Fred Schmidt
Encyclopedia
Fred Schmidt is an American
swimmer
and olympic champion. He began swimming competitively at New Trier High School, Winnetka, IL, under coach David Robertson. He was part of one of the greatest high school swim teams ever, in 1961. The team won the Illinois high school championship, and various team members held every high school national record at the time. The team placed third in the AAU championships that year behind the Yale and Indiana University teams. He then swam at Indiana University for coach Doc Counsilman.
He competed at the 1964 Olympic Games
in Tokyo
, where he received a gold medal in 4 × 100 m medley relay. He received a bronze medal in 200m butterfly.
He held the World record on 100 metres butterfly
from August 20, 1961 to April 24, 1962.
He later entered the Navy, became a SEAL, and participated in the reconvery of several capsules in the manned space flight program.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
swimmer
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and olympic champion. He began swimming competitively at New Trier High School, Winnetka, IL, under coach David Robertson. He was part of one of the greatest high school swim teams ever, in 1961. The team won the Illinois high school championship, and various team members held every high school national record at the time. The team placed third in the AAU championships that year behind the Yale and Indiana University teams. He then swam at Indiana University for coach Doc Counsilman.
He competed at the 1964 Olympic Games
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, where he received a gold medal in 4 × 100 m medley relay. He received a bronze medal in 200m butterfly.
He held the World record on 100 metres butterfly
World record progression 100 metres butterfly
The first world record in the 100 metres butterfly in long course swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation in 1957, for both men and women...
from August 20, 1961 to April 24, 1962.
He later entered the Navy, became a SEAL, and participated in the reconvery of several capsules in the manned space flight program.