brigitha
Enith Sijtje Maria Brigitha was one of Holland's leading swimmers in the 1970s, who represented the Netherlands twice at the Summer Olympics, starting in 1972 . She won two bronze medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, in the women's 100 m and 200 m freestyle...
at the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal, Quebec.
Nesty's victory in Seoul was a momentous social and political event for Afro-Caribbeans. The Suriname government commemorated his gold-medal performance on a stamp and on gold and silver coins. A 25-guilders bank note portraying the illustration of a butterfly swimmer was printed in his honor. Surinam Airways
Surinam Airways
Surinam Airways is the national airline of Suriname, based in Paramaribo. It operates regional and long-haul scheduled passenger services. Its hub is at Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport.On 16 September 2008, Surinam Airways had 400 employees....
named one of its planes after Nesty, and the indoor stadium in Paramaribo
Paramaribo
Paramaribo is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 250,000 people, more than half of Suriname's population...
was renamed for him.
Nesty won gold medals in the 100-meter butterfly at the Goodwill Games
Goodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
in 1990 and the FINA World Championships in 1991. At the 1991 Pan-American Games in Havana, Cuba, he again won a gold medal in 100-meter butterfly and a silver in the 200-meter butterfly. He attempted to defend his 1988 Olympic gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics
At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, 31 swimming events were contested. There was a total of 641 participants from 92 countries competing.-Medal table:-Men's events:* Swimmers who participated in the heats only and received medals....
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, but finished with a third-place bronze.
College career
After winning his gold medal in Seoul, Nesty received an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he enjoyed a successful NCAA swimming career with the Florida Gators swimming and diving team under coach Randy Reese
Randy Reese
Randy Reese is an American college and Olympic swimming coach. Reese is best known for coaching the Florida Gators swimming and diving teams to four national championships, and coaching the winners of eighteen Olympic gold, eight silver and eight bronze medals...
and coach Skip Foster from 1989 to 1992. During his four years competing for the Gators, he won three consecutive NCAA Championships in the 100-yard butterfly (1990–1992), one in the 200-yard butterfly (1990), and one as a member of the school's 400-yard medley relay team (1991), and received sixteen All-American honors. Nesty also won eleven Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) titles—five in individual races and six as a member of Gators relay teams.
Nesty graduated from the University of Florida with his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in 1994.
Life after competition swimming
Nesty was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of FameInternational Swimming Hall of Fame
The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of swimming in the United States and around...
(ISHOF) as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1998, and the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2002.
Currently, he is the associate head coach for the Florida Gators men's swimming team.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- List of University of Florida alumni
- List of University of Florida Olympians