Most Memorable Moments in Olympic Swimming - (Rowman & Littlefield Swimming) by John Lohn (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book brings to life the most memorable Olympic swimming moments in history, ranging from the early days of the games to the present. It describes in detail the best races and rivalries as well as the best stories of the Olympic Movement.

Book Synopsis

This book brings to life the most memorable Olympic swimming moments in history, ranging from the early days of the games to the present. It describes in detail the best races and rivalries as well as the best stories of the Olympic Movement.

Review Quotes

This book, part of the Rowman & Littlefield Swimming Series, highlights 25 of the best moments in swimming history. The chronologically ordered moments included here were history-making, had a huge emotional impact, were totally thrilling, or transcended the sport in some way. The vignettes do not just list the facts, but tell the history of the moment under discussion and the sport itself. The book begins with Australian Fanny Durack's win in the 100 freestyle at the 1912 Stockholm games and concludes with 41-year-old American Dara Torres's three silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In between, the book features moments such as Mark Spitz's seven gold medals at the 1972 games in Munich, forced doping by the East German women's swimmers in the 1970's and 1980's, the American boycott of the 1980 summer games in Moscow, the gold medal 100 butterfly race by Anthony Nesty of Suriname at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and the U.S. men's 400 freestyle relay at the 2008 games in Beijing under the anchor leg by Jason Lezak. The book has six appendixes, a bibliography, and an index. This would be a welcome addition for a library looking for reference materials on swimming or sports; it will also appeal to a general audience.

About the Author

John P. Lohn is the United States correspondent for SwimVortex, and former senior writer for Swimming World Magazine. Lohn has covered the sport at the national and international levels since 2000, including the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. He was the deputy sports editor for the Delaware County Daily Times before becoming a library media specialist. Lohn is the author of the Historical Dictionary of Competitive Swimming (2010) and They Ruled the Pool: The 100 Greatest Swimmers in History (2013). He is also the editor of the Rowman & Littlefield Swimming Series.