Kim Peyton
Encyclopedia
Kim Marie Peyton McDonald (January 26, 1957 – December 13, 1986) was a competitive freestyle
swimmer from Portland, Oregon
in the 1970s and a Gold medalist for the United States at the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics
. She was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
in 1989, three years after her death at age 29 from a brain tumor.
She swam for the David Douglas High School
Swim Club in Portland, Oregon
where she held numerous Oregon State Girls 4A swim records including 200-Yard Medley Relay (1974,1975,1976); 200-Yard Freestyle (1972,1974,1975); 50-Yard Freestyle (1971); 100-Yard Freestyle (1972,1974); 500-Yard Freestyle (1975); 200-Yard Freestyle Relay (1971, 1972); 400-Yard Freestyle Relay (1974, 1975); 400-Yard Freestyle (1971).
: in the 1971 Cali, Colombia games
and in 1975 Mexico City
. In 1971, she won a gold medal in the 200m freestyle; in 1975, she won four gold medals: in the 100m freestyle, the 200m freestyle, the 4x100m freestyle relay, and the 4x100m medley relay. She was chosen as was the United States' flag bearer at the closing ceremonies of the 1975 games.
as a backup swimmer. In the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics
, she won a gold medal in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay
event along with teammates Jill Sterkel
, Shirley Babashoff
, and Wendy Boglioli
, setting a new world record with a time of 3:44.82. This record would stand until August 26, 1978 when another United States swim team of Cynthia Woodhead
, Jill Sterkel
, Stephanie Elkinsm and Tracy Caulkins
broke it with a time of 3:43.43 in West Berlin
, Federal Republic of Germany.
Peyton was one of only two people from Oregon
to win a medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. The other was Mac M. Wilkins
who won a Gold in Discus that year.
, where she met her husband Drew McDonald
, who won a silver medal as a member of the 1984 United States Olympic water polo team
.
Johnny Carpenter
Prep athlete of the year award as the Outstanding Amateur Athlete in Oregon. In 1989, she was inducted posthumously into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
.
that she first disclosed to the public in 1979.
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
swimmer from Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
in the 1970s and a Gold medalist for the United States at the 1976 Montreal 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...
. She was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...
in 1989, three years after her death at age 29 from a brain tumor.
Youth and high school
Peyton set three national swimming records when she was only 9 and 10 years old.She swam for the David Douglas High School
David Douglas High School
David Douglas High School is a public high school in Portland, Oregon, United States.-History:The school is named after 19th-century Scottish botanist David Douglas, namesake of such Pacific Northwest species as the Douglas-fir...
Swim Club in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
where she held numerous Oregon State Girls 4A swim records including 200-Yard Medley Relay (1974,1975,1976); 200-Yard Freestyle (1972,1974,1975); 50-Yard Freestyle (1971); 100-Yard Freestyle (1972,1974); 500-Yard Freestyle (1975); 200-Yard Freestyle Relay (1971, 1972); 400-Yard Freestyle Relay (1974, 1975); 400-Yard Freestyle (1971).
Oregon Girls Swimming Title
Peyton was to break her own Oregon 400m 17-18 Girls Freestyle record on August 1, 1974. This record time of 4:20.35 was to stand until July 26, 1997 when Lauren Thies set a new time of 4:15.97.Pan American Games
She participated in two Pan American GamesPan 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 the 1971 Cali, Colombia games
1971 Pan American Games
The 6th Pan American Games were held in Cali, Colombia, from July 30 to August 13, 1971. The then called "Salsa World Capital", located at the foot of the Andes Mountains, hosted a total of 2,935 athletes from 32 countries, who participated in seventeen sports...
and in 1975 Mexico City
1975 Pan American Games
The 7th Pan American Games were held in Mexico City, Mexico, from October 12 to October 26, 1975, exactly twenty years after the 2nd Pan American Games were held there...
. In 1971, she won a gold medal in the 200m freestyle; in 1975, she won four gold medals: in the 100m freestyle, the 200m freestyle, the 4x100m freestyle relay, and the 4x100m medley relay. She was chosen as was the United States' flag bearer at the closing ceremonies of the 1975 games.
Olympics
Peyton represented the United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
as a backup swimmer. In the 1976 Montreal 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...
, she won a gold medal in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay
Swimming at the 1976 Summer Olympics - Women's 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay
The Women's 4 x 100 metre Freestyle relay event for the 1976 Summer Olympics was held in Montreal.-Final:-References:*...
event along with teammates Jill Sterkel
Jill Sterkel
Gillian "Jill" Sterkel is a former competitive freestyle swimmer for the United States of America. At the Olympic Games she won four medals in three Games spanning 12 years. She attended Glen A...
, Shirley Babashoff
Shirley Babashoff
Shirley Frances Babashoff is a former swimmer from the United States, who set six world records and earned a total of eight individual Olympic medals in her career...
, and Wendy Boglioli
Wendy Boglioli
Wendy Lansbach Boglioli is a former Olympic swimmer and swimming coach from the United States, who later became a motivational speaker...
, setting a new world record with a time of 3:44.82. This record would stand until August 26, 1978 when another United States swim team of Cynthia Woodhead
Cynthia Woodhead
Cynthia Woodhead is an American swimmer, world champion, olympic medalist and world record holder. She won three gold medals at the 1978 world championships, when she was only fourteen years old...
, Jill Sterkel
Jill Sterkel
Gillian "Jill" Sterkel is a former competitive freestyle swimmer for the United States of America. At the Olympic Games she won four medals in three Games spanning 12 years. She attended Glen A...
, Stephanie Elkinsm and Tracy Caulkins
Tracy Caulkins
Tracy Anne Caulkins Stockwell, OAM, is a former American college and international swimmer, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and a former world record-holder....
broke it with a time of 3:43.43 in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, Federal Republic of Germany.
Peyton was one of only two people from Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
to win a medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. The other was Mac M. Wilkins
Mac Wilkins
Maurice "Mac" Wilkins is an American athlete, who competed mainly in the discus throw. He was born in Eugene, Oregon....
who won a Gold in Discus that year.
Stanford University
She swam collegiately for Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, where she met her husband Drew McDonald
Andrew McDonald (water polo)
Andrew John McDonald is a former water polo player who won a silver medal for the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California...
, who won a silver medal as a member of the 1984 United States Olympic water polo team
Water polo at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Water polo at the 1984 Summer Olympics as usual was part of the swimming sport, the other two being swimming and diving. They were not seen as three separate sports, because they all were governed by one federation — FINA. Water polo discipline consisted of one event: the men's team...
.
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
Peyton-McDonald was honored in 1975 with the Bill HaywardBill Hayward
William Louis "Colonel Bill" Hayward was a track and field coach for the University of Oregon for 44 years, and a coach for six United States Olympics teams.-Athletic career:...
Johnny Carpenter
Johnny Carpenter
Johnny Carpenter was an American film actor, screenwriter and producer. He was known mostly for his work in Westerns and for his association with filmmaker Edward D. Wood Jr....
Prep athlete of the year award as the Outstanding Amateur Athlete in Oregon. In 1989, she was inducted posthumously into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...
.
Death
Peyton-McDonald died on December 13, 1986 at the age of 29 as a result of an inoperable brain tumorBrain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
that she first disclosed to the public in 1979.